Brown Butter Banana Cake

Close-up of banana cake showing soft texture and creamy frosting.

Brown Butter Banana Cake

A simple cake mix gets a rich upgrade with browned butter and ripe bananas, baked into a tender, crowd-pleasing dessert and finished with a creamy layer of frosting!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

cooling time 1

Total Time 1 55

Servings servings

Calories 256kcal

Author Deb Clark

Equipment

1 9x13 cake pan

Ingredients

1 box yellow cake mix
3 ripe bananas mashed
½ cup unsalted butter
2 large eggs
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
16 ounce container cream cheese frosting or homemade cream cheese frosting
additional cinnamon for dusting

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 cake pan.
Start by browning the butter. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir as it foams, then keep an eye on it as it turns golden with little brown bits at the bottom and smells nutty. Remove from heat and let it cool for 5–10 minutes.
 In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, mashed bananas, eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Pour in the slightly cooled brown butter. Mix just until combined—no need to overwork it.
 Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake 35–40 minutes. The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
Let the cake cool completely and frost with cream cheese frosting. Lightly dust with additional cinnamon if desired.

Notes

If you're using a store-bought frosting, add ¼ teaspoon vanilla and ⅛ teapsoon ground cinnamon and give it a good mix.

Storage - Keep it covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Let slices sit at room temperature for a bit before serving so the texture softens up. Freeze the unfrosted cake tightly wrapped for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then frost before serving.

Nutrition