Banana Bundt Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze – Thick and soft banana cake with a tender buttery crumb, topped with a decadent Brown Sugar Glaze. The BEST Banana Cake EVER!
This here is the only banana cake recipe you will need from now until the end of time. This is the BEST banana cake I have ever (I mean, ever!) sunk my teeth into.
Note: I now buy bananas, ban my family from consuming them, then wait for them to ripen so I can immediately bake this cake.
Also to be noted, I might need to move up one pants size if this banana cake habit doesn’t quit. Wah.
Prefer a sheet cake? Try this Banana Cake topped with vanilla frosting.
Prefer a different flavor? Try this Pumpkin Bundt Cake.
I have been on a search for the perfect banana cake for months. I went back and forth about whether it should be a sheet cake or a bundt cake. What should I top it with? Cream cheese frosting? Brown sugar glaze? Chocolate? Decisions, decisions.
All my testing landed me on this recipe, which comes from the brilliant Dorie Greenspan.
Banana Bundt Cake
I made very few changes to the cake recipe itself, and I would call it perfect. Nearly two cups of mashed bananas add the banana flavor, sour cream adds moisture and balances out the sweetness, vanilla extract compliments the bananas, and the right amount of butter creates a tender crumb. See what I said about perfect?
I resisted the urge to add cinnamon or chocolate chips in order to really allow the bananas to shine. I am so, so, happy with how this cake turned out. Its flavor and consistency are spot on.
This cake can absolutely hold its own as-is, without the brown sugar glaze. You can serve it plain, dusted with powdered sugar, or with a smear of salted butter. But, because I am a “more is more” type of girl, I went ahead and whipped up a brown sugar glaze to pour over this beautiful Banana Bundt Cake.
Brown Sugar Glaze
This quick and easy glaze is made with butter, brown sugar and vanilla. It tastes like carmel-praline-brown sugar heaven. It slowly drips down the sides of the cake, coating each bite with sweet and buttery deliciousness. The glaze firms up quickly, which means you don’t have to wait too long before diving in.
Bonus: the glaze also acts like glue if you choose to garnish your cake with chopped walnuts or pecans.
Now, what are you waiting for? You know you want a slice of this cake. Bake, eat, share and enjoy.
P.S. There’s bananas in it, so it can totally be eaten for breakfast, right? Morning, noon, or night – I will never, ever turn down a slice of this beauty.
MORE BANANA RECIPES: BEST EVER BANANA BREAD – BANANA BROWN SUGAR FRENCH TOAST – BANANA BAKED OATMEAL
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Banana Bundt Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze
Ingredients
Cake:
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ⅔ cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ¾ cups mashed very ripe bananas, approx 4 bananas
- 1 cup sour cream, I used light
Brown Sugar Icing:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- With a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and beat for another minute, at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Add vanilla, then beat in 1 egg at a time. Mix in bananas (the mixture might curdle, that’s ok).
- Add half of the dry ingredients, sour cream, and then the remaining dry ingredients, mixing between each addition.
- Thoroughly grease a 12-cup bundt pan and add the batter to the pan. Rap the pan on the counter a couple times (to remove air bubbles), then smooth out the top. Bake for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Loosely cover the cake with foil if it starts to get dark (this was around 30 minutes for me). Place the pan on a wire rack until it is cool enough to handle, then carefully unmold the cake and place it back on the rack to cool completely.
Icing:
- In a small saucepan combine butter, brown sugar and milk. Bring to a simmer, whisking frequently and cook until the sugar is dissolved, a minute or two. Remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes.
- Add vanilla, whisking to combine. Add powdered sugar ¼ cup at a time, whisking vigorously, until you reach your desired consistency. The icing will start to firm up quickly so have the cake cooled and ready. Drizzle the icing over the cake and immediately sprinkle with nuts. The icing will set in a matter of minutes.
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Suzy
I would like to serve the cake to a group. Some like glaze, some don’t. If I put the glaze in a squeeze bottle and let everyone put it on their own individual piece, do you think I’ll have trouble with the glaze trying to set in the bottle? Or do you think it might stay “squeezable”?
Allison
Hi, Suzy. This glaze thickens up quickly, you won’t be able to put it in a squeeze bottle. For that scenario I would recommend making the toffee sauce from this recipe (omit the molasses): https://celebratingsweets.com/sticky-toffee-pudding/ That sauce will thicken up too, but pop it in the microwave for several seconds, give it a stir, and it will thin out again. I’d recommend serving it in a small syrup or creamer pitcher. Enjoy!
Erica
This recipe was just what I was looking for!! A thick, spongey Andover banana cake!!
However, I altered the icing method. I like to use a wooden skewer and poke holes on the bottom of the bundt cake (but not puncturing the top layer as to avoid the cake sticking to the pan) and letting the icing or sauce seep into the cake. I did not add powdered sugar to the brown sugar frosting and made a sauce instead.
Definitely a new favorite!!
Allison
Great idea! That sounds delicious! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Tanya
Hi I’m making this cake tomorrow but need to know how many grams for the flour because I’m getting different answers on every website !!!
How many grams are you using per cup of flour? Also for the sugar .
Allison
To measure the flour, fluff the flour with your measuring cup (to lighten it), scoop a heaping portion and level it off with the back of a knife. You can also use this conversion guide: https://www.allrecipes.com/article/cup-to-gram-conversions/
June
How long will this cake keep for please?
Allison
We usually consume it within 3 days.
Sarah D.
This was delicious! My husband and kids loved it. It was a great alternative to banana bread and the glaze really made it special. Thank you!
Allison
You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Barbara Phaup
I was going to make a banana cake with cream cheese frosting but did not have enough cream cheese to make it. So I started searching the internet and ran across your Banana Bundt Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze. Lordy it was so good! The only change I made was lowering the oven temp to 325 and cook the whole 55 minutes. It was so tender and moist and the glaze so complimented the cake! Thank you for my new recipe! Barb
Allison
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Kenneth Kurtz
Have not tasted it yet, but it looks beautiful. Wish I could post a picture for you.
I accidentally put the brown sugar for the glaze in to the batter, so I just added the rest in granulated sugar, I hope it tastes OK. But I will have to make it again, to see what it is really supposed to taste like,
The brown sugar glaze is SOOOOOOOO good.
Allison
Enjoy! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Amy w
Amazing! We do a lot of banana bread and banana cake in our house. Best one so far!!!
Allison
I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Sondra
It is in the oven now!! I want to freeze it. Do you recommend to glaze before or after freezing?
Allison
I’d add it after freezing. It will be easier to wrap up and store if there is no glaze on it.