Banana Caramel Layer Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

So, cake! Yea. The best ever. My usual cake baking escapades have been of the 9x13 variety (all the Midwestern cooks out there catch my drift there, don't cha?) until I recently picked up these cake rounds which I'm loving because my cake baking is instantly elevated to another level of elegance!

Banana Cake is the moistest cake on the planet and after searching far and wide for a recipe I found suitable for the rotten bananas that were making the kitchen smell I landed on this one from 2teaspoons. Midway through baking I wondered who was going to eat this gigantic cake, thankfully I found someone to deliver slices to. This cake pairs so very, very well with a gigantic glass of milk. I hope you have an excuse to make this cake really soon! 

If you're interested, the recipe below has links for the cake pans and cake pedestal I love using - make sure to check them out - the pedestal can be turned into a punch bowl, too! Xo, Becki

Printable Recipe Here
_________________________________________________________________________________

Banana Caramel Layer Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
inspired by 2teaspoons.com

Cake
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup white cane sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large ripe bananas
1 cup plain unsweetened Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter and flour, for greasing and dusting

Caramel Sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Frosting
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Milk or cream, for thinning

Make the cake: Cut out parchment circles to fit inside two round cake pans, grease with butter, dust with flour - tap off excess and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. 

Cream butter using a hand-held mixer or stand-mixer until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add in sugars, continue to beat until smooth, 2-3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides as needed. 

Meanwhile, sift together dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt unto a piece of parchment or large bowl, set aside. Combine wet: mash bananas in a large bowl, stir in yogurt and vanilla extract. Alternating between the dry and wet ingredients pour 1/3 of dry ingredients into butter/sugar/egg mixture, 1/3 of wet, and so on, ending with the wet, beating after each addition until just combined. 

Pour the batter into prepared baking pans, bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove pans from oven and cool on a cooling rack. When completely cool, remove cake from pan by inverting unto your hand or a plate. Can be wrapped in plastic wrap at this point and frozen up to 3 months. 

Make the caramel sauce: Simmer sugar and butter in a small saucepan over moderate heat, until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cream, lemon juice, salt and vanilla extract. Let cool. Refrigerate until ready to use, keeps well-chilled for up to 1 week.

Make the frosting: Working in the bottom of a stand-mixer or large mixing bowl with a hand-mixer, beat peanut butter and butter until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add in powdered sugar, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt, beat until combined. May be thinned out with a little milk to attain the desired consistency - try a tablespoon at a time. Can be refrigerated up to 1 week. 

Assemble the cake: Dab a little frosting on the center of a cake pedestal to create an anchor for the cake. Place one cake round on the center of the pedestal, flat side up. To keep the pedestal base free of frosting, place 1" x 4" slips of parchment under the cake round - to be removed when finished frosting. Pour the caramel sauce over the bottom layer - some may drip down - that's OK. Place the other cake round, flat side up, atop the caramel sauce. Frost top and sides with peanut butter frosting. Remove parchment slips. Serve in big fat slices with ice cream and smiles.
_________________________________________________________________________________
** This post includes affiliate links to fund more recipe adventures like this one!