This sour cream banana pound cake is moist, rich, dense, and packed with delicious ripe banana flavor. Topped with a simple brown sugar glaze and walnuts, every bite is as incredible as the last.
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We love banana bread and cakes, so making this sour cream banana pound cake has been a great way to use up ripe bananas without resorting to typical banana bread recipes. It's become one of my favorite ripe banana recipes.
The cake is a masterpiece, featuring a blend of mashed bananas, vanilla, and warm cinnamon, creating a symphony of flavors.
The crowning glory is the irresistible Brown Sugar Glaze, adding a layer of indulgence with its caramel-like sweetness and nutty brown sugar.
My daughter claims it's her new favorite dessert, and together, we've devoured most of this bundt cake. Can you blame us? It's soooo good!
For a layered banana cake recipe, try my Southern Banana Pudding Cake. And for more bundt cake ideas, check out our Peaches and Cream Bundt Cake and Raspberry Lemon Bundt Cake.
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💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Stays fresh for days. This banana Bundt cake is rich, buttery, and incredibly moist, even several days after baking. It is similar to our Super Moist Banana Bread with Sour Cream.
- A great way to use bananas. Instead of another loaf of banana bread, turn ripe bananas into a cake. Sometimes cake is the better choice.
- Easy to make. Even with a longer bake time, this cake comes together easily, making it a recipe you will want to make again and again.
🛒 Ingredients
Ripe bananas. Use spotted, ripe bananas for the best flavor and sweetness. If you have extras, try Pancake Mix Banana Bread, Banana Oreo Milkshake, or One Bowl Banana Bread.
Leavening agents. Baking soda and baking powder help the cake rise and create a soft, even crumb.
Sour cream. Adds moisture and a smooth, velvety texture to the cake.
Banana cake glaze. Made with butter, brown sugar, milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar for a rich finishing touch.
Walnuts. Optional, but a great topping. Add them quickly before the glaze sets.
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
Use overripe or discounted bananas: Many grocery stores sell very ripe bananas at a reduced price, making them perfect for baking while preventing food waste.
Freeze bananas ahead of time: When bananas get too ripe, peel and freeze them so you always have some ready for recipes like this.
Skip the glaze if needed: The pound cake is rich and flavorful on its own, and leaving off the glaze cuts both cost and prep time.
Buy butter on sale: This recipe uses a good amount of butter, so stocking up during sales can save a lot over time.
🥄 Instructions for Sour Cream Banana Pound Cake
Banana Pound Cake
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
Step 2: Add your dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl (Image 1).
Step 3: Whisk together to combine (Image 2). Set aside.
Step 4: Add your butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl (Image 3). An extra-large mixing bowl is preferred.
Step 5: Cream them together until light and fluffy (Image 4).
Step 6: Add in the eggs, one at a time (Image 5).
Step 7: Beat well after each addition (Image 6).
Step 8: Add in the mashed bananas and the vanilla (Image 7).
Step 9: Stir again (Image 8). Add in half of the sour cream into the batter and mix.
Step 10: Add in half of the flour mixture and mix again (Images 9&10).
Step 11: Stir in the last of the sour cream (Images 11&12).
Step 12: Mix in the last of the flour mixture, stirring until combined. Set aside.
Step 13: Grease and flour a bundt pan.
Step 14: Pour the mixture into your prepared bundt pan (Image 13).
Step 15: Bake for 75 minutes to 85 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and come out clean (Image 14).
Step 16: Let cake cool 10 minutes in the pan before flipping it onto a wire rack and cooling it completely. Once cooled, top with glaze.
Brown Sugar Frosting
Step 17: Add butter to a saucepan (Image 15).
Step 18: Melt over medium-low heat (Image 16).
Step 19: Add in the brown sugar. Stir until the brown sugar is dissolved (about 3-5 minutes) (Image 17).
Step 20: Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla and milk (Image 18).
Step 21: Whisk until smooth and combined (Image 19).
Step 22: Immediately pour the mixture into a mixing bowl. Add in the powdered sugar (Image 20).
Step 23: Beat with an electric mixer until smooth (Image 21).
Step 24: Pour over the cake quickly as it will set fast and top with walnuts if desired (Image 22).
Step 25: Allow about 10-15 minutes to set before slicing and serving.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Beat eggs one at a time. Adding the eggs individually helps incorporate air and creates a lighter, fluffier cake texture.
- Add nuts carefully. Chopped walnuts can be mixed into the batter for extra texture, but keep it to ⅓ cup or less to avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Do not worry about overflow. The batter will nearly fill the pan, but the lower baking temperature prevents the cake from rising too much or spilling over.
