This salted caramel banana cake is a soft, moist banana snack cake baked in a 9x9-inch pan, topped with a fluffy whipped salted caramel cream cheese frosting and swirled with more salted caramel.
Overripe bananas and salted caramel are a natural match, and this easy cake brings them together in every bite.
The cake is mixed in one bowl with no mixer. Mashed bananas and yogurt keep the crumb tender and moist, and melted butter adds a rich, buttery flavor.
The frosting is light and whipped, made with cream cheese, heavy cream, and plenty of salted caramel sauce, so it tastes like caramel without being heavy.
It is a simple, cozy cake for birthdays, brunch, or using up a bunch of spotty bananas.
Have more ripe bananas? Try my banana coffee cake, banana pudding cupcakes, and Nutella swirl banana muffins.
Jump to:
- Salted Caramel Banana Cake at a Glance
- Why this recipe works
- Ingredients
- Step by Step Instructions
- How to Tell When the Cake Is Done
- Expert Tips
- Troubleshooting
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storing
- Freezing
- Make It Ahead Of Time
- Substitutions
- Variations
- How to Scale This Recipe for Different Pans
- Equipment
- Connect With Us
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Salted Caramel Banana Cake at a Glance
- Pan: 9x9-inch square pan
- Serves: 12 slices
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Bake: 35 to 40 minutes at 180°C (350°F)
- Frosting: Whipped salted caramel cream cheese frosting
- Topping: A wave of salted caramel sauce
Why this recipe works
- One Bowl Cake: The batter is whisked together by hand in a single bowl.
- Extra Moist: Ripe bananas and yogurt keep the cake soft and tender for days.
- Caramel Inside and On Top: Salted caramel is whipped into the frosting and swirled over the top in a glossy wave pattern.
- Sweet and Salty: Salted caramel balances the natural sweetness of the bananas.
- Simple Square Cake: No layers, no stacking. Just bake, cool, frost, and slice.
Ingredients
Before starting, measure and prepare your ingredients so the baking process goes smoothly. You can find the exact measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
The banana cake
Ripe Bananas: Mashed until mostly smooth. The riper they are, the sweeter and more flavorful the cake.
Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the cake and helps it bake up golden.
Kosher Salt: Balances the sweetness and brings out the banana flavor.
Unsalted Butter: Melted and cooled. Adds rich, buttery flavor. If using salted butter, remove the salt from the recipe.
Eggs: Large and at room temperature so they blend smoothly into the batter.
Vanilla Extract: Rounds out the banana and caramel flavors.
Milk: Adds moisture to the batter.
Yogurt: Plain or Greek yogurt keeps the crumb soft and tender. Sour cream also works.
All-Purpose Flour: Spoon and level it, or weigh it, for the best texture.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Give the cake a light, even rise.
The salted caramel frosting
Cream Cheese: Full-fat block cream cheese at room temperature, so the frosting stays smooth.
Heavy Cream: Must be cold so it whips up and makes the frosting light and fluffy.
Powdered Sugar: Sweetens the frosting without any grainy texture.
Vanilla Extract: Enhances the caramel flavor.
Salted Caramel Sauce: Used in the frosting and swirled on top. Use it cooled to room temperature or chilled. Use my homemade salted caramel sauce or a thick store-bought caramel.
Step by Step Instructions
Bake the banana cake
Prep: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a 9x9-inch pan with parchment paper.
Mash: In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork or potato masher until mostly smooth.
Wet Ingredients: Add the sugar, salt, cooled melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, milk, and yogurt, and whisk until well combined.
Dry Ingredients: Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and mix just until no streaks of flour remain. Don't overmix.
Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool: Let the cake cool completely in the pan before frosting.
Make the salted caramel frosting
Beat: In a large bowl, beat the room temperature cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until smooth.
Add the Caramel: Add the salted caramel sauce and mix until combined.
Whip: With the mixer running on low, slowly pour in the cold heavy cream. Increase the speed and whip until the frosting is thick and holds stiff peaks.
Frost and serve
Frost: Spread the frosting over the cooled cake in an even layer with an offset spatula.
Caramel Top: Spoon ¼ cup of salted caramel sauce over the frosting and use an offset spatula to swirl it into a wave pattern.
Chill: Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the frosting sets, then slice and serve.
How to Tell When the Cake Is Done
The top should be golden brown and spring back when pressed lightly, and a toothpick in the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The edges will just start to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Expert Tips
- Cool the Butter: Let the melted butter cool for a few minutes so it doesn't cook the eggs.
- Cold Cream, Soft Cream Cheese: Soft cream cheese keeps the frosting smooth, and cold cream whips up thick and fluffy.
- Cool Completely: Frost only a fully cooled cake, or the whipped frosting will melt.
- Lift With Parchment: Leave a little parchment hanging over two sides of the pan so you can lift the cake out for clean slices.
- Tent With Foil: If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover the pan with foil for the last 10 minutes.
Troubleshooting
Why is my banana cake dense?
