Banana Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

Step 1

Lightly grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper for easy release form the pans later.

Step 2

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 3

Sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda and set aside.

Step 4

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Step 5

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Step 6

Beat in the vanilla extract.

Step 7

Mix together the banana puree and milk.

Step 8

Fold in the dry ingredients alternately with the pureed banana/milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. I generally add the dry ingredients in 3 portions and the banana in 2 portions. Be careful not to overmix or you risk toughening the cake texture.

Step 9

Spread the batter equally into the prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Step 10

Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 11

To brown butter just melt it in a small saucepan over medium heat and watch it carefully until the color turns light golden brown.

Step 12

Pour it off immediately into a heat proof measuring cup, leaving the sediment behind. (Or most of the sediment, I actually add a 1/2 tsp or so of it to the frosting for flavour.)

Step 13

Allow the brown butter to cool to room temperature and solidify.

Step 14

Beat all ingredients together until smooth, fluffy, and a spreadable consistency. Use a couple of tablespoons of milk to begin and add more if need be, or of it becomes too thin, just add a couple more tablespoons of icing sugar at a time to get to the proper consistency.

Step 15

Frost the middle and top of the cake. If you want to completely frost the cake sides too, you can double the frosting recipe.