banana bundt cake with slice

About My Best Banana Bundt Cake

My best banana bundt cake recipe makes a super moist bundt cake that is full of banana flavor! The banana bundt cake uses both brown sugar and sour cream for moisture and flavor. The brown sugar gives the cake butterscotch flavors, while the sour cream provides a wonderful, contrasting tang. To top it all off, the banana bundt cake is drizzled with a subtle salty honey glaze!

banana bundt cake recipe

Why You Should Make The Recipe

Here are all the reasons to make my best banana bundt cake:

The recipe uses a ton of leftover, overly ripe bananas.

If you need a way to quickly use up a ton of leftover, over-ripened bananas, my best banana bundt cake recipe is for you! Why? It uses a whopping 14 ounces (397 grams) of bananas. That’s around 1 ¾ cups mashed bananas, from around 3 large bananas or 4 medium ones!

The recipe uses ingredients that are easily substitutable with others, making it infinitely customizable.

Definitely check out the Ingredients and Substitutions section below! I provide a ton of helpful ingredient substitutions—like swapping the brown sugar in the cake with white sugar, or the sour cream with another kind of dairy—to help you customize the cake. Additionally, I teach you how to swap out the honey glaze with a vanilla or maple one, and how to add chocolate and nuts for more personality. The possibilities are endless!

My best banana bundt cake recipe stores well and stays fresh for days.

Because this banana bundt cake is PACKED with bananas, brown sugar, and sour cream, it stays fresh and moist for DAYS. In fact, I’d even argue that this banana bundt cake tastes better on the next day. Its banana and brown sugar flavors intensify, making an extra flavorful cake!

close up of sliced banana bundt cake

Ingredients and Substitutions

Now that I’ve convinced you to make my best banana bundt cake, here’s your shopping list for the recipe:

Shopping List for My Best Banana Bundt Cake

  • all-purpose flour
  • baking soda
  • kosher salt
  • unsalted butter
  • light OR dark brown sugar
  • large eggs
  • pure vanilla extract
  • VERY ripe bananas
  • sour cream
  • confectioners’ sugar
  • honey
  • whole milk

And let’s talk about some key ingredients and their potential substitutions:

Sour Cream

You need 1 cup sour cream to make my best banana bundt cake recipe.

I don’t have sour cream. What can I use instead of sour cream in my best banana bundt cake recipe?

Yogurt: Sour cream can be substituted with plain, unsweetened full-fat regular OR Greek yogurt. AVOID using flavored yogurt since these have added sugars and artificial flavors that will affect the flavor and texture of your cake. Finally, plain unsweetened yogurt is MORE acidic than sour cream. Substituting sour cream with yogurt in this recipe results in a tangier cake.

Crème Fraîche: Sour cream can be substituted with crème fraîche. However, note that crème fraîche is LESS acidic than sour cream. That means that your banana bundt cake will be less tangy than if you’d used sour cream.

Other Creamy Dairy Products: According to this New York Times article about recipe substitutions, sour cream can also be substituted with mascarpone, Neufchâtel, Quark, and more. However, I’ve never tried their recommendations myself. I can only vouch for crème fraîche and yogurt.

Brown Sugar

You need 2 cups light OR dark brown sugar to make my best banana bundt cake recipe.

Light versus Dark Brown Sugar

Brown sugar is granulated white sugar with a touch of molasses to give it its signature color and flavor. Because brown sugar contains molasses, it adds more moisture baked goods than granulated sugar otherwise would.

Brown sugar is available in two varieties: light or dark. Dark brown sugar is my personal preference; because it contains more molasses, I find it to be more flavorful. However, you can use either in my best banana bundt cake recipe without altering its flavor too much.

Can I use white sugar instead of brown sugar in my best banana bundt cake recipe?

