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!
del
Is there any change for high altitude?
Allison
You’ll likely need to make some changes. I’ll refer you to this guide because I don’t have experience with high altitude baking. https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
Coco
This came out horrible for me. Don’t know what I did wrong because I followed the recipe to the tee. It was hard and dry. Wish I tried it before I put the icing on.
Allison
Sorry to hear that. This recipe is almost always successful (see all the other reviews). Perhaps you used a different sized pan and had to cook it longer?
AF
Excellent banana bread and the brown sugar icing is ahhhhmazing. I made this cake twice it has quickly become my husbands favorite! Next time I am going to make extra brown sugar icing…yummy.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Angie
Best banana recipe ever is an understatement! It’s delicious!
Here’s 10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars
Allison
Haha. Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Laurie Brown
Made this for my husband’s birthday, he loved it and so did the neighbours I shared it with, because we are in lock down due to covid couldn’t have them over.
Allison
Perfect! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
mj
can i make this in a loaf pan?
mj
Can i make this using a loaf pan instead of a bundt pan?/
Bonbon K
Delicious. Added some raisins. Didn’t have confectioners sugar for icing so substituted sweetened coconut. Excellent.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Lisa
In the #4 of the directions, did you mean to say “smooth out the top?” Thanks for a great recipe!
Allison
Yes. Thanks for pointing that out. Just fixed it. Enjoy! 🙂
Cherly
Made for my son’s birthday. 6 of us went through 3/4 of this cake! Soooo good! Moist, flavorful and not sooper heavy like most bunt cakes.
I did cover the top with foil after about 45mins. Saved it from really crusting the top
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Bonnie
Wonderful foolproof recipe for the beginning Bundt baker! I made this recipe the first time I ever baked in my Bundt cake last year and have made it 5 times since then. I’m glad to have this up my sleeve for a sweet sorta healthy treat my kids will happily eat. Lasts about a week in the fridge and I like to slice it for easy access.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it!