Miso Banana Cake Recipe
This banana cake has a secret ingredient – miso paste – the savory depth of white miso paste adds a subtle umami that plays beautifully with the natural sweetness of ripe bananas. Top that off with my amazing brown butter cream cheese frosting, and you've got a cake that’s familiar yet totally elevated.
Servings: 12 slices
Equipment
- 8" or 9” Square Baking Pan
Ingredients
Miso banana cake
- 1 ⅓ cup mashed banana 320 g
- 3 tablespoon white miso paste 50 g
- 3 oz vegetable or canola oil 89 ml, 77 g
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed, 150 g
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour 230 g
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Melted butter or baking spray for pan
Brown butter cream cheese frosting
- 4 oz unsalted butter 113 g
- 8 oz cream cheese 227 g, room temperature
- ¾ cup powdered sugar 85 g
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Brown butter for the frosting - Place the butter in a light colored saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter melts, it will become foamy. When the foam subsides, you will see clear bubbles, start whisking continuously at this point to keep the milk solids from burning. When the butter is caramel in color and smells nutty, remove from heat.4 oz unsalted butter
- Strain the brown butter - Line a fine mesh sieve with a piece of cheesecloth and strain the brown butter through it into your stand mixer bowl, pressing and squeezing with a spatula to get every drop of brown butter from the cheesecloth without getting the milk solids into the liquid. Set aside to cool until it re-solidifies (a few hours). TIP: straining out the milk solids ensures a smooth frosting.
- Preheat the oven - Set the oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
- Prepare the baking pan - Brush your baking pan with melted butter or nonstick baking spray and set aside.Melted butter or baking spray for pan
- Prepare wet ingredients for the banana cake - Mash the bananas with a potato masher in a large mixing bowl. Add miso paste, oil, eggs and vanilla, and beat with a whisk until thoroughly combined.1 ⅓ cup mashed banana, 3 tablespoon white miso paste, 3 oz vegetable or canola oil, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add sugar - Add brown sugar and beat again until completely incorporated.¾ cup brown sugar
- Add dry ingredients - Sift flour, baking soda and baking powder directly into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix gently with a whisk or a spatula until combined and no trace of flour remains.1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Bake - Transfer the cake batter to the prepared baking pan and bake in the preheated oven for approximately 37 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean with just a few crumbs attached.
- Cool - Remove the cake from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack before adding frosting.
- Make the frosting – Add softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla to your stand mixer bowl with the solidified brown butter. Fit it with the wire whisk. Stir to incorporate the powdered sugar. Gradually increase the mixer speed to combine all the ingredients to prevent anything from flying out of the bowl.8 oz cream cheese, ¾ cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Beat until fluffy – Continue beating on medium high speed until the brown butter cream cheese frosting is fluffy and creamy. Give it a taste and add more powdered sugar if a sweeter frosting is desired.
- Decorate and serve - Spread frosting evenly on top of the cooled cake with an offset spatula to cover the entire surface of the cake. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Brown your butter ahead of time: start the recipe with browning the butter since it needs a few hours to cool and re-solidify before you can use it to make the frosting.
- Thaw frozen bananas: if you’re using frozen bananas like me, make sure they thaw completely and just mash them up along with the liquid that comes out as they thaw. No need to strain.
- Choose low sodium miso paste: the white miso paste I used in this recipe has 290 mg of sodium per tablespoon. Check the nutrition label when you pick out your miso paste. The brand I used is Marukome. If your miso paste has a higher sodium level, you may need to adjust the amount to prevent the cake from being overly salty. Keep the total sodium from miso paste to around 900 - 1000 mg.
- Lining your baking pan: I didn’t line my baking pan since it is glass and has a lid for storage, so I just bake, serve and store in the same container. But if you’re using a metal baking pan or prefer to move the cake to a different serving plate, I would suggest lining it with parchment paper so you can remove the cake easily.
- Yield: this cake can serve up to 12 people or 9 for more generous portions.
- Storage: you can keep your miso banana cake in the baking container, cover, and store in the fridge for 3-5 days. Or you can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Let it come up to room temperature a bit before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 112g | Calories: 383kcal