Yes! In a pinch, you can use granulated sugar in my best banana bundt cake recipe. It’ll still be plenty tasty, but your banana bundt cake will likely taste less nuanced than mine. Brown sugar gives the banana bundt cake the its signature butterscotch and caramel flavors (both of which work wonderfully with the honey glaze).

Can I use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar in my best banana bundt cake recipe?

Yes! Coconut sugar works in place of brown sugar in my best banana bundt cake recipe. Coconut sugar also gives the banana bundt cake subtle delicious, tropical flavors that work wonderfully with the honey glaze.

Bananas

You need 14 ounces (or 397 grams) very ripe mashed bananas to make my best banana bundt cake recipe.

This recipe works best if you use incredibly ripe, spotted, and almost black bananas. How ripe should bananas be for banana bread? VERY ripe. Like “leaving them on the counter for another day is a bad idea because it would attract too many fruit flies” ripe.

Can I make banana bundt cake with yellow bananas?

Technically, yes, you can. But I guarantee you that the resulting banana bunt cake won’t be as moist as flavorful as the one that would have been if you’d used spotted black bananas. Why? As bananas naturally ripen, the fruit inside becomes more sugary and flavorful. Yellow bananas are still pretty starchy and don’t contain as much natural sugars and flavors.

Can I make my best banana bundt cake with frozen bananas?

Yes, yes you can make banana bread with frozen bananas! In fact, I even encourage you to do so. I love freezing overripe bananas for future baking projects. I put the bananas, skin and all, in a gallon-size zip top bag and freeze them. In the freezer, the peel turns entirely black (don’t panic, this is normal!). It then leeches oil into the fruit to make the bananas more flavorful.

When I want to use the frozen bananas in a recipe, I transfer them to the fridge, still in their bag, and thaw them overnight. Alternatively, if it’s a hot day, I thaw them on the counter at room temperature for a few hours on a plate. The plate is important—as the bananas thaw, they’ll release a large amount of liquid. Don’t throw it out! Simply dump the fruit and its liquid into a bowl. Whisk them together before using in the recipe as directed. That banana juice is actually the secret to the making the very best and crazy moist banana bread.

Honey

You need 1 and ½ Tablespoons honey to make the glaze for my best banana bundt cake recipe.

The Best Honey For My Best Banana Bundt Cake Recipe

For this banana bundt cake, I recommend using your favorite liquid honey (not powdered honey, honey granules, or whatever else). My favorite honey is local to my hometown of Portland, Oregon: Jacobsen Co. Honey. But feel free to use whatever you have on hand—it’ll taste great, I promise!

I don’t have honey. What can I use instead?

If you don’t have honey for the honey glaze, don’t panic! You have a lot of alternatives. You can skip the honey completely and replace it with the same amount of milk. I would add a ¼ teaspoon of vanilla, too—et voila! You just made a vanilla glaze.

But if you want something more exciting, you can also replace the honey with the same amount of maple syrup. Doing so will make a maple-flavored glaze. I know that seems obvious, but you should see some of the baking questions I get.

banana bundt cake recipe

How To Make The Recipe

Here are all the basic steps to make banana bundt cake from scratch:

First, make the banana bundt cake.

  1. First, prep the ingredients. (Prep Time: 5 to 10 minutes)
    Luckily, prepping the ingredients for the banana bundt cake is a breeze. Simply measure out your ingredients and make sure they’re all at the right temperatures—that’s it! Doing so should take around 5 minutes.

    If you’re using bananas that aren’t as ripe as they should be (see the Recipe Tips below), I recommend mashing them first. Mashing the bananas will add another 5 minutes to the Prep Time.

  2. Make the cake batter. (Work Time: 10 minutes)
    The banana bundt cake batter comes together fairly quickly. First, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the two eggs, one at a time. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla in two parts, then add the bananas. The batter will look a little curdled once the bananas are added, but that’s totally normal, I promise! Once you’ve added the bananas, that’s it!