❄️ Storage, Reheating & Make Ahead
Storage: Store the Sour Cream Banana Pound Cake covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Reheating: Individual slices can be warmed in the microwave for 10-15 seconds if desired.
Make Ahead: The cake can be baked 1-2 days in advance and stored covered. For longer storage, freeze the cake unglazed for up to 2 months, then thaw and glaze before serving.
🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
Serve Sour Cream Banana Pound Cake with coffee or tea for dessert, or pair with fresh fruit or yogurt for a brunch spread. A scoop of vanilla ice cream also pairs well for a richer treat.
- Milkshakes Without Ice CreamRecipe $2.35 / Serving $1.17
- Chocolate Mason Jar Ice CreamRecipe $0.88
- Ice Cream NachosRecipe $1.98
- Ice Cream Cone BrowniesRecipe $4.16 / Serving $0.35
❓ Recipe FAQs
If you'd like to swap out the sour cream in this banana bread bundt cake you can use plain unflavored Greek yogurt or even Chobani banana flavored yogurt for a stronger banana flavor.
This cake is good for up to a week if covered properly and stored at room temperature. Of course, if you like it as much as we do it's unlikely to survive the weekend.
Yes, this cake will freeze very well if left unglazed before freezing. Simply let the cake cool completely and then wrap well in plastic wrap and store in a container (if you have one large enough). Then thaw before glazing and serving. Can be frozen for up to 2 months.
🍽️ More Recipes You'll Love
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🐝 If you tried this Sour Cream Banana Pound Cake, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your buzz in the 💬 comments below. I'd truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Sour Cream Banana Pound Cake
Ingredients
Banana Pound Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened - ($1.98)
- 3 cups granulated sugar - ($1.08)
- 6 large eggs - ($0.90)
- 2 cup mashed ripe bananas, about 4 bananas - ($1.00)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract - ($0.06)
- 1 cup sour cream - ($1.00)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour - ($0.39)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda - ($0.01)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder - ($0.05)
- 1 teaspoon salt - ($0.01)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon - ($0.08)
Brown Sugar Glaze
- ¼ cup unsalted butter - ($0.50)
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed - ($0.22)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract - ($0.01)
- 2 tablespoons milk - ($0.01)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar - ($0.27)
- Chopped walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add bananas. Mix in the mashed bananas and vanilla extract until combined.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon.
- Finish batter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture alternately with the sour cream, mixing just until incorporated.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and bake for 75 to 85 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make glaze. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and cook until dissolved, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla extract and milk. Transfer to a bowl and beat in the powdered sugar until smooth.
- Glaze cake. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake and sprinkle with walnuts if using. Let set for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Pan size. Use a 12-cup Bundt pan to prevent overflow.
- Egg technique. Adding eggs one at a time helps incorporate air for proper pound cake texture.
- Add-ins. Up to ⅓ cup chopped walnuts can be mixed directly into the batter.
- Storage. Store covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. Freeze unglazed cake for up to 2 months.
Nutritional Information
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Elizabeth Durham says
Ugh I really had high hopes for this one. Idk if I just have a smaller than average Bundt pan, but the batter reached the almost top like your blog post states but mine did overflow while baking 🙁 I’m glad I went with my gut and placed a sheet pan under it. Or that would’ve been such a mess. I’m pretty sure the Bundt pan I have is a 6 cup size like the one you shared a listing of. Don’t know what went wrong.
Nicole Durham says
Oh no, I’m so sorry that happened! I totally understand your frustration—thank goodness you trusted your gut and used a sheet pan underneath. After seeing your comment, I looked into it and discovered that the original Amazon listing I linked to (which was a 12-cup bundt pan when I published this recipe 4 years ago) had since been swapped out for a 6-cup version without notice. 😣
Thanks to your detailed comment, I was able to track down the issue and have now updated all my bundt pan links to correctly reflect the 12-cup size. I’ve also added a clear note to the recipe card so it won’t catch anyone else off guard.
I truly appreciate you taking the time to share your experience, it helped me fix something I wouldn’t have caught otherwise. 💛
Melissa Huffman says
Have you made this in a normal cake pan? Any recommendations for temp or time for maybe 1-2 9x9 round pans? I don't have a bunt pant
Nicole says
I have not made it in round cake pans yet so I'm not 100% sure on the bake times but I would estimate that (2) 9x9 cake pans or (3) 8x8 cake pans would take 30-40 minutes to bake and that a large 9x13 baking dish may take closer to an hour. The baking temperature shouldn't change, its kept low heat so that the cake doesn't rise too high and stays dense and moist like banana bread. If you try any of these baking sizes, let me know how it goes!