[I] always have the best intentions when I buy a bundle of bananas. ! daydream about protein-packed green smoothies. I toy with the idea of afternoon snacks with almond butter. I know I’ll eat them for breakfast with a cup of black coffee and a smile on my face.
Unfortunately, exactly none of that actually happens, and I’m left with a shameful bundle of brown bananas on my countertop a week later.
It never fails. It never does.
A bundle of bananas is meant for cake. Destiny. Sightly under baked with strawberries and pecans. Let’s!
Make and bake in the skillet! It’s really the best. If you aren’t a neurotic food blogger like me, you won’t need a million bowls big and small to bring together this skillet cake. Just a skillet, and spoon, and good attitude.
Butter is melted and browned until it smells like warm roasted nuts. It’s removed form the stove top and then the fun starts. Lots of stirring fun!
First, brown sugar meets butter.
Mashed banana and an egg. Banana adds mega flavor and moisture and also removes the rotting banana from your countertop and turn it in to cake… so. WIN.
Flour, ground cinnamon and nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.
Dry ingredients for body and flavor. Baking essentials.
Whisking the dry ingredients in to the butter, sugar, egg mixture.
We’re still working in the skillet we’re baking in! That feels extra satisfying.
Glossy banana batter plus pecans.
Pecans are definitely a natural fit. Also, they fall from the sky in New Orleans so… of course we’re putting them in cake!
These are the first of the Louisiana strawberries for the year. I hope that they feel justified on this cake. I tried to make them proud.
I like my skillet cakes earnest and slightly under baked. That gooey center is my absolute dream! This cake is soft, comforting, spiced nightly, sugared moderately, and otherwise lovely.
With a banana it’s breakfast cake. With strawberries it’s an afternoon cake. If you make a 2pm pot of coffee, it’s afternoon cake. This skillet dessert is versatile and forgiving and dang delicious anytime of day or night!
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Brown Butter Banana Skillet Cake with Strawberries and Pecans
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 50 minutes
Description
Delicious, moist, and super simple skillet cake with strawberries and bananas.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 small ripe banana (mashed)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
- 1 cup hulled and sliced strawberries
Instructions
- Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Melt butter in an 9-inch cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in sugar and vanilla extract and remove from heat. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Allow mixture to stand and cool for about 5 minutes. The mixture should not be super hot when the eggs goes in, or the egg will cook.
- When the sugar and butter mixture has cooled slightly it will look a bit clumpy, greasy, and broken. That’s ok. The egg will bring it all together.
- Add the egg and whisk together until smooth. The mixture will be glossy and no longer greasy. Add banana, cinnamon, nutmeg, and stir to combine.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir carefully until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated. Add the pecans and fold together. Spread evenly across the pan and place sliced strawberries on top.
- Place in the oven.
- Bake for 18-25 minutes until mixture is dry on top, but still slightly soft in the center. I like to slightly under-bake this cake.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Top with ice cream and serve warm… with lots of spoons. I like this dish served immediately, but it will last two days, well wrapped, at room temperature.
77 Responses
Wow this looks yummy…
Just started following your website. Can’t wait to make this cake. Love all your pictures and your descriptions are mouthwatering! Do you have a restaurant in NO? Love your unique style.
I am going to try this weekend. Those over ripe bananas now have a job to do!
Nadia
http://www.maisontravers.wordpress.com
Alas, I only have a 12″ skillet but want to try this cake! How would you adjust the recipe?
Hi! This looks amazing, and I can’t wait to make it! Question: when you melt the butter, before mixing in the vanilla and sugar, do you brown it first? or just heat until melted?
You brown it first!
Next time I brown butter, it’s going to be on purpose and because I want to make this recipe! Amazing!
(yes I am admitting that I have browned butter by mistake….not sure it would go so well with scrambled eggs ha)
Hi! I’m sixteen and I just find you really inspirational, both food and photography ways! Made this cake for my parents and brothers two days ago. Didn’t have pecans (they’re so expensive here in Oman!) so I used toasted walnuts. Didn’t have strawberries so I omitted them. Browned the butter, added the sugar, mixed in the ingredients, baked it, and walla. Brown butter skillet cake.
