Banana Bundt Cake

Content… What Makes It Perfect Recipe Ingredients How to Make It Recipe Variations Tips and Tricks Make-Ahead Instructions Serving and Storage Instructions What to Serve More Beautiful Bundt Cakes to Try Watch How to Make It

What Makes This Banana Bundt Cake Perfect

This recipe is probably the best banana cake I’ve ever sunk my teeth into, and the reason is the base ingredients let the bananas shine. I haven’t included any warm spices or chocolate chips. It’s essentially a basic vanilla cake recipe with mashed bananas.

With nice, ripe bananas, it’s sweet and flavorful and always hits the spot. But that doesn’t mean I’m skimping on the flavors here. The salted caramel glaze complements the bananas so beautifully that my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Plus, the bundt tin makes the cake so darn pretty! 😍

Recipe Ingredients

1. Bananas – The riper, the better! Riper bananas make the cake extra sweet without tasting sickly. The lemon juice balances the sweetness and keeps the bananas from getting too brown.
2. Dry Ingredients – All-purpose flour, baking powder and soda, and salt make the base for a tender, flavorful cake.
3. Wet Ingredients – Butter, vegetable oil, granulated and brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and buttermilk (or sour cream) deliver moisture for a decadent cake with flavor.
4. Lemon Zest – You could skip this ingredient, but it adds some nice tang and balances the sweetness of the bananas just perfectly.
5. Glaze Ingredients – Butter, brown sugar, salt, milk, vanilla extract, and confectioners’ sugar are all you need for this mouthwatering salted caramel glaze. 
6. Pecans are also optional, but they add some nice texture and look pretty as a garnish.

How to Make Banana Bundt Cake

Make the Banana Bundt Cake

• Preheat oven to 350℉ (175℃) and grease your bundt pan.
• Dry Ingredients – Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a medium mixing bowl and mix well. Then, set aside. (Photo 1)
• Mash the overripe bananas and add a teaspoon of lemon juice. (Photos 2-3)
• Whip butter, vegetable oil, sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high in a separate bowl until pale and fluffy. (Photos 4-5)
• Wet Ingredients – Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then add vanilla extract, lemon zest, and mashed bananas. (Photos 6-7)
• Assemble – Slowly add the dry ingredients in three batches to the wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir just until combined. (Photo 8)
• Pour batter into the greased and floured bundt pan and gently tap on a work surface to remove excess air. (Photo 9)
• Bake at 350℉ (175℃) for 45-50 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. (Photo 10)
• Cool completely, then proceed with the glaze.

Make the Glaze

• Melt – In a small saucepan, bring butter, brown sugar, and milk to a simmer. Whisking frequently, cook until the sugar dissolves—a minute or two. (Photo 11)
• Remove from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes. Add vanilla, whisking to combine.
• Finished Glaze – Add powdered sugar ¼ cup at a time, whisking vigorously until you achieve your desired consistency. (Photos 12-13)
• Serve – The icing will firm up rapidly, so make sure the cake is cool and ready for the glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the cake and then top immediately with nuts if desired. (Photo 14)

Recipe Variations

1. Banana chocolate chip bundt cake. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any more decadent! Fold about a ½ cup of mini chocolate chips into the cake batter for an insanely indulgent treat. 🍫
2. Swap up the glaze. It’s hard to beat this salted caramel glaze, but cream cheese frosting is a pretty close second. Honestly, though, you can glaze or frost this cake however you like. 
3. No bundt pan? No problem. Bake it in a regular bread loaf tin or a square cake pan. Just note that baking times can vary depending on the pan’s size.
4. Banana bread in a bundt cake pan. Or take your favorite banana bread recipe and bake it in a well-greased and floured bundt pan.
5. Add more fruit. How delicious does a blueberry banana bundt cake sound? Coat your blueberries with a little flour and fold them into the batter right before pouring it into the bundt pan.

Tips and Tricks

1. Use very ripe bananas because overripe bananas deliver a sweeter and more flavorful cake. 🍌
2. Please don’t overmix your batter because overmixing can result in a dense, tough cake. 😬
3. Use room temperature butter, eggs, and buttermilk for a smoother batter and even baking.

Make-Ahead Instructions

This cake is best made a day or two ahead of time to let the flavors meld. Just keep it on your countertop wrapped in plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container until ready to serve. You can even freeze it for up to 3 months. 

Serving and Storage Instructions 

Slice up this cake after it is cooled and glazed, and serve it! Keep it at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days, or refrigerate it for up to a week. You can also freeze it for up to six months. 

What Goes With Banana Bundt Cake

This delicate cake is the perfect finish to a traditional Southern dinner. Finish off Southern fried chicken, collard greens, and mashed potatoes with this cake and a glass of sweet iced tea. 😉

More Beautiful Bundt Cakes to Try

1. Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake
2. Lemon Bundt Cake
3. Rum Soaked Cake
4. Kentucky Butter Cake
5. Peach Cobbler Pound Cake

Watch How to Make It