Description
This Peanut Butter Banana Cake is flavor-loaded with rich peanut butter essence and plenty of banana flavor. It’s as if banana bread and a peanut butter sponge cake had a baby. It’s topped with a quick and easy, Southern-style caramel icing that beams with decadence. What a fun little treat this adorable, tasty snacking cake would be for nearly any occasion! Sooo easy to make and supremely moist!
Ingredients
For the peanut butter banana cake:
- 1 ½ cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
- ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup smooth peanut butter (like Jif or Skippy!)
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla essence (I use vanilla bean paste)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the caramel icing:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
- Flaky salt, for garnish- optional
Instructions
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Then line the pan with a piece of parchment paper that hangs over the edges, then set the baking pan aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the mashed ripe banana, brown sugar, egg, buttermilk, peanut butter, oil, and vanilla essence. Whisk the wet ingredients well to thoroughly combine.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk the cake batter together until just combined with no streaks of flour.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, and gently tap the pan on the counter to help release any air bubbles. Use an offset spatula to smooth the top if needed.
- Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then set the pan on a wire rack to continue cooling. Let the cake cool down completely before icing.
- For the caramel icing: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then remove the mixture from heat and let cool for 3 minutes, stirring the mixture every so often to help it cool down a bit. Then whisk in the salt along with the powdered sugar until the icing is well combined and silky smooth.
- Immediately spread the icing over the cooled cake- I like to use the back of a spoon to create some swoops with the icing. Garnish the cake with flaky salt, if desired. Let the caramel icing set on the cake for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Then slice into wedges and serve. Enjoy!
- Storing: Keep this cake stored, covered, at room temperature on the counter for 3-4 days. Otherwise, keep the cake stored in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Gluten-free needs? Swap the all-purpose flour for any gluten-free baking flour as a 1:1 ratio (we love Bob’s Red Mill gf flour!).
- Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.