I love a good sheet cake and this Banana and Caramel Cake is no exception! This recipe is for a single-layer moist banana cake covered in a delicious vanilla frosting that’s swirled with caramel. In this case, simple is best.
This is the perfect recipe to make when feeding a crowd, or when you’re new to cake-making and decorating. Sheet cakes are ideal for new bakers as you don’t have to worry about layering and frosting, which honestly is a little daunting at first!
If you love easy cake recipes, then have a look at this recipe for a Vanilla Sheet Cake, this Single layer Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, or this recipe for a Passionfruit Cake.
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Ingredients
To make this simple banana cake recipe, you will need the ingredients listed below. Remember always to use fresh room temperature ingredients when baking.
- Unsalted butter
- Sunflower oil
- Muscovado sugar
- Extra-large eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Self-raising flour
- Mixed spice
- Salt
- Buttermilk
- Ripe bananas
- Powdered sugar
- Whole milk
- Caramel
Unsalted butter – choose unsalted butter when baking to be able to adjust the saltiness of your cakes. It is very important that you use room temperature butter for the cake and the frosting.
Muscovado sugar – I used muscovado sugar for this recipe for extra caramel flavor, do the same or use brown sugar instead.
Extra-large eggs – out of their shell, the eggs I use weigh 56 grams if you aren’t sure if you have the same eggs – weigh the eggs you have and adjust accordingly.
Sunflower oil – this recipe uses a combination of oil and butter for extra moistness and flavor! Use a neutral-tasting vegetable oil like sunflower oil or canola oil.
Vanilla extract – choose a quality vanilla extract rather than essence for this recipe. You can also use vanilla bean paste.
Self-rasing flour – Choose self-raising flour for this recipe or use a combination of cake flour and baking powder. Check the instructions on the packaging of your baking powder to decide how much should be added.
Bananas – choose overripe bananas with brown spots for this recipe, extra ripe bananas have a better taste for baking and add extra sweetness.
Caramel – for this recipe, I used store-bought caramel, Nestle Caramel Treat. You can do the same or decide to boil a tin of condensed milk to make your own dulce de leche.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Follow the simple steps below to make this easy banana cake. First, you will be making the banana cake layer and then the vanilla buttercream.
Instructions for banana cake
STEP 1: Preheat oven. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and oil and line a rectangular cake tin 35x28x7cm (14x11x3 inches) with parchment paper.
STEP 2: Beat butter, oil, and sugar. Combine the softened butter, oil, and sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat at medium-high speed until light in color and creamy.
STEP 3: Add eggs. Add the eggs one at a time. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat well between each addition.
STEP 4: Sift dry ingredients. Sift together the flour, salt, and mixed spice.
STEP 5: Combine wet ingredients. Add the mashed bananas, vanilla, and buttermilk to a jug and stir to combine.
STEP 6: Add wet and dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients, and flour mixture to the cake batter by alternating between the two. Starting with the flour and ending with the banana mixture. Once added, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and mix again to ensure everything is well combined.
STEP 7: Bake. Pour the banana cake batter into the prepared pan and bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Once baked, allow the cake to cool in its tin for 10 minutes before turning it onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Instructions for frosting
STEP 1: Beat butter and sugar. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and icing sugar. Beat at medium speed until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
STEP 2: Add milk and vanilla. In a jug combine the milk and vanilla, with the mixer's motor running at low speed slowly add the milk mixture. Continue until it has all been added.
STEP 3: Beat. Increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl often.
STEP 4: Frost the cake. Place the cooled cake onto a large serving plate and spread the frosting over the top of the entire cake using an offset spatula.
STEP 5: Swirl caramel. Dot the caramel over the surface of the buttercream and use a knife to swirl the caramel into the vanilla frosting. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Hint: Make sure you are using room temperature butter for both the cake and the frosting for the best results.
Variations
This banana caramel cake is delicious as outlined in this post but if you’d like to get creative, have a look at the frosting recipes below that will work well with this cake.
This delicious banana cake can also be decorated with chocolate shavings and banana chips if you'd like!
Equipment
To make this delicious banana traybake, you will need an electric stand mixer or electric hand whisk. You will also need parchment paper and a rectangular traybake tin. The one I used was 35x28x7cm (14x11x3 inches).
This cake can be baked in other shaped tins, remember to adjust the baking time if needed. Larger cake tins need less baking time as the cake layer will be thinner.
I prefer to use a kitchen scale when baking for accuracy and recommend doing the same.
Storage
Store any leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. If it is very hot choose to store this cake in the fridge, especially if you have added fruit to the top to decorate it.
To freeze this cake, cut it into individual slices and wrap each slice in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost the cake in the fridge overnight, then bring the slices to room temperature before consuming.
Top tips
Follow the top tips below to make sure you are baking the perfect caramel banana cake.
- Always check the true temperature of your oven with an oven thermometer.
- Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature, the butter, milk, and eggs.
- Only add the frosting to your cake once it has cooled completely.
- Make sure you have beaten the frosting for long enough, the buttercream consistency must be light and fluffy.
FAQ
Yes, you can make this recipe in two round cake pans instead of a rectangular tin. You may need to adjust the baking time depending on the size of your tins. Read this post to help you better understand how to bake perfect cakes. Don’t choose a very small tin that would bake a very deep cake and this may result in the cake not rising properly.
The eggs I have used weigh about 56 grams out of their shell. Weigh the eggs you have and adjust accordingly.
When it comes to failed bakes, you need to get critical of what could have gone wrong. This recipe starts by beating the butter and sugar - before adding the eggs make sure your mixture looks like the photos in this post. Also, be sure the self-raising flour hasn't expired, that the temperature of your oven is accurate, that you have used a similar-sized baking tin, and that you have only removed the cake from the oven once a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake has come out clean.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
The combination of caramel and banana is one of my favorites and this cake really just makes enjoying the two so simple! If you try out this recipe and love it as much as I do, please leave a comment and star review at the end of this blog post.
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Happy Baking
With Love,
Kitty
📖 Recipe
Banana Caramel Cake
Equipment
- 1x rectangular cake tin 35x28x7cm (14x11x3 inches)
Ingredients
Banana Cake
- 190 g unsalted butter
- 40 ml sunflower oil
- 255 g muscovado sugar
- 3 eggs extra large
- 340 g self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 250 ml buttermilk
- 350 ml bananas mashed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vanilla Frosting
- 500 g powdered sugar
- 160 g unsalted butter
- 30 ml whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 180 ml dulce de leche
Instructions
Banana Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and oil and line a rectangular cake tin 35x28x7cm (14x11x3 inches) with parchment paper.
- Combine the softened butter, oil, and sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat at medium-high speed until light in color and creamy.
- Add the eggs one at a time. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat well between each addition.
- Sift together the flour, salt, and mixed spice.
- Add the mashed bananas, vanilla, and buttermilk to a jug and stir to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients, and flour mixture to the cake batter by alternating between the two. Starting with the flour and ending with the banana mixture. Once added, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and mix again to ensure everything is well combined.
- Pour the banana cake batter into the prepared pan and bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Once baked, allow the cake to cool in its tin for 10 minutes before turning it onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Vanilla Buttercream
- In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and icing sugar. Beat at medium speed until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
- In a jug combine the milk and vanilla, with the mixer's motor running at low speed slowly add the milk mixture. Continue until it has all been added.
- Increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl often.
- Place the cooled cake onto a large serving plate and spread the frosting over the top of the entire cake using an offset spatula.
- Dot the caramel over the surface of the buttercream and use a knife to swirl the caramel into the vanilla frosting. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
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