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!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Banana Pound Cake, Banana Pound Cake Recipe, How Do I Make Banana Pound Cake, How To Make Banana Pound Cake

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 2

Servings servings

Calories 728kcal

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.

Notes

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.

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