Description
Banana pecan caramel cake brings together rich Southern flavors in a mouthwatering dessert. Layers of moist banana cake, creamy caramel, and crunchy pecans create a delightful experience for cake enthusiasts.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup (115 g / 4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g / 7 oz) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g / 3.5 oz) brown sugar, packed
- 2 cups (250 g / 8.8 oz) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (120 g / 4.2 oz) chopped pecans
- ½ cup (120 ml / 4 fl oz) buttermilk
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (100 g / 3.5 oz) brown sugar, packed
- 4 tbsps (60 g / 2 oz) unsalted butter
- 2 tbsps heavy cream or milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and meticulously grease and flour the baking pan to prevent sticking and ensure easy cake release.
- Dry Ingredient Fusion: Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl, creating a uniform dry mixture that will provide structure and lift to the cake.
- Butter-Sugar Transformation: Cream butter and sugars in a spacious mixing bowl until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, and develops soft, billowing peaks that showcase aeration.
- Egg and Flavor Integration: Blend eggs into the butter-sugar base one at a time, thoroughly incorporating each, then infuse with vanilla extract to enhance the cake’s aromatic profile.
- Banana and Batter Harmony: Fold mashed bananas into the creamy mixture, ensuring a smooth, even distribution that will provide moisture and natural sweetness throughout the cake.
- Liquid and Dry Ingredient Choreography: Alternately introduce buttermilk and dry ingredient mixture, mixing gently to maintain a silky batter texture, finishing with dry ingredients to prevent overmixing.
- Pecan Finale: Gently fold chopped pecans into the batter, creating a balanced distribution that promises a delightful nutty crunch in every decadent slice of the cake.
Notes
- Control Banana Ripeness: Select ultra-ripe bananas with deep brown or black speckles for maximum natural sweetness and intense banana flavor, enhancing the cake’s overall taste profile.
- Prevent Overmixing: Blend ingredients gently and minimally to maintain a tender cake texture, stopping mixer when ingredients are just combined to avoid developing tough gluten strands.
- Toast Pecans Strategically: Lightly toast pecans before incorporating into batter to elevate their nutty essence and create a more complex, rich flavor dimension in the final cake.
- Moisture Management: Allow buttermilk and mashed bananas to reach room temperature before mixing, ensuring smoother ingredient integration and more consistent cake texture.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 360
- Sugar: 32 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 47 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg