Banoffee Cake recipe morphs banana and toffee banoffee pie flavors into a decadent layer cake. Dulce de leche caramel frosting covers fluffy banana cake with golden, buttery pan fried bananas on top.
Preheat oven to 350ºF (175°C) Spray three 9" (23cm round) cake pans with cooking spray. Line each bottom with a cut-to-size parchment or wax paper circle. Spray tops of paper and set aside.Tip: If you only have two 9" cake pans, bake 2 layers, and store remaining batter covered on counter. Bake 3rd layer in COOLED cake pan.
In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice and set aside. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl cream 3/4 cup (170g) butter with sugar until light and fluffy, at least 3 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time. Mix in vanilla and (optional) banana extracts.
Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to creamed butter / sugar and combine. Alternate with 1/3 buttermilk and mix well. Repeat until all the flour and buttermilk has been mixed in. Mix in mashed banana mixture.
In a separate clean, dry bowl beat the reserved egg whites until stiff. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the banana cake batter. Gently fold in remaining 2/3 until no streaks remain. Divide the batter between the prepared pans.
Bake for 30-33 minutes (may need a couple minutes longer if using gluten free flour) or until toothpick inserted at center comes out clean. Turn onto wire racks and cool completely.
Dulce de Leche Buttercream
In a large mixing bowl beat softened butter until smooth and creamy. Mix in half the can of dulce de leche (set aside remaining for topping) and salt until well combined.
Fold in 2 cups (or 2/3 container) of whipped topping into dulce de leche buttercream until well combined and smooth. Reserve remaining cup of whipped topping in the refrigerator for later use.
Place first layer of cake on platter and top with 1/3 frosting. Spread evenly with offset spatula. Top with second layer and repeat with another 1/3 frosting. Finally, top with remaining layer.
Use remaining frosting to completely cover top of cake and thinly cover sides. Refrigerate immediately to set while pan fried bananas are prepared.
Pan Fried Bananas
In a large nonstick saute pan melt butter over medium heat. Add banana slices in a single layer so they are all making contact with the pan.
Cook for 2 minutes undisturbed, or until bottoms turn golden brown. Flip banana slices and cook on the other side for 2 minutes longer, or until golden brown. Remove from heat to cool.
Cake Assembly
Remove cake from the refrigerator and top with remaining Cool Whip whipped topping.
To the remaining dulce de leche stir in 2 tablespoons water until smooth. Drop about 2 tablespoons of thinned dulce de leche over the whipped topping. Use a butter knife to gently swirl into the whipped topping.
Top cake with cooled pan fried bananas and serve with remaining dulce de leche and ice cream, if desired.
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Notes
*Homemade buttermilk
In a liquid measuring cup pour in 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice. Pour regular milk on top until the combined ingredients reach 1 cup mark. Stir and let sit for 5-10 minutes.
Substituting heavy cream for whipped topping
Beat together 1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream with 3 tablespoons sugar until stiff peaks form. This will yield 3 cups whipped cream, which is amount needed for this cake recipe.
Using homemade dulce de leche
Canned dulce de leche is found in the ethnic aisle of supermarkets or at Hispanic grocery stores. It can also be made at home using canned sweetened condensed milk.
Can I make recipe gluten free?
Yes! I've made this cake substituting gluten free all purpose flour. My preferred and recommended brand to use is Cup4Cup gluten free flour.
How to store / freeze
If you don't plan on serving Banoffee cake right away, store it in the refrigerator up to 3 days, well covered. The cake, frosting, and bananas all taste best when at room temperature, so be sure to set out several hours before serving.Leftover cake slices may also be individually wrapped and frozen in an airtight container up to 3 months.
What else can I top banoffee cake with?
Sprinkle on toffee bits, candied pecans, or drizzle chocolate sauce or hot fudge over the sauteed bananas. Not all the dulce de leche is used in the cake, so it may also be served with ice cream topped with the remaining sauce warmed. It's the perfect birthday cake treat!