I’m not sure who coined the term “Snacking Cake,” but I’m grateful. Any cake can be a snack, of course, but when snacking is literally in the name it feels like a small victory: a lifelong guilty pleasure finally getting the credit it deserves.
Love, in the form of Salted Caramel Banana Snacking Cake
As someone who proudly identifies as a Snacking Enthusiast™️, I roll my eyes when experts dismiss snacking entirely. Their advice usually comes from a good place — trying to curb mindless eating — but it’s not the counsel I follow. I love snacks. Sometimes snacks are dinner. This weekend I’ll teach a class on building a beautiful snack plate that can replace a meal or become the centerpiece of a gathering.
Snacks get a bad rap, and a cake meant for snacking might make snack critics clutch their pearls. Good. More snacking cake for the rest of us.
If a salted caramel glaze feels too dessert-y for you, skip it — the cake is still excellent on its own. It’s buttery, moist, and not overly sweet. Versatile too: stir in nuts or chocolate chips, or top with ganache or whipped cream. I suspect it would be lovely with cream cheese frosting as well.
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Salted Caramel Banana Snacking Cake
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- Author: zenbelly
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 10-12 servings
- Category: snacks, dessert
- Method: bake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1/2 cup butter, plus more for greasing the pan, softened (see note)
- 1/4 cup sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 3 eggs, at room temperature (see note)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup mashed banana (about 2 large)
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the salted caramel glaze:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup cream
- Pinch of salt
- Flaky salt for finishing
Instructions
- Butter an 8×11 baking pan and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until lighter and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in the mashed bananas and vanilla until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet just until combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
When the cake is done, make the caramel:
- In a saucepan, bring the butter, sugar, cream, and a pinch of salt to a boil. Cook 3–4 minutes, until the mixture deepens by a couple of shades.
- Remove from heat and pour the caramel immediately over the hot cake, spreading quickly — it will begin to set as it cools.
- Finish with a generous sprinkle of flaky salt.
Notes
If your eggs are cold, warm them in a bowl of very warm water for 15 minutes before using. If your butter isn’t soft, soften it by pressing it between sheets of parchment with a rolling pin until it’s workable.
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