  3. Prep the bundt pan for baking. (Work Time: <5 minutes)
    Most cake recipes instruct you to prep their baking pans first. However, it’s better to grease a bundt pan right before filling with batter. That’s because bundt pans require a LOT more grease than traditional cake pans. And all that grease has a tendency to slide down the sides of the pan and pool at the bottom. But by greasing the bundt pan immediately before filling it, you avoid that issue entirely!

Next, cool the bundt cake.

  1. Bake the cake. (Bake Time: 65 to 75 minutes)
    The banana bundt cake needs approximately 1 hour and 5 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes in the oven. However, pay attention to my baker’s note below! If you’re using extremely ripe bananas, it’s possible that you need to bake it for 10 to 15 minutes longer than what’s listed in the recipe.

  2. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes. (Cool Time: 10 minutes)
    Set the timer, too! When I say 10 minutes, I *mean* 10 minutes. You need to turn out the bundt cake while the cake is still warm. If you wait until the cake has cooled completely to do so, there’s a good chance that the cake will get stuck in the bundt pan!

  3. Turn out the cake to cool completely. (Cool Time: 1 to 2 hours)
    After 10 minutes, place a serving plate or a second wire rack over the bottom of the bundt cake. Flip the cake to turn it out of its pan while the cake is still warm. Cool completely before glazing. If you glaze the cake while it’s still warm, it will melt and slide right off the cake!

Finally, glaze the bundt cake.

  1. Prep the ingredients for the honey glaze. (Prep Time: 5 minutes)
    Similarly, prepping the ingredients for the honey glaze goes by quickly. Simply sift the confectioners’ sugar, and measure out the honey, milk, and salt needed for the glaze.

  2. Make the honey glaze and glaze the cake. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
    Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, honey, milk, and salt until smooth. The glaze should be thick but still liquidy, similar to the consistency of Elmer’s glue. You should be able to dip a spoon into the glaze and drizzle the glaze from the spoon in slow, syrupy ribbons. If the glaze is too thick, add 1 teaspoon of milk at a time until you reach the perfect consistency. But don’t go overboard! Glaze that’s too loose and liquidy will slide right off the cake.
close up of banana bundt cake slices

Best Bundt Cake Baking Techniques

Although most bundt cake recipes come together fairly easily, the hardest part is actually this: getting the cake out of the freakin’ pan. The more elaborate the pan (I’m looking at you, Nordic Ware Jubilee Bundt pan), the worse the problem. Am I right? If you agree, check out my tips below on how to troubleshoot stuck bundt cakes:

How to Grease A Bundt Cake Pan To Prevent Sticking

First things first—greasing your pan properly will prevent your bundt cake from sticking, period.

1. Use the right kind of bundt pan.

Look for a bundt pan whose interior is coated with a non-stick surface. If you’re not confident in your bundt cake making abilities yet, stick with a bundt pan design that doesn’t have as many nooks, crannies, and sharp edges. All those sharp edges will make it harder to grease and turn out the cake. I recommend this Nordic Ware bundt pan for beginners. Side note—Nordic Ware is credited with inventing the bundt pan as we know it! You can learn more about its history in this awesome Food52 article. Very cool.

2. Use lots of cooking spray. Like, an uncomfortable amount.

To prevent a bundt cake from getting stuck in its pan, you need to use a LOT of cooking spray. And when I say a lot, I *mean* A LOT. When done prepping the pan, you are going to be uncomfortable with the amount of cooking spray in the pan.

3. Use the right kind of cooking spray, too.

And when it comes to greasing bundt cake pans, not all cooking sprays are created equal. Butter, coconut oil, and shortening based cooking sprays don’t work as well. Stick with fats that are liquid at room temperature. Think: canola oil, vegetable oil, and so on.

Some folks swear by cooking sprays like Baker’s Joy or Pam for Baking. These are cooking sprays that also have flour. However, I’ve found that these sprays leave the exterior of my bundt cakes mottled and patchy-looking. But if these flour-based sprays are what has worked for you in the past, go for it! Don’t fix what ain’t broke, lol.

