Got the Munchies?: Snacking Cake with Salted Caramel Glaze

I still had some overripe bananas on hand after making Meliessa Clark's Chocolate-Crusted Banana Blondies, so I decided to try another one of her recipes to use up my remaining banana supply. A few months ago, Clark published an article in The New York Times about snacking cakes that was accompanied by three recipes, including a "Banana Snacking Cake with Salted Caramel Glaze." Clark describes it as "a bit like banana bread, but richer, and topped with a sticky caramel frosting that is dotted with crunchy flakes of sea salt."

The cake is a one-bowl recipe that doesn't require a mixer. You whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt; mix in mashed bananas, melted butter, sour cream, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla; and pour the batter into a parchment-lined pan to bake. You cool the cake completely before spreading on a warm glaze made by boiling a mixture of butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, salt; and adding powdered sugar. I let the glaze crust over before sprinkling on some fleur de sel.
The glaze developed a smooth matte finish as it dried but did not set completely firm. When I took the cake out of the pan by pulling up on the the parchment paper underneath it, the cake flexed and this created some creases in the glaze (which you can see in the photo above). This cake was much lighter than the banana blondies I had made a few days earlier. I thought the caramel glaze was bordering on too sweet, even with the finishing salt sprinkled on top -- I would have preferred a cream cheese frosting. This is a good banana cake, but I liked the chocolate-crusted banana blondies better, with their sticky texture and intense flavor. However, I would recommend either recipe if you're in the mood for a banana dessert. Or snack.

Recipe: "Banana Snacking Cake with Caramel Glaze" by Melissa Clark, printed in The New York Times.

Previous Post: "Sweet, Sticky Banana Heaven: Chocolate-Crusted Banana Blondies," July 5, 2019.

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