Obsessed Cakes
Salted Banana Caramel Cheesecake Cake
Soft banana cake layered with salted brown sugar caramel lava and tangy baked-cheesecake-style frosting.
- Prep
- 1 hr
- Bake
- 22-24 min
- Total
- About 3 1/2 hr, including cooling and chilling
- Yield
- One three-layer 8-inch cake
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Ingredients
Banana Cake Layers
- 305 g (about 2 1/2 cups) cake flour
- 10 g (about 1 tablespoon + 1 1/4 teaspoons) cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 220 g (about 1 cup + 2 teaspoons) light brown sugar, packed
- 120 g (about 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons) granulated sugar
- 150 g (about 2/3 cup) neutral oil
- 160 g (about 1/3 cup + 5 tablespoons) plain unsweetened yogurt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 260 g (about 1 cup + 2 tablespoons) very ripe bananas, mashed smooth
- 120 g (about 1/2 cup) milk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Brown Sugar Caramel Lava
- 170 g (about 3/4 cup + 2 teaspoons) light brown sugar, packed
- 40 g (about 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) water
- 2 g (about 7/8 teaspoon) cornstarch
- 85 g (about 6 tablespoons) butter
- 120 g (about 1/2 cup) milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Cheesecake Frosting
- 900 g (about 4 cups) cream cheese, room temperature
- 280 g (about 2 1/3 cups) powdered sugar
- 3 teaspoons unfortified nutritional yeast, sifted
- 1 teaspoon mild yellow or white miso paste
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 4 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- Pinch of lactic acid
Instructions
- Make the banana cake layers. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 8-inch round cake pans.
- In one large bowl, whisk together the light brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, plain unsweetened yogurt, vanilla bean paste, mashed bananas, milk, and apple cider vinegar until smooth.
- Sift the cake flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt directly over the wet ingredients. Whisk gently just until combined and no dry streaks remain.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans.
- Bake for 22-24 minutes, until the centers spring back.
- Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out and allow them to cool completely. Wrap and chill the layers before assembly.
- Make the brown sugar caramel lava. Whisk the light brown sugar, water, and cornstarch in a saucepan until smooth.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until bubbling.
- Add the butter and milk. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, whisking, until glossy.
- Remove the caramel from the heat and stir in the vanilla bean paste and salt. Cool completely, then chill before assembly.
- Make the cheesecake frosting. Beat the room-temperature cream cheese until completely smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and beat until thick and creamy.
- Add the sifted unfortified nutritional yeast, miso paste, lemon juice, vanilla bean paste, and lactic acid. Mix until silky.
- Chill the frosting for 20-30 minutes, until pipeable.
- Place the first chilled cake layer on a cake board and spread a thin layer of cheesecake frosting over it. Pipe a complete frosting dam around the edge.
- Spoon a controlled layer of chilled brown sugar caramel lava inside the dam, keeping it below the top edge.
- Add the second cake layer and repeat with the frosting dam and caramel.
- Top with the final cake layer and frost the outside lightly with the remaining cheesecake frosting.
- Chill the assembled cake until stable before slicing.