Cinnamon Swirl Brown Butter Banana Bundt Cake

This Cinnamon Swirl Brown Butter Banana Bundt Cake is everything. And, I mean everything. It has brown butter, bananas, and the most delicious gooey cinnamon swirl center. Dare I say it’s my favorite way to use up those brown bananas!

BAKING IS MEDICINE FOR THE HEART

I like to keep the tone pretty light here on the blog but I’m finding it hard to write this morning. The thing is my heart is pretty heavy. Over the weekend my dad lost one of his closest friends, a dear lady that I play tennis with lost her son unexpectedly and I learned that one of my food blogging friend’s little boy was diagnosed with cancer. Ugh. Bam, bam, bam. My heart hurts so hard for all of them and I wish I there was something, anything, I could do to ease some of their heartache.

As a mom, friend, daughter….the heartache is the same. I hate to see anyone I care for hurting and as I get older, it just becomes that much more of a real thing. When I was young I felt invincible. Or at the very least mortality wasn’t something I spent much time on. Mine or anyone else’s for that matter. But now that I’m a mom and an adult my empathy meter is in full gear. I have such a difficult time hearing of someone else’s pain or heartache and not internalizing it. I think we can all relate on the fear of losing someone close to us- God forbid a child. The love runneth deep, doesn’t it not?

I hate feeling helpless. There isn’t anything I can do for any of them that is going to lessen the heartache. Sure I can pray, send words of encouragement and perhaps make a meal or the like but at the end of the day, it doesn’t take the heartache away, does it? And it guts me. It truly guts me to see my people hurting. And really, it guts me to see anyone hurting. I’m pretty sensitive that way. And I so wish I could take their pain away. Or at the very least lessen it.

A dear friend told me once that when someone dies or gets really sick is a gift to the rest of us. At first I was a little put off but after she explained herself, I got it. Death is a reminder- and in her view- a gift to remind those of us behind to not take life or the people we love for granted. To really see your people every single day. Be present. Tell them you love them. Let them know how much they mean to you. Be mindful and live your life every single day because it could change in an instant. You just never know. So while I know this idea might seem a bit off putting, it’s a thought that comforts me when I feel helpless. It’s my way of honoring those lives lost.

Hug your kiddos something fierce. Call your friend that you haven’t talked to in a awhile. Kiss your partner a little longer today. And above all, take a moment to send some healing ju-ju and light to someone that might be hurting. We could all use some extra love today.

I hope you all have a beautiful Monday.

xo, Kelley

Cinnamon Swirl Brown Butter Banana Bundt Cake

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• Yield: 16 slices 1x

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Description

A banana bundt cake made with brown butter and a gooey cinnamon swirl. Perfect for brunch or dessert!

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Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/8 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 very ripe bananas, peeled & mashed
• 1/4 cup creme fraiche (or full fat sour cream or Greek yogurt)

For the cinnamon swirl:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons (yes, 4 tablespoons!) ground cinnamon
• pinch salt

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
2. Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
3. Brown the butter by placing a sauté pan on the stove set to medium heat. Melt butter, stirring occasionally until it starts to brown about 3-6 minutes. It will start to smell to bubble, smell nutty and then turn a golden color. Take butter off the heat immediately so that it doesn’t burn; set aside while you prepare the other ingredients. Stove tops vary so the time could be more or less. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn!
4. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt.
5. In a large bowl, beat slightly cooled butter, sugar, and eggs until light and fluffy. Stir in mashed bananas, vanilla and creme fraiche. Gently fold in the flour mixture just until combined.
6. To make the cinnamon swirl, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a small bowl and add brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and a tiny pinch of salt; stir to combine.
7. Spread 1/3 of the batter evenly into the bottom of the prepared bundt pan. Dollop 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the batter in the pan and then make a nice thick swirl through the batter with a table knife or bottom of a wooden spoon. Place 1/3 of the remaining batter evenly over the first layer and top with the other half of the cinnamon sugar mixture; swirl. Spread the remaining batter evenly over the top.
8. Bake cake in preheated oven about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of bread comes out clean.Remove from oven, let cake cool 10 minutes on a cooling rack before removing from pan. Let cool another 20-30 minutes before diving in head first!