The batter was overmixed or too much flour was added. Mix just until combined and spoon and level the flour.
Why is the center of my cake raw?
Ovens vary and banana batter is heavy. Keep baking until a toothpick comes out clean, and cover with foil if the top darkens.
Why is my frosting runny?
The cream wasn't cold enough or the caramel was warm. Chill the frosting for 15 minutes, then whip again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use very ripe bananas with lots of brown spots. They are sweeter, mash easily, and give the cake the most banana flavor and moisture.
Yes, but choose a thick caramel sauce, not a thin syrup. My homemade salted caramel sauce has the best flavor and whips into the frosting without thinning it.
Yes. Because the frosting is made with cream cheese and heavy cream, store the cake in the fridge.
Storing
Store the cake covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Let slices sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
Freezing
Whole cake: Freeze uncovered for 1 to 2 hours until the frosting is firm. Wrap in plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Cake slices: Wrap each slice in plastic wrap and freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge for a few hours.
Make It Ahead Of Time
Bake the cake up to 1 day ahead, cover it, and keep it at room temperature. Make the frosting and frost the cake on the day you serve it.
Substitutions
Milk: Any milk, including plant milk, works.
Gluten Free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend.
Dairy Free: Use melted plant-based butter, oat or almond milk, and a dairy-free yogurt in the cake. For the frosting, use a dairy-free cream cheese and a whippable plant-based cream, such as coconut cream. Make the caramel with plant-based butter and full-fat coconut milk, or use a dairy-free caramel sauce.
Caramel: Use dulce de leche instead of salted caramel sauce.
Variations
Flaky Salt: Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the caramel wave for an extra sweet and salty finish.
Pecan: Fold chopped toasted pecans into the batter or sprinkle them on top.
Chocolate Chip: Fold a handful of chocolate chips into the batter.
Spiced: Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients.
How to Scale This Recipe for Different Pans
Multiply all the cake and frosting ingredients by the amount below.
- 9x9 Inch Pan: As written. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
- 8x8 Inch Pan: As written. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.
- 9x13 Inch Pan: 1.5x, with 3 eggs. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
- 9x5 Inch Loaf Pan: As written. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.
- Cupcakes: As written, for about 16. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes.
Equipment
- 9x9-inch square pan
- Parchment paper
- Large mixing bowl and whisk
- Electric hand mixer
- Offset spatula
More Caramel Recipes
Craving more caramel? Make a batch of my homemade salted caramel sauce and drizzle it over everything!
Connect With Us
Review: Leave a rating and comment below if you enjoyed this recipe. Socials: Follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Save: Pin this recipe to Pinterest for later.
📖 Recipe
Salted Caramel Banana Cake
Ingredients
For the banana cake
- 1 ½ cups Bananas ripe, smashed
- ¾ cup Granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup Butter
- 2 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup Milk
- ¾ cup Yogurt
- 2 cups Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
Cream cheese frosting
- 8 oz Cream cheese room temp, full fat
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- ½ cup Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ cup Salted caramel
For the topping
- ¼ cup Salted caramel
Instructions
Bake the banana cake
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a 9x9-inch pan with parchment paper.
- Mash: In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork or potato masher until mostly smooth.
- Wet Ingredients: Add the sugar, salt, cooled melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, milk, and yogurt, and whisk until well combined.
- Dry Ingredients: Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and mix just until no streaks of flour remain. Don't overmix.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Let the cake cool completely in the pan before frosting.
Make the salted caramel frosting
- Beat: In a large bowl, beat the room temperature cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add the Caramel: Add the salted caramel sauce and mix until combined.
- Whip: With the mixer running on low, slowly pour in the cold heavy cream. Increase the speed and whip until the frosting is thick and holds stiff peaks.
Frost and serve
- Frost: Spread the frosting over the cooled cake in an even layer with an offset spatula.
- Caramel Top: Spoon ¼ cup of salted caramel sauce over the frosting and use an offset spatula to swirl it into a wave pattern.
- Chill: Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the frosting sets, then slice and serve.
Notes
- Ripe Bananas: Use very ripe bananas with plenty of brown spots for the sweetest, most moist cake.
- Cool the Butter: Let the melted butter cool for a few minutes before adding it so it doesn't cook the eggs.
- Measure the Flour: Spoon and level the flour or weigh it. Too much flour makes the cake dense.
- Cream Cheese: Use full-fat block cream cheese at room temperature for a smooth frosting.
- Cold Cream: The heavy cream must be very cold to whip into stiff peaks.
- Caramel: Use cooled or chilled salted caramel. Warm caramel will thin the frosting and melt the top. You need about ¾ cup in total: ½ cup for the frosting and ¼ cup for the top.
- Frost a Cool Cake: Make sure the cake is completely cool before frosting, or the frosting will melt.
- Other Pans: An 8x8-inch pan bakes in 40 to 45 minutes. For a 9x13-inch pan, make 1.5x the recipe.
- Storage: Keep covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Freeze the whole frosted cake or individual slices for up to 2 months.
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