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.
Rose Valentine
Hi,
Can this cake freeze?
Celebrating Sweets
If you’re freezing the whole cake, I would recommend doing so without the glaze. Add the the glaze once it has thawed, right before serving. If you are freezing leftover slices, it should be fine to freeze with the glaze, although I have never tried it. Enjoy!
Anna
I have just made it and it is delicious. I used slightly less powdered sugar. My children all gave it a 10.
Celebrating Sweets
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for stopping by!
Jonette
Does thi cake need to be refrigerated? Looks scrumptious!
Celebrating Sweets
It does not have to be refrigerated, although I usually do refrigerate leftovers. Enjoy!
Maya
Hello,
Is there any possibility you can give us the ingredients in “g” instead of cups!
Thanks
Celebrating Sweets
You can try using this converter. https://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/food/cups-to-grams-converter-87833
Enjoy!
Shannon
Can I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream? It’s all I have.
Celebrating Sweets
Sure! Enjoy!
Margaret
I made this over the weekend for a friend’s birthday. He’s one of those who doesn’t like cake…but loves banana bread! I made the recipe as written. It popped right out of the pan, was the perfect texture & the cake was a hit! Thanks 🙂
Celebrating Sweets
Wonderful! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment. Happy holidays!
Carrie Morgan
I took a few extra minutes when making the icing to really brown the butter before adding any other ingredients – and it gave it an extra layer of deep flavor that was PHENOMENAL. I highly recommend this recipe, it’s my new favorite!
FANTASTIC cake!
Celebrating Sweets
Great idea! That sounds amazing! Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy New Year! -Allison
Cathy
My first time making this recipe. The glaze is what prompted me to make this. I used a nordic brand molded loaf pan ( 6 cup) . I did not have a 10 cup Bundt pan. It did over flow out of the pan during baking, Lost about a half cup. Bake time 1:10.
I used my favorite no stick bakery spray Bak-klene ZT. From William sonoma, it so much better than grocery store sprays) . The cakes always fall out whole.
This recipe gets a five star. It is Moist , very good flavor and the glaze is not overly sweet. I am not a frosting fan, but i think this glaze is perfect for this banana cake.
I only glazed half of the loaf, the other ( unglazed) half will be sliced, wrapped and frozen. This recipe is a keeper!
Celebrating Sweets
Glad you enjoyed it, Cathy. Thanks for the kind review. Happy New Year! -Allison
Carly Baughman
I cant quite out to get sour cream atm but do have buttermilk, would this be an apt substitute or should I wait for sour cream?
Celebrating Sweets
I would guess that the buttermilk should work fine. Enjoy!
Anna
Not too difficult. I substituted a cup of strawberry yogurt in for sour creme as we’ve been snowed in all weekend. It worked! Great recipe! A+++
Celebrating Sweets
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting.