This 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.
We love banana bread and cakes around here and making this banana pound cake has been a great way to use up ripe bananas without making the typical banana bread recipes you'd expect. I must say this is probably my one of my most favorite ripe banana recipes that I've ever made.
My daughter says it's her new favorite dessert and she wants it for her birthday (which is still several months away haha). Together she and I have finished off most of this bundt cake to ourselves, but can you blame us? It's soooo good!
If you want a "fancier" banana cake recipe then make sure to check out my Southern Banana Pudding Cake.
Why This Recipe Works
- It tastes great for DAYS. This banana bundt cake is rich, buttery in texture and so moist that even days later it still tastes fresh and incredible.
- It's a good way to use up bananas. You can either use up bananas making banana bread, or you can turn them into a cake. Everyone should eat cake.
- It's really easy to make. Despite the long baking time, this cake is very easy to make and assemble, which is just one of the many reasons why it makes a repeat visit to our home.
🥘 Ingredients
For the Banana Pound Cake, you will need:
Granulated sugar- You will need some granulated sugar to make this cake sweet and tender.
Butter-This will give the cake some necessary fats to stay moist.
Eggs- Use some eggs to help bind the cake together so it doesn't turn out too crumbly.
Ripe bananas- You will need some ripe spotted bananas to make this cake well flavored and sweeter.
Vanilla extract- You will need some vanilla extract to help with the flavor enhancement.
All-purpose flour- This is the structural base of the recipe.
Leavening agents- You will need both baking soda and baking powder to help this cake puff up and rise as it bakes, creating a nice crumb consistency.
Salt- This is a natural flavor enhancer.
Cinnamon- Using ground cinnamon will give us a nice "banana bread flavor" throughout the cake.
Sour cream- Adding sour cream will help to make the cake taste smooth like velvet as it bakes. It's such a game changer!
For the Banana Cake Glaze, you will need:
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Milk
- Vanilla extract- You will need some vanilla extract to help with the flavor enhancement.
- Powdered sugar
- Walnuts *Optional
For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
BeeyondCereal is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.
🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make banana pound cake with these simple step-by-step instructions:
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
Add your dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
Whisk together to combine. Set aside.
Add your butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl. An extra-large mixing bowl is preferred.
Cream them together until light and fluffy.
Add in the eggs, one at a time.
Beat well after each addition.
Add in the mashed bananas and the vanilla.
Stir again. Add in half of the sour cream into the batter and mix.
Add in half of the flour mixture and mix again.
Stir in the last of the sour cream.
Mix in the last of the flour mixture, stirring until combined. Set aside.
Grease and flour a bundt pan.
Pour the mixture into your prepared bundt pan.
Bake for 75 minutes to 85 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and come out clean.
Let cake cool 10 minutes in the pan before flipping onto a wire rack and cooling completely. Once cooled, top with glaze.
Add butter to a saucepan.
How to make banana cake glaze
Melt over medium-low heat.
Add in the brown sugar. Stir until the brown sugar is dissolved (about 3-5 minutes).
Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla and milk.
Whisk until smooth and combined.
Immediately pour the mixture into a mixing bowl. Add in the powdered sugar.
Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
Pour over the cake quickly as it will set fast and top with walnuts if desired.
Allow about 10-15 minutes to set before slicing and serving.
🍴 Recipe Tips
This banana pound cake recipe is easy to make but does require a lot of little steps such as beating the eggs one at a time. This is to help get the air into the cake and fluff it up for the perfect texture as it bakes.
If desired you can add chopped walnuts into the batter. I wouldn't do more than ⅓ cup of nuts though as this will already have your bundt pan pretty full.
As you pour the batter into the cake pan you'll notice that the batter almost reaches the top. Thanks to the lower cooking temp we don't have to worry about the cake rising up and overflowing.
💭 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 great cake recipes to try soon
- Red White and Blue Poke Cake
- Chocolate Pistachio Bundt Cake
- Easy DIY Among Us Sheet Cake
- Peaches and Cream Bundt Cake
📖 Recipe
Banana Pound Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze
Ingredients
Banana Pound Cake
- 3 cups Granulated sugar ($0.66)
- 1 cup Butter, softened ($1.50)
- 6 large Eggs ($0.48)
- 2 cup Banana, mashed (about 4) ($1.00)
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract ($0.04)
- 3 cups All purpose flour ($0.24)
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda ($0.01)
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder ($0.02)
- 1 teaspoon Salt ($0.10)
- 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon ($0.10)
- 1 cup Sour cream ($0.80)
Brown Sugar Glaze
- ¼ cup Butter ($0.38)
- ½ cup Brown Sugar, packed ($0.18)
- 2 Tablespoons Milk ($0.01)
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract ($0.01)
- ¾ cup Powdered sugar ($0.17)
- Walnuts for garnish *optional
Instructions
How to make banana pound cake
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour bundt pan. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until fluffy and light.
- Add in the eggs 1 at time, beating after each.
- Stir in the mashed bananas and vanilla.
- In another bowl, combine dry ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet alternatingly with sour cream.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan.
- Bake for 75-85 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and come out clean.
- Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes before flipping onto a wire cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
How to make brown sugar glaze
- Melt the butter in a saucepan and add in the brown sugar. Stir until the brown sugar is dissolved (about 3-5 minutes).
- Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Whisk in the vanilla and milk.
- Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl and beat in the powdered sugar with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Pour over the cake quickly as it will set fast and top with walnuts if desired.
- Allow about 10-15 minutes to set before slicing and serving.
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!