Buttermilk Banana Bundt Cake

A fantastic banana cake, with buttermilk for a soft and tender, if dense, crumb. It's easy to make and very versatile. It can hold add-ins and be baked in different pans so there are lots of ways you can enjoy it!

Does anybody really buy bananas before they decide to make bread? For me, it's always the effect, never the cause.

Yet again, my basket was overflowing with too ripe bananas. In an attempt to change the incredibly good but kind of repetitive banana walnut muffin or muffin cream cake, I started looking for alternatives and ended with this simple cake.

It's simple but it's a great cake, you guys. Good, light-textured cake. No dense banana bread here. And drizzled with a luscious, sweet simple powdered sugar glaze.

The texture is perfectly moist with a definite banana flavor. Ideal for tea, a picnic, after-school snack, nibbling while working online or any other time of day. 

Main ingredients

• Bananas: always use very ripe bananas when baking. Why? They have much more flavor and the result is way better.
• Buttermilk: it gives the cake a lighter texture, but it's very easy to make at home. Details at the end of this post, in the recipe card. 
• Sugar: use regular granulated white (image below) or brown sugar. Both work perfectly well.

Preparing the pan

Bundt pans need extra care because cakes tend to stick more easily because of their intricate patterns. 

For this recipe, since I choose a pan that is fairly simple in its pattern (image below) I used with baking spray and then dusted it with fine breadcrumbs. You can also flour it. 

For a more intricate patterned bundt pan (like this lemon poppy seed cake) I take the time to butter it with soft butter (not melted!), flour, shake off excess, and pop it in the fridge while I make the batter. It never fails. 

Vintage Kitchen Tip

Simple glaze

I can't recommend enough using a simple powdered sugar glaze for bundt cakes. 

It's super easy to make, only 2 ingredients and very versatile: use any liquid you want, even oil. 

For this cake I kept it extra simple and used milk; that way the banana flavor will not be overpowered by any other. It is, after all, a banana bundt cake, isn't it?

Top tips

• Pan: make sure the pan is correctly prepared. 
• Ingredients at room t°: this is very important for achieving the best result you can. 
• Cooling down: let cool completely before glazing, otherwise it will not be thick as the heat will dissolve most of it. 
• Bananas: use very ripe bananas. They should be soft, brown is spots and mushy. You know, those you don't want to eat.

But if you only have under-ripe ones, you can roast them to achieve a similar result, something I discovered years ago and that resulted in this roasted banana bread post. 

How to roast bananas:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC.
2. Place unpeeled bananas on a baking tray and roast until the skin turns completely dark and the inside is slightly soft to the touch. about 20 minutes.
3. Let cool and mash.

Storing

This banana cake can be left at room t° for one or two days. 

After that, wrap and refrigerate for several more days. Take into account that the fridge dries up, so it will lose its softness after a few days. It will still be dense and with a good flavor though.

Freezing: this bundt cake freezes wonderfully. Wrap it well in plastic first and then in aluminum foil, or in a freezer-proof container. It keeps for a month. 

Vintage Kitchen Tip

Pan sizes

This is the type of recipe that can be made in different pans:

Sheet cake - bake it in an 8x11-inch cake pan and frost it with a cream cheese icing, like the one used for the coconut lemon sheet cake. 

Loaf cake - this banana bundt cake recipe will yield 2 medium loaf pans. 

I like a powdered sugar glaze now, but for years I used a chocolate bourbon glaze for this cake (image below). 

It's great for when you want a more powerful mix of flavors. Or a banana and chocolate dose.

Find ingredients and instructions look below, in the recipe card. I will add it as a bonus! 

Other recipes you might like:

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread
Banana Quinoa Chocolate Muffins (gluten-free)
Zucchini Pineapple Bread
Apple Walnut Loaf

I posted a Guide to Freezing Baked Goods & Dessert which might come in handy. We all prep and freeze savory food, but what about our sweet tooth? This post covers that.

Let me know if you make this recipe! I’d love to hear what you think about it. Thank you for being here, I appreciate it! Let’s connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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Buttermilk Banana Bundt Cake

★★★★★ 5 from 10 reviews

• Author: Paula Montenegro
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 45
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 12 servings 1x
• Category: Cakes
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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Ingredients

For the cake:

• 2 ½ cups (290g) all purpose flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup (180g) unsalted butter, at room tº
• 1 ½ cups (300g) sugar
• 3 eggs (room tº)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups (310cc) buttermilk (see below for substitutions)
• 2 cups (2 medium-large bananas) very ripe and mashed

For the white glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk

For the chocolate bourbon glaze (bonus):

• ⅓ cup (125cc) cream
• 4 oz (115g) bittersweet chocolate
• 1 tablespoon (30g) butter, at room tº
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons bourbon

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Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F/ 180º C Butter well and flour a large Bundt pan.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In a large bowl beat butter until creamy, 1 or 2 minutes. Add sugar gradually beating for 2 minutes.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and beating an additional 2 minutes after the last one is incorporated. Add vanilla extract.
5. Add dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk in two parts.
6. Add banana and mix just until no streaks of flour remain.
7. Pour into pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
8. Invert onto wire rack after about 10 minutes and let cool completely. If the cake at first resists, shake the pan up and down carefully, and invert again.
9. It keeps for one or two days at room temperature, covered.

For the white glaze:

1. Mix sugar and milk in a small bowl until creamy.
2. Drizzle over the cooled cake that has been put on a wire rack with a parchment paper underneath to catch any drips.

For the chocolate bourbon glaze:

1. Chop chocolate and put, together with cream, in a glass or stainless steel bowl over boiling water (bottom of bowl doesn't haveto touch water). When the chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth, add butter and mix well.
2. Remove from heat, add bourbon and let reach a cool consistency before drizzling on top of the cooled cake.

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Notes

Homemade Buttermilk: mix 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice (my favorite) or 1 tablespoon white vinegar. You can also use 1 tablespoon yogurt. Or substitute only milk in this recipe if that's all you have

Freezing: this bundt cake freezes wonderfully. Wrap it well in plastic first and then in aluminum foil, or in a freezer-proof container. It keeps for a month. 

Keywords: banana bundt, banana cake

 

Paula Montenegro

I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe finder, sharing the best ones on this blog, with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.