Banana Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

I have a secret.  I have a very, very large (?) sweet tooth, so enough with the veggies, just for one post.  Even I can put aside the eggplant and zucchini to bake sweets every now and then.  The recipe that follows is basically banana bread, but in cake form, with frosting.  It's a great way to use any bananas that have passed the point of being ripe enough to eat and become brown and ugly.

Banana Cake with Brown Butter Frosting
~for the cake~

• 1.5 cups sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt

~for the frosting~

• 1 stick butter
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 Tbsp milk or almond milk

To make this vegan, substitute:

- vegan sour cream (i.e. Toffuti) for the sour cream

- Earth Balance for the butter 

- 2 tbsp warm water + 2 tbsp flax meal for the eggs

- almond milk for the milk in the icing

~Directions~

Grease and flour a glass 9x13 cake pan.  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Blend together the sugar, sour cream, butter and eggs with an electric mixer.

Add mashed bananas and vanilla and mix.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl, then add the wet ingredients and mix.

Pour batter into greased and floured cake pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.  

While cake is baking, measure out 4 cups of powdered sugar into a large bowl.

Heat butter for the frosting in a small sauce pan over medium heat until the butter becomes brown.  This will take about 10 minutes, and it is important to watch the butter very closely.  The turning point at which it becomes a light brown (think maple syrup) color happens very quickly and then it will burn easily!

When butter is brown, add to the powdered sugar along with vanilla and milk.  

*If frosting is too thick, add milk 1/2 a teaspoon at a time, mixing between each addition, until the desired consistency*

When baking time is up, jiggle the cake pan a little to see if the middle is still too soft.  

*If the middle is soft, turn off the oven, but leave the cake in the oven for another 5-10 minutes until baked through*

Let cake cool for 15 minutes, then while still warm, add frosting to cake-- it will be much easier while the cake is still warm.  

Serve.  Enjoy.  Write down this recipe to keep forever.  Let your bananas over-ripen just for this cake.  You won't be sorry.