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Salted Caramel Banana Cake

Salted caramel banana cake with a tender, moist crumb and silky salted caramel buttercream. Bake two 8-inch rounds at 350°F until a toothpick comes out clean, then frost and finish with a glossy salted caramel drizzle and flaky sea salt.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana Cake
  • 2.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 0.5 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 0.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs large
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup mashed ripe bananas about 3 bananas
  • 0.75 cup sour cream
Salted Caramel Buttercream
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 4 cup powdered sugar
  • 0.5 cup salted caramel sauce
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.25 tsp sea salt
Topping
  • 0.5 cup salted caramel sauce
  • flaky sea salt
  • banana chips (optional)

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 stand mixer

Method
 

Bake the banana cake layers
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
  2. Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans.
  3. Whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon.
  4. Beat unsalted butter, vegetable oil, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
  5. Add eggs one at a time, then mix in vanilla extract.
  6. Blend in mashed ripe bananas and sour cream.
  7. Fold in the dry ingredients until just combined.
  8. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
  9. Bake for 28–32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, and the tops look lightly golden.
  10. Cool completely.
Make salted caramel buttercream
  1. Beat unsalted butter, powdered sugar, salted caramel sauce, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and sea salt until smooth and fluffy.
Assemble and finish
  1. Frost the cake with the buttercream and spread it to the edges with a clean, even layer.
  2. Drizzle generously with salted caramel sauce, letting it drip slightly down the sides.
  3. Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the top right before serving, and add banana chips if using.

Notes

For the moistest crumb, use ripe bananas and mash until smooth (lumps can create uneven texture). Store assembled cake in the refrigerator up to 4 days; cover to prevent drying. Freeze unfrosted cake layers up to 2 months (wrap tightly); thaw overnight in the fridge, then frost. If you prefer less sweetness, reduce the salted caramel sauce in the buttercream by 2 tablespoons and increase heavy cream by 1 tablespoon to keep the texture silky.