Didn’t even use as many kitchenware this time, so I had less washing to do. Thanks for the recipe!
sounds delicious! Very tempted to make this over the weekend.
Nosebag NI
Tried to make this recipe but the result was not the best. Too many flour i believe. But it is a good concept.
Killin’ it with a skillet. Looks so delicious, and love the “serve right from the pan” aspect.
How do you feel about substituting maple syrup for the brown sugar?
Made this last night. Super tasty! Your recipes never disappoint.
Hi, just found your site from Pinterest. WOW…this recipe looks amazing. Question, though, if I don’t have a cast iron skillet (I know, heresy) can I use a regular baking pan? Thanks!
This looks absolutely splendiferous. Over the top with awesome. I’d eat the whole thing with a spoon!
This is exactly why I bought a cast iron skillet :)
Unfortunately, there’s a boy in my house who loves bananas… they never end up dark and mushy on my counter. Time to hide some, I guess, and try not to forget about them…
This was SO delicious! How in the world you manage to stay in shape with so many delicious treats nearby is beyond me, but don’t ever stop posting cakes like these! :)
I always want to make banana cake but am never patient enough. I need to buy some bananas and hide them specifically. this looks totally delicious. I have a gorgeous iron ribbed square pan, do you think it could work it that?! Rosie
I haven’t made a cake in a skillet, but I would love to try! This looks awesome!
This looks delicious, can’t wait to try it out!!
Looks Delicious!
Hi Joy ! I have a question …..I recently bought a skillet, and I was thinking, since you don’t actually wash them, do you have one for savoury food and one for sweets ???? or you just use one for both ??? thanks !!!!
this looks incredible :) your photography is amazing aswell! Keep it up!
This looks delicious! Brown butter and strawberries are a great combo!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
This is such a pretty dish! What a great presentation, and use for those bananas we all seem to have lying around!
This recipe looks doable and easy to pull off, Now I know what to do with all those bananas.:). Thanks for sharing and i love how there is just one pan to wash after all is done :)
looks yummy, easy recipe with no much hassle. i should try this out. thanks for sharing. now i can put my banana bunch to good use :)
I love any and everything strawberry banana related! Throw in one cast iron skillet…**swoon**! ;)
I think that napkin looks white and gold, but my husband thinks it looks black and blue…
Seriously, though, this recipe looks delicious!
This looks delicous! I’m curious if you’ve heard of the Perfect Bake from Brookstone? I just ordered it because is perfect for making small batches of desserts, great for baking with my children and something they can use as well. You can choose from hundreds of recipes in the free app, or upload your own custom recipe and then it shows you exactly how much to pour depending on serving size. If anyone else is interested in ordering it it’s currently on sale and you can even get discounts on your order if you visit the Brookstone coupon page (https://www.brookstone.com/brookstone-coupons) and use one of the current coupon codes! Thanks again for sharing your recipe!
Next time I go to the store I need to buy some bananas especially for this yummy cake! It’s totally appropriate for breakfast :)
Another decadent dessert, or should I say breakfast? Strawberries always go so well in pastries and cakes, not to mention with bananas!
Juju
https://www.jujusprinkles.com
I love the fruity flavour – delicious!
Could I substitute gluten free flour for all purpose flour in the recipe?
Wow! Just what I need to see before bed. God help me before I stick my head in a bag of brown sugar. Don’t judge, its organic kids! Ciao!
Perfect timing! Just bought my second flat of strawberries and I ALWAYS have sad bananas. You should also know that the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival is a thing :)
Delicious!!
Those baked strawberries on top look like heaven!
Brown bananas are THE BEST THING EVER!!! Can’t wait to make this :)
As usual, your recipes never cease to bring me immense joy. This looks absolutely decadent, and I love that it’s another excuse to let my bananas go rotten!
Love that this wonderful cake is made in a skillet – the flavours sound amazing!
