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Banana Bread Snack Cake

Banana bread snack cake with a moist, dense crumb baked in an 8x8 pan, finished with a brown butter cream cheese frosting-style swirl. This easy banana snack cake delivers golden edges and a clean toothpick bake in about 30 minutes.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 340
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana Bread Cake
  • 2 bananas Ripe bananas, mashed
  • 0.5 cup butter Melted
  • 0.75 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs Large
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp salt
Brown Butter Frosting
  • 0.25 cup butter Browned
  • 1.5 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake the banana snack cake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8x8 square pan so the cake releases easily. (Visual cue: no dry spots of pan visible.)
  2. Whisk melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla into mashed bananas until smooth. (Visual cue: no streaks of banana remain.)
  3. Fold in all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until just combined. (Visual cue: stop as soon as no dry flour pockets are visible.)
  4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25–30 minutes. (Visual cue: the top turns golden and a toothpick comes out clean.)
Brown butter frosting and assemble
  1. Brown the butter in a saucepan until golden and nutty, then cool for 5 minutes. (Visual cue: browned milk solids form and the butter smells nutty.)
  2. Whisk the browned butter with powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla until smooth. (Visual cue: frosting looks glossy and pourable.)
  3. Frost the completely cooled cake and slice into squares. (Visual cue: swirled waves set on the golden top without sliding off.)

Notes

For the best dense crumb, mash bananas until mostly smooth and stop folding as soon as the batter is combined to avoid overmixing. Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; freeze frosted slices for up to 2 months (wrap tightly). If you want a lighter option, you can use reduced-fat cream in the frosting, keeping the browned-butter flavor.