This beauty is moist. The frosting is nothing short of caramel comfort that will have you licking the bowl. Go ahead. It's February Dear Reader and we are going to get through it together, starting with this cake. You need to plan for this cake so let those bananas on your counter get all freckley and really ripe. I know the anticipation is killing you now, but the wait for those brown freckles will be worth it. Believe me.
Banana Bundt Cake with Penuche Frosting
1 cup bananas, mashed (3-4 bananas)
½ cup buttermilk
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
Penuche Frosting
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups icing sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour bundt pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas until slightly lumpy but quite soupy in consistency. Stir in the buttermilk and set aside.
In a smaller bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until well combined. Set aside.
Next, in the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter together with the vegetable oil and brown and white sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
Next, alternately add the banana mixture and flour mixture to the butter mixture in two additions of each until well combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan smooth top to even out in the bundt pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from bundt pan. Once slightly cooled, remove from bundt pan and continue cooling cake on wire rack.
To prepare the frosting:
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and stir until mixture begins to bubble. Stir in the heavy cream and salt and continue to stir until mixture starts to bubble gently once again. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Set aside to cool.
Once cooled, transfer butter mixture to bowl of your stand mixer. Add icing sugar in half cup increments and continue to beat until a nice spreadable consistency has been reached.
Spread icing over entire cake with offset spatula until completely covered and desired look is achieved.
Alternatively, this cake can be baked as a snacking cake in a 10 x 13 pan and cut into squares. Reduce baking time to about 20-22 minutes. Perfect take-along dessert for a pot-luck when prepared in this manner.