This Banoffee Cake is made up of a soft and moist banana cake which is covered in a thick layer of dulce de leche and slices of fresh banana sandwiched between whipped cream.
What is Banoffee Cake?
I absolutely love banoffee pie and the combination of all the flavours together. The dulce de leche, bananas, and the whipped cream!!! This cake encapsulates all those flavours and is basically a banoffee pie in cake form.
The cake itself is moist, rich and infused with banana flavour - perfectly balanced. Not too sweet, which is a bonus! The dulce de leche adds a deep and caramel-y flavour, while the sliced bananas add some freshness and textural difference! And of course, it's all topped off with whipped cream and a little drizzle of some more dulce de leche.
If you like this recipe, you'll love this Chocolate Sheet Cake, these Italian doughnuts - Bomboloni, these delicious Stuffed Carrot Cake Cookies and this Earl Grey Cake!
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Ingredients
See recipe card BELOW for quantities.
- Unsalted butter
- Neutral oil
- Brown sugar
- White sugar
- Large eggs
- Buttermilk
- Bananas
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda & powder
- Salt
- Cinnamon powder
- Vanilla extract
- Dulce de Leche
- Heavy cream (whipping cream)
Dulce De Leche
Dulce De Leche is a popular caramel-like confection popular in Latin America, the Philippines, France and Poland. It's enjoyed as a topping on desserts, or as a filling - and eaten alone as well! It's basically milk and sugar thats slowly cooked over low heat and caramelized into a thick sauce.
You can find it in a lot of grocery stores or specialty stores. If you can't find it at all, you can make it yourself using the sweetened condensed milk method by boiling it for 2-3 hours in a large pot of water.
How to make it:
Fill a large pot with water and place the condensed milk can in it. Make sure the water is at least 2 inches above the to top of the can.
Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. If the water level reduces, make sure to add more and keep it above 2 inches - it can get dangerous if there's not enough water. The pressure in the can might cause it to explode, which can injure you.
After 3 hours, gently remove the can and let it cool completely before opening it or moving it much. Again - this is important as to prevent the can from potentially bursting on you.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper. Beat butter, oil, and sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, mix well, then stir in mashed bananas and buttermilk. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Gradually add to the wet ingredients and mix gently until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
- Whip heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until slightly stiff peaks form.
- Spread a layer of dulce de leche over the cooled cake, add banana slices, then top with whipped cream.
- Drizzle more dulce de leche on top, slice, and enjoy!
Hint: I don't recommend warming up the dulce de leche before spreading it on the cake. It helps prevent the bananas from sliding too much when you place them on it.
Substitutions
- Buttermilk - You can make your own buttermilk by removing 1 ¼ tablespoon of the milk and replacing it with the same amount of vinegar. Stir and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to thicken.
- Dulce de Leche - You can use caramel if you don't have this! Or you can make your own by boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk in a large pit of water for 3 hours.
Equipment
I recommend using a 9x13 pan for this recipe. This pan is the one I use and recommend!
Storage
Store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week!
Freezing: After baking and cooling the cake, wrap the unfrosted cake with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Make sure it's covered properly, with no unexposed areas.
Let the cake come to room temperature before frosting it!
Tips to make this Banoffee Cake
- Room temperature ingredients: Make sure to take out the eggs and buttermilk beforehand. This helps the ingredients (like eggs) incorporate better, forming an emulsion and results in a better finished product.
- Don't over-mix the batter: Mix until the batter is *just* combined. Mixing it too much may lead to a gummy and dense cake, as the gluten has been developed too much.
- Frosting the cake & serving: I recommend keeping the cake in the pan and serving it in it. It's easier to frost the cake this way as the bananas layered on the dulce de leche will end uo sliding off the cake.
FAQ
Yes! Thaw them first and drain any excess liquid before mashing and using in the recipe. You can replace some of the buttermilk with the excess banana liquid as well!
Absolutely! Bake the cake and let it cool completely. Cover and store at room temperature for up to 1 day or refrigerate for up to 3 days. Add the toppings just before serving.
You can make your own buttermilk by removing 1 ¼ tablespoon of the milk and replacing it with the same amount of vinegar. Stir and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to thicken.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Banoffee Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter (112g)
- ¼ cup neutral oil (56g)
- ¾ cup white granulated sugar (150g)
- ¼ cup brown sugar (50g)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cup mashed bananas, 3 large (317g)
- 1 ¼ cup buttermilk (295ml)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 2 ½ cup all purpose flour (345g)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- 1 can dulce de leche - 300ml
- 1 ¼ cup heavy cream (295ml)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoon powdered sugar, to taste
- 3-4 bananas, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9x13 pan with parchment.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter, oil and both sugars until light and pale, a minute or two.½ cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup neutral oil, ¾ cup white granulated sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar
- Crack in the eggs and beat until well combined. Lightly mash the bananas and stir them in and add in the vanilla.3 large eggs, 1 ¼ cup mashed bananas, 3 large, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add in the buttermilk and mix until well incorporated.1 ¼ cup buttermilk
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder, 2 ½ cup all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and gently mix until it's just combined. Do not over mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan evenly and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool completely.
- Whip the heavy cream until it slightly thickens. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat until it forms slightly stiff peaks.1 ¼ cup heavy cream, 5 tablespoon powdered sugar, to taste, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Evenly spread around ½ a can of the dulce de leche in a generous layer. Place the banana slices on the dulce de leche.1 can dulce de leche - 300ml, 3-4 bananas, sliced
- Spread the whipped cream on top of the bananas in an even layer and top it off with some more drizzled dulce de leche!
- Cut and enjoy!
Huzaifah Sheikh says
I tried it and it was on another level. The words can never be enough to describe its perfection. Thank you so much for sharing such a delicious recipe.
Lauren says
Supppperrrr good. Was really fun to learn how to make silence! Easy to follow and super yummy!