Banana Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

Every now and then I get in the mood to bake a cake. Slathered in frosting, layer by layer, covered in sprinkles. Instead of making a huge cake that would taunt me and wink at me from across the room, I made a smaller, "healthier" version of a cake by using bananas and my 8 x 8 pan. But I didn't skip out on the frosting.

It is brown butter frosting, after all. The magic of brown butter. I love watching the butter melt and allowing it to become a warm amber color. It's so easy to make and once it's done you'll be surprised at how moist this cake is. It holds up well too, hanging out in an air tight container for more than a week.

Source: Lauren's Latest
Servings: 12


Cake
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup plain applesauce, unsweetened (I used yogurt)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large bananas, mashed

Frosting
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray an 8×8 square dish with non stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, excluding the sugar. Stir to combine and set aside.

In a different bowl, whip sugar, oil and applesauce together. Stir in eggs, vanilla and mashed banana. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Pour into prepared dish and bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Cool completely.

To make the frosting, place butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Just after the butter melts, start swirling the pan in small circles. After about 30 seconds or so, the butter should start foaming and will turn an amber color and smell nutty. Once this happens, remove from heat immediately and pour into a different container. Cool to room temperature.

Once butter has cooled, whip together with vanilla, powdered sugar and cream until smooth and creamy. Spread over cooled cake and top with chopped walnuts, if desired. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.