Have you ever tried a cake and knew it was the one you'd make for the rest of your life? This banana cake is the one! My sister introduced me to it several years ago and it is to die for. It is perfectly moist, tender and pairs so well with cream cheese frosting. This recipe is originally from Food.com, but my sister found it on Real Life Dinner. The original recipe is made in a 9x13 pan, but Real Life Dinner changed some elements and made it in a bundt pan, which is precisely what we've been making it as for many years and it is perfection. Honestly, you cannot go wrong with either recipe.
Then my sister had her wedding in April 2020 and she requested for me to make her wedding cake and she wanted one of the tiers to be banana cake, so I needed to make sure it can convert into a layer cake that can stack and hold up well. I turned it into a 3 layer cake and it was phenomenal. Still delicious and moist and held up perfectly! And she happened to get married on the warmest day in April (in the 70s!) and it was perfect! I posted a little on her wedding cake.
My recipe isn't very much different from Real Life Dinner's recipe because you can't really fix perfection, right? I did convert it a little so that it works for a 2 layer cake. I use my own cream cheese frosting recipe and I add a caramel sauce that is absolutely delicious. All these elements paired together are a match made in heaven and you must try it!
📖 Recipe Card
The Best Banana Caramel Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 3 very ripe bananas smashed
- 1½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 2¼ cups (270 g) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoon (84 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 tablespoon (40.8 g) vegetable oil
- 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (60 g) water
- ½ cup (119 g) heavy cream room temperature
- 6 tablespoon (84 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt optional
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 8 oz (226 g) block cream cheese room temperature
- 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tsp salt
Topping
- ½ cup walnuts
- ½ cup caramel
Instructions
Cake
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
- Grease 2 8 in pans and line with parchment paper
- Mash the bananas on a plate and cover with lemon juice, stir and then set aside3 very ripe bananas, 1½ teaspoon lemon juice
- In a bowl, sift flour, salt and baking soda, set aside2¼ cups all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 1½ teaspoon baking soda
- In mixing bowl, combine butter, oil, and sugar and mix with hand mixer until mixed thoroughly6 tablespoon unsalted butter, 3 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1½ cups granulated sugar
- Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix until combined2 large eggs, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add buttermilk and mix well. Scrape edges of bowl with spatula and continue mixing until combined1 cup buttermilk
- Slowly add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix on low speed until just combined.
- Add mashed bananas and mix until just combined
- Divide batter into prepared pans
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean
- Once baked, immediate place pans in freezer for 50 minutes
- Remove from freezer and assemble, or wrap and place in refrigerator until ready to assemble
Caramel Sauce
- Stir sugar and water in a pot until combined, then place on high heat. Stir until sugar appears dissolved. Then, leave the mixture and do not stir, otherwise it could crystalize1 cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup water
- Use a pastry brush dipped in water to brush away the sides of the pot to melt sugar crystals
- Let sugar cook - it will start to bubble up and slowly change colors. This could take some time, but keep a watch on it because it could burn very fast once it starts to change
- Once you reached desired color (an amber color is good. Any darker and it could become bitter), add the room temperature heavy cream, and whisk vigorously½ cup heavy cream
- Add the room temperature butter, and continue whisking until incorporated and melted into the caramel6 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Add salt (optional), and turn heat off½ teaspoon salt
- Pour into jar or container and let cool
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (you could use a hand mixer), beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth½ cup unsalted butter, 8 oz block cream cheese
- Add powdered sugar one cup at a time until completely combined3 cups powdered sugar
- Add salt and vanilla extract and then beat until completely smooth1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon salt
Assembly
- Place one cake layer on cake stand and add half the frosting and smooth
- Drizzle half the caramel on top½ cup caramel
- Add second cake layer and remaining frosting and smooth
- Add the remaining caramel sauce and top with walnuts½ cup walnuts
Notes
- Cake recipe adapted from Real Life Dinner
- See the full caramel post here
Best cake EVER!! I have made this cake 5 times since Christmas. We LOVE it!!!
I used artificial sugar in the cake & made a thin Carmel simple syrup that I poured over the cake as soon as it came out of the oven.
Awww, thanks so much, Wendy! That means so much to me. I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe so much. 🙂 Thank you for leaving a review.
Wow!What a flavor combo! The cream cheese icing complements the banana, the bitter walnut balances the smooth caramel. My godmother (lady of the hour) loves banana and she had two slices saying she "couldnt stop herself". Everyone at the party was saying "have you tried that cake?"
Thanks bunches 🙂