With an upcoming Corporate Wellness presentation where I would be demonstrating smoothies, to say I was overzealous in banana purchases is putting it mildly! There were so many extra bananas that I was pretty sure monkeys were starting to gather below my balcony.
Coincidentally, a friend left her glass baking dish at my house. How could I resist filling it with a banana cake for the return?
This Brown Butter Banana Cake gets some real flavor depth from the browned butter while staying moist from the Labneh. Two unexpected ingredients in a rich and delicious sweet treat. I used gluten-free flour here, but I trust you could use regular and be just fine.
Save an extra banana or two for decoration before placing it in the oven. Add a pinch of sugar on top of the banana for bonus caramelization.
Happy eating,
~Monique
Brown Butter Banana Cake Recipe
4 ripe bananas (plus 1 or 2 more to top if desired)
10 tbls butter or ghee
1/3 cup Labneh (or Greek yogurt)
1 cup coconut sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups + 2 tbls 1-to1 Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour
1.5 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pink salt
Frosting Drizzle Options: Mix up any of the following and drizzle over each slice.
->Labneh, powdered sugar, honey, and cinnamon: whisk together a cup of labneh, ~1/2 cup powdered sugar, a few drizzles of honey, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
->Labneh, cacao powder, and powdered sugar: whisk together a cup of labneh, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 2 tbls cacao powder
->Almond butter drizzle: Warm a cup of almond butter along with 1/2 cup of honey and 2 tbls ghee. Mix well.
DIRECTIONS: Brown the butter. To do this: cut the butter into smaller, 1/2 inch pieces and place in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook the butter, swirling the pan often, until it becomes golden brown, about 5 minutes. The butter will get foamy and then will calm down. set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a glass pan, roughly 9×13, with butter or ghee.
Mash the bananas. Stir in the labneh and coconut sugar. Stir in eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla.
Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into the bowl. Stir a couple of times with a rubber spatula to combine all the ingredients.
Now add the brown butter. Be sure to include all of the goodness from the bottom of the butter pan, and then stir just to combine all the ingredients again. Avoid over-stirring. Pour the Brown Butter Banana Cake batter into the greased pan, level across. If adorning with another banana, slice it to your preference and then push the slices into the top of the batter. Add a pinch of sugar on top of the bananas for extra caramelization.
Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. The edges should be just pulling away from the sides and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Let cool before cutting, especially if you are using gluten-free flour.
Option to drizzle a spoonful of one of the frosting above after plating each piece of GF Brown Butter Banana Cake.
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