Wow! This looks so delicious. I am definitely looking forward to trying it. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I’ve made banana cake loads of times and never thought to do strawberries. Fail. Must try soon.
oh my! this look delicious and only one pan to wash up!
ellie xo
https://thebeautifulunnecessary.blogspot.co.uk/
I love that you can mix it and bake it all in the same skillet! That’s awesome. Pinned for this weekend!
Oh my gosh, this Looks absolutely adorable!
What a great combination! Love this!!
Guuuuuurl! Yes. And I miss you. (microphone drop!) <— too much Jimmy Kimmel. xoxo
Magical. I for one can only eat bananas when they are green so I try to finish them all before they even get speckled.
I have been working on a couple of one layer cakes and was just thinking about the possiblity of baking them in a skillet, when your post came along. I will try your cake since it looks delicious and (like you) I have some bananas in the freezer, and also will try out the skillet method for the two I am trying to perfect.
Thanks for the recipe and for being so timely.
How does it effect the seasoning of the skillet? Love the idea, but only if i do not need to re-season the cast iron pan.
I had to look over at the two rapidly-browning bananas on my counter to be sure they won’t disintegrate before then, but it looks like yes, we will be having this cake for our Special Saturday Breakfast. Yum!
Everything tastes better in the Cast Iron. I haven’t made any desserts in mine yet but this has inspired me to go for it!!
Love love love that it’s all mixed up right in the skillet. Can’t wait for strawberries to come into season here in New England. I think you did those Louisiana ones proud!
Your berries look so good- I haven’t seen any that gorgeous yet this year! And I know you were talking about how you want to make smoothies and snacks and healthy things with bananas, but I think cake is better (:
” (cake, naturally) also removes the rotting banana from your countertop and turn it in to cake… so. WIN.”
Loved this :) Apparently you wrote this post in just as frivolous a mood that I am reading it. Love to you and cake from a land where we have to wait for strawberries until June… :)
This looks delicious and I love that there’s only one pan to clean up. Yum. xx
the same thing happens to me with bananas, but this looks way better than a smoothie!
Good timing, as I have both very speckled bananas and strawberries that are almost past their prime in my kitchen right now!
There’s a very good chance that this will be tonight’s dinner :)
Where is the nutmeg in the recipe?
Absolutely adorable photos – like the green distressed wood paired with the yellow tea towel, and the brightness from the red strawberries. And the recipe sounds so yummy.
This looks absolutely incredible. It’s an entirely new concept to me, so I definitely think it’d be fun to try! Adding it to my list of recipes to try. Love it!
A one pan recipe… my husband would hug you for this! He always hates helping clean up my mess in the ktichen. Looks like a fabulous weekend recipe :)
seriously, why do you always know what I want before I even want it?! sorcery….
i’m thinking of making this more dessert-y and want to replace the bananas…was leaning towards applesauce or maybe even a nut butter to give it a PB&J twist. Any thoughts???
this looks so yummy!!
https://trulyaddia.wordpress.com
Yum! Gonna make this tonight to bring into work! I wonder if a crumble topping would work on this….
I neeeeeed to do this. I even have some bananas starting to brown on my counter. Just need pecans and strawberries…
A banana cake in a skillet sounds like a splendid idea! Love this!
Making and baking in the same pan? I’m all for it! That looks scrumptious ??
munchies&musings
Making and baking in the same pan? I’m all for it! That looks scrumptious ??
munchies&musings
This recipe combines SO many of my favorite things! Love it!
https://sometimesgracefully.com
Have been following you for years….every recipe is amazing and your pictures are beyond awesome!! Can not wait to try this skillet cake out!! You go girl!!! Xoxo
Yum! Wish I had a cast iron skillet…
I agree, this cake would be lovely any time of the day!
This looks delicious and I can’t believe I’ve never put strawberries and bananas in a cake together! Plus, I totally love the ease of doing it all in a skillet! This is perfect, Joy!
I LOVE the idea of a skillet cake! Now I am lusting after one of those beautiful pans you are using! Definitely going to be trying this one out
Lauren xx
Wow this looks delicious !
https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/lifestyle-menu-12841769