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!
Maggie
Can this cake be frozen?
Celebrating Sweets
Yes. If you’re freezing the whole cake I would recommend doing so without the frosting (and adding it after thawing). If you’re freezing leftover slices it should be fine with the frosting on it. Enjoy!
Danielle
Made this last weekend! It’s by far the best banana recipe ever. I added an egg to adjust for altitude but it turned out perfect.
Celebrating Sweets
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to comment. Enjoy!
Rachel
I’m so excited to try this recipe! If I want to make mini bundt cakes with this recipe, how long should I bake it for?
Celebrating Sweets
I would start checking them around 15 minutes, then every few minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Enjoy!
Miranda
I made this for Easter and it was so delicious! We were short on sour cream- but I still think it came out pretty wonderful, thank you for sharing!
Celebrating Sweets
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Ciara Kume
Hi there! Sour cream is hard to comeby here. What can I sub it for?
Celebrating Sweets
Plain yogurt should work. Enjoy!
Sandy Boswell
I am going to make this for some of my neighbors who have children home. Was wondering if I could use plain yogurt instead of sour cream?
Celebrating Sweets
That should be fine. Enjoy!
Linda Charron
OMG!! Love this cake. So fluffy and full of banana flavour. The frosting is the perfect match for this cake. I make banana bread that is pretty good, but this beats it hands down. This cake will be my go to from now on. Thanks for the delicious recipe.
Celebrating Sweets
You’re welcome! I’m glad that you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Christa
Have you tried putting it into Loaf pans?
Celebrating Sweets
I have not, but I would assume that it would work. I’m thinking it will probably make 2 loaves. Enjoy!
Gail
Can this recipe be cut in half for a smaller bundt cake ?
Celebrating Sweets
I don’t see any problem with halving the recipe, it’s just determining what size pan to put it in. If you have a smaller bundt pan that should be fine. Or maybe a 9×9 square or possibly two 8-inch round cake pans would be a good fit for that amount of batter. I really can’t say for sure because I haven’t tried it. Let me know how it turns out. Enjoy!
Shelley Smith
Lovely recipe, I substituted Greek Yogurt as I didn’t have any sour cream and the taste and texture are great, fabulous icing and so easy to make…a great recipe which will become a firm favorite from now on
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