Banana Layer Cake

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My banana cake is moist and fluffy and is topped with a rich cinnamon frosting. Drizzle with caramel and top with vanilla wafers for the ultimate treat.

I love making homemade layer cakes for birthdays like my Reese's cake, my Smores cake, my lemon curd cake, and my Cinnamon toast crunch cake. I developed this banana cake recipe for my boyfriend's birthday. It has all his favorites: banana, cinnamon, caramel, and vanilla wafers! It's a great way to use up those bananas on the counter that have seen better days. Love banana? Also try our  Banana Bread Cheesecake or our banana pudding cake.

Why This Recipe Works: A Sprinkle of Food Science

• Super Moist: Sour cream adds fat and richness to help this cake stay moist for days.
• Reliable Rise: Baking soda (a base) reacts with sour cream (an acid) immediately while double acting baking powder continues to work in the hot oven.
• Butter AND Oil: Butter provides a rich flavor while the oil stays liquid at room temperature for a moist cake that won't dry out.

Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips

• Butter: Make sure the butter is softened. Cold butter won't mix smoothly and melted butter could make the cake dense. The butter should be soft enough that your finger leaves an indent when lightly touched.
• Sour Cream: Use full fat sour cream for the best results.
• Eggs: Use room temp. eggs to help everything come together smoothly. Short on time? Place in a glass of warm water for 5-10 minutes. To separate an egg easily, crack the egg into a bowl. Then squeeze an empty plastic bottle over the yolk, and release to suction the yolk up.
• Baking Powder/Baking Soda: Make sure you replace this often even if its not out of date. I write the date I open it on the lid and toss after 6-12 months.
• Bananas: The riper the better. The skins should be very speckled. Get to know you produce guy at the grocery store as mine has ripe bananas for pennies on the dollar once a week.
  • No ripe bananas? Roast bananas in the peel in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 300 degrees.
• Flour: Measure flour by spooning it into your measuring cup and leveling with a knife. Don't dip your cup into the flour as you'll likely pack in too much leading to a dry dense cake.

Krystle's Tips: Steal My Culinary School Secrets

1. Don't Overmix: Mix until the flour just disappears. Overmixing will lead to a tough, dense cake.
2. Even Layers Every time: I stink at eyeballing this, so I weigh by cake pans to ensure each layer is the same size for even baking and quick stacking.
3. Bake Flat Cake Layers: I like using bake even strips from Wilton for flat cake layers. You can also just trim with a cake leveler after baking if desired.
4. Don't Overbake: Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs. Overbaking leads to a dry cake.

More Decadent Cakes

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Red Velvet Cake

Old Fashioned Carrot Cake

Funfetti Cake

Bailey's Espresso Cake

Churro Cake

Lemon Cake

Cannoli Cake

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