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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Recipe
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
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Leslie
Can this recipe be cut in half to make a smaller ..less tall in a bundt pan if you only have limited quantity of flour and butter etc?
Celebrating Sweets
Hhhmm, you can definitely try it. I don’t see any problem with halving the recipe, it’s just determining what size pan to put it in. I’m wondering if a 9×9 square would be a good fit for that amount of batter? Or possibly two 8-inch round cake pans? I really can’t say for sure because I haven’t tried it. Let me know how it turns out. Enjoy!
Leslie
Was actually thinking of still putting it in the standard bundt pan still..as it looks so much more impressive than a loaf or round cake..with half the batter..just a shorter height to the bundt cake and adjust baking time..your thoughts?
Celebrating Sweets
It’s worth a shot! You’ll definitely need to decrease the bake time. Maybe start checking it around 25 minutes. I hope it turns out. Enjoy! 🙂
Chris
Best banana cake I’ve ever made ! Delicious.
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
Kgirl
I agree that this an outstanding banana cake. The icing works well with the flavors of the cake. I made no changes and stuck to the recipe. Perfect.
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Kathleen Stanley
Easy and absolutely delicious. I’m 59 years old and it’s my first bundt cake EVER! I’m sharing the recipe and will make it again. Thanks!
Celebrating Sweets
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Jan
I’m 68 and it’s the first bundt cake I ever made (I’ve had the pan for countless years sitting in my cabinet)
Cindy
What can I use to replace the sour cream? Thanks 🙂
Celebrating Sweets
You can try plain yogurt or buttermilk.
Denise
Can the cup of sour cream be substituted for something else? Like heavy cream? That’s all I have on hand.
Celebrating Sweets
Preferably something with acidity, like yogurt or buttermilk. You can try heavy cream, the texture might just be a bit different.
kulgrani
Curdle heavy cream with a bit of white apple cider vinegar? Or use yogurt?
Loveday
Hey I used heavy whipping cream and it turned out amazing. Best cake I’ve ever made
Susan Y
This is the best recipe I have ever made using leftover bananas hands down! My husband and my son requested constantly and it works out perfectly because I always have leftover bananas! This is a keeper. It is beautiful as well as delicious! Thank you so much!
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Helen
Lovely banana cake! I have never made a banana cake before but this is Devine! Love it
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Dawna
I’ve made it twice in the past three weeks. Everyone loves it!
Celebrating Sweets
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by.
Jacquie
Hi
Just followed the whole recipe and my Banana Bundt Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze came out fabulously, had to allow to cook a little longer as the oven is not high tech and needed the extra 10 min – 15 min and the tin foil (as you said after 30min) need to be covered.
The sugar glaze I went overboard with as it’s quite a bit of sauce there, I do not like wasting so poured it all over the cake, so although it’s drowning in it – looks good and tastes delicious – very moist, bit upset that the bananas fell to the bottom though.
Very good recipe – thank you – will need to do it again and get a bigger bowl for the batter as it’s a large cake.
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by.