Banana Pound Cake

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Banana pound cake is one of those fruit cake recipes that you really look forward to because it’s no ordinary pound cake! Actually, this is one of the best banana cake recipes I’ve tried. It’s one of those cake recipes that’ll make you forget all about regular ‘ole banana bread.

This cake is the ideal springtime dessert and when summer rolls around you can turn it into a perfectly yummy peach pound cake… or even a lemon pound cake. Or go with a scrumptious lemon cream cheese pound cake for a decadent treat. Try my classic old fashioned pound cake next!

Let’s bake this pound cake!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE

• Moist and dense
• Sweet delicious glaze
• Practically no fail
• Pound cake perfect

BANANA POUND CAKE INGREDIENTS

• Butter: All great cakes start with butter, especially pound cakes. I prefer to use unsalted butter in this one, and you’ll want it to be room temp.
• Sugar: I use unsalted butter.
• Eggs: I use large eggs. Be sure to bring them to room temperature before you begin.
• Flour: I use Gold Medal all-purpose flour.
• Salt: This is regular table salt, not Kosher or any other type of coarse salt. Salt enhances all the flavors in this cake.
• Baking Soda: This gives the cake some lift. You’ll notice that we don’t use baking powder. This is not an error.
• Sour Cream: Adding sour cream is a great way to keep your pound cake super moist without thinning out the batter and compromising its consistency. Plus, it tastes dreamy, creamy, awesome!
• Vanilla: I prefer pure vanilla extract over imitation.
• Bananas: We use very ripe mashed bananas in this cake recipe. Very ripe bananas produce the best banana flavor!
• Cream Cheese: I like regular, full-fat cream cheese for the best taste.
• Powdered Sugar: It’s best to sift before adding to the glaze.
• Milk: I use whole milk.

BANANA POUND CAKE TIPS

• How To Check Doneness: When a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the pound cake comes out with a few moist crumbs. Now that’s a little different than most cakes I make, which I suggest the skewer comes out clean.
  • Can I use a toothpick? I find that a toothpick is not long enough to check for doneness when checking bundt cakes.
  • Can I use a cake tester? You’d think that a cake tester would be the perfect tool for this job. Not in my book. I find that the slick surface of a cake tester (generally metal) isn’t as accurate as a wooden skewer.
• Coating The Pan: The pan I use has a great nonstick coating.  I also coat the bundt pan with nonstick baking spray, then flour it well, tapping out any excess flour. No sticking cakes here!
• Mixing: Be sure not to overmix the pound cake batter. Pound cakes are already dense, so you don’t want them to be tough.
• Pan Size: This is the pan I use. I like that it’s a generous 12-cup pan and it’s nonstick coated.
• Rimmed Baking Sheet: I haven’t had a problem with this overflowing from this pan, but to be safe, I use a rimmed baking sheet.
• Baking Time: It’s essential to ensure the cake is baked completely, but not overcooked. An under-baked pound cake won’t come out of the pan smoothly, and an over-baked cake will be dry. Check your cake religiously as the baking time winds down!
• Glaze: I like to make the glaze very thick, mixing in just enough liquid, so the thick glaze can slowly drizzle over the cake.

VARIATIONS

• Walnuts or Pecans: This cake is delicious with chopped walnuts or pecans added to the batter or sprinkled on top of the glaze.
• Chocolate Chips: These are delicious in this cake. I love banana and chocolate flavors together. Check out my banana chocolate chip cake! I’m working on a banana bundt cake recipe, so stay tuned!
• Make Cinnamon Glaze: Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the glaze below to switch things up!
• Caramel Sauce: Try this cake with a drizzle of caramel sauce!

STORING + FREEZING + MAKE-AHEAD

Your cake should be stored in the fridge after it is completely cooled and has been iced. Keep it wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.

• How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Your cake will stay fresh and yummy for up to a week in the fridge as long as it’s wrapped well, or stored in an airtight container and you start with fresh milk. Be sure your fridge is set at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
• Can You Freeze This? Absolutely! Your banana pound cake can be frozen for up to a month. Wrap it tightly in foil or plastic wrap before placing it in a freezer bag. Sometimes I like to freeze mine in individual slices.
  • Simply slow thaw it in the fridge overnight or let it thaw on the counter for a couple of hours. Single pieces only take about half an hour to thaw.
• Make-Ahead Tips: It’s always nice to have one of these in the freezer, ready to go! If I know I’m freezing it then I usually wait until the serving day to make the glaze.

HOW TO MAKE BANANA POUND CAKE RECIPE

This cake is set up to be an easy winner. All you have to do is grease your pan, mix your ingredients in stages, and toss them in the oven. You can mix up the glaze once your cake has cooled and you’re off to the races!

1. Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and add a few tablespoons of all-purpose flour to the pan. Shake it around to coat well, then tap out and discard any excess.
2. In a stand mixer, beat butter until it’s creamy.
3. Add sugar and beat at medium speed for 5-7 minutes, or until mixture is light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until the yolk disappears and is incorporated into the batter.
5. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, salt, and baking soda.
6. Add the butter mixture to the sour cream, alternating between them, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Beat batter on low just until blended after each addition.
7. With the mixer on low, stir in the vanilla and banana mash, and continue beating for about 1 minute. Using a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir the batter one last time to ensure the mixture is well combined.
8. Pour the batter into prepared pan, filling the pan only 3/4 full, and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 50 minutes, testing until a wooden skewer or cake tester, inserted into the center of the cake just comes out clean, with just a few crumbs. Cool pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes, then invert the bundt pan onto a plate, removing the cake from pan and cool completely.
9. Prepare the glaze by mixing cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl with a handheld mixer.
10. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time to get a thick pourable consistency.
11. Place glaze in a 1-quart resealable bag. Snip off one corner. Squeeze glaze over completely cooled cake.
12. Allow the glaze to set and serve.

*** See Full Instructions on Recipe Card Below

MORE POUND CAKE RECIPES

• Orange Pound Cake
• Brown Sugar Pound Cake
• Coconut Pound Cake
• Banana Pound Cake
• Lemon Pound Cake
• Million Dollar Pound Cake
• Pineapple Pound Cake
• Buttermilk Pound Cake

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Banana Pound Cake

Banana pound cake is an intensely delicious and totally crave-worthy warm weather dessert with an ultra-yummy cream cheese glaze that really sets it off!

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs

Servings: 12 servings

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

Cake:

• ▢ 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ▢ 3 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 6 large eggs, at room temperature
• ▢ 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra to coat the pan
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1/2 cup sour cream
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 cups mashed ripe bananas, about 4 medium

Glaze:

• ▢ 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ▢ 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons milk

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325ºF (163ºC). Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and add a few tablespoons of all-purpose flour to the pan, shake it around to coat well, then tap out and discard any excess.
• In the bowl of an electric stand-up mixer, beat butter (1 1/2 cups) until it's creamy. Add sugar (3 cups) and beat at medium speed for 5-7 minutes, or until the mixture is light and fluffy. (the exact time will depend on how soft the butter was when you started). Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until the yolk disappears and is incorporated into the batter.
• In a medium bowl, mix flour (3 cups), salt (1/2 teaspoon), and baking soda (1/2 teaspoon). Add to butter mixture, alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat batter on low just until blended after each addition.  
• With the mixer on low, stir in vanilla (1 tablespoon) and banana mash (2 cups) and continue to beat for about 1 minute. Using a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon, give the batter a final stir and make sure the mixture is well combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan, filling the pan only 3/4 full, and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 50 minutes, testing until a wooden skewer or cake tester, inserted into the center of the cake just comes out clean, with just a few crumbs.
• Cool the pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes, then invert the bundt pan onto a plate, remove the cake from the pan, and cool completely.
• Prepare the glaze by mixing cream cheese (4 ounces), powdered sugar (2 cups), and vanilla (1 teaspoon) in a medium bowl with a handheld mixer. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time to get a thick pourable consistency. Place the glaze in a 1-quart resealable bag. Snip off one corner. Squeeze glaze over completely cooled cake. Allow glaze to set and serve.

Fans Also Made:

• 
  Blueberry Pound Cake
• 
  Eggnog Pound Cake
• 
  Peach Bourbon Upside Down Cake
• 
  Strawberry Pound Cake

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Notes

1. How To Check Doneness: When a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the pound cake comes out with a few moist crumbs. Now that's a little different than most cakes I make, which I suggest the skewer comes out clean.
   • Can I use a toothpick? I find that a toothpick is not long enough to check for doneness when checking bundt cakes.
   • Can I use a cake tester? You'd think that a cake tester would be the perfect tool for this job. Not in my book. I find that the slick surface of a cake tester (generally metal) isn't as accurate as a wooden skewer.
2. Coating The Pan: The pan I use has a great nonstick coating.  I also coat the bundt pan with nonstick baking spray, then flour it well, tapping out any excess flour. No sticking cakes here!
3. Mixing: Be sure not to overmix the pound cake batter. Pound cakes are already dense, so you don’t want them to be tough.
4. Pan Size: This is the pan I use. I like that it's a generous 12-cup pan and it's nonstick coated.
5. Rimmed Baking Sheet: I haven't had a problem with this overflowing from this pan, but to be safe, I use a rimmed baking sheet.
6. Baking Time: It’s essential to ensure the cake is baked completely, but not overcooked. An under-baked pound cake won’t come out of the pan smoothly, and an over-baked cake will be dry. Check your cake religiously as the baking time winds down!
7. Glaze: I like to make the glaze very thick, mixing in just enough liquid, so the thick glaze can slowly drizzle over the cake.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/12 of the recipe | Calories: 728kcal | Carbohydrates: 104g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 185mg | Sodium: 227mg | Potassium: 247mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 75g | Vitamin A: 1104IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 2mg

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