Others use a homemade pan release “goop”. These goops are made with equal parts melted shortening, oil, and flour. Instead of spraying the pan with cooking spray, bakers use a pastry brush to brush the goop on. I’ve tried this method in the past, but found it didn’t work any better than my cooking sprays. I’d rather skip the extra step and effort of making pan release goop and stick with my cooking spray. But again—if this is what has worked for you in the past, stick with it!

4. Only grease the pan right before filling it with batter.

Most cake recipes instruct you to grease the baking pans in the first step of the recipe. After greasing the pans, the recipe instructs you to then make the cake batter. While this method works for almost every other cake recipe, it won’t work for a bundt cake.

A good bundt cake recipe will instruct you to grease the pan right before filling it. Why? Like I said above—you will need to grease your bundt pan with a LOT of cooking spray. So much that, if the pan sits for any more than a few seconds, all that cooking spray will slide down the pan’s sides and create big pools of oil at the bottom of the pan. Not only is this gross, but it also increases the likelihood of your cake getting stuck in the pan since all that oil is no longer coating the pan’s sides.

5. Turn out the bundt cake while it’s still warm.

Both King Arthur Flour and Nordic Ware recommend cooling the your bundt cake for only 10 minutes before turning it out. And it’s true—a warm cake is easier to turn out than one that’s cooled completely. If you want to be EXTRA cautious, cool the cake right side up (with its bottom facing upwards) for 5 minutes. Then, invert the cake and cool it upside down (with its bottom facing downwards) for another 5. However, I didn’t find that step was necessary for this banana bundt cake recipe.

How to Get A Stuck Bundt Cake Out of The Bundt Pan

Uh-oh. You followed my tips above but still ended up with a bundt cake that’s stuck in its pan. Don’t panic! Instead, try the following tricks below to unstick the cake:

1. First, unstick the edges of the cake with a flexible offset spatula and give it a few jiggles.

Use a flexible offset spatula (one whose blade is made out of plastic or silicone, NOT metal) and run it around the edges of the pan and its center tube. Note that doing so only works for more “forgiving” bundt cake pan designs like the one I recommended for beginners. If you used a more elaborate pan with sharp edges and lots of nooks and crannies, you might accidentally ruin its design!

Nordic Ware also recommends (gently) shaking the cake in its pan side to side a few times in all directions. Doing so helps release the surface of the cake from its pan. You can also use a wooden spoon to tap the top and sides of the inverted cake to help release it.

2. Steam the cake.

Both King Arthur Flour and The Kitchn recommend “steaming” the stuck cake out of its pan. In theory, the steam helps release and loosen the cake. King Arthur Flour recommends filling your kitchen sink up with very warm and steaming water and setting the cake in it for 15 minutesThe Kitchn, on the other hand, recommends placing a damp, steaming hot towel on top of the pan. I can only personally vouch for King Arthur Flour’s method (it’s the only one I’ve tried). Frankly, I’m too worried that The Kitchn‘s recommended way would make my cake soggy!

3. Freeze the cake.

If the steaming trick didn’t work, don’t worry—I still have one more trick up my sleeve. Wait until the bundt cake has cooled completely to room temperature. Then, freeze the cake uncovered for 1 to 2 hours, then try to invert it again. In theory, freezing the cake will help release the cake from its greased sides and prevent you from damaging its design when you try and invert it. However, don’t try this trick if you used butter, coconut oil, or shortening (which I recommended against, remember?) to grease your pan. Freezing solidifies those fats and will cause the cake to stick in the pan even more!

Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ

FAQ: Questions About Baking Equipment For The Recipe

What type of bundt pan did you use?

I used this Nordic Ware Elegant Party Bundt pan. It’s pretty, but I’m not sure I recommend it. I tried making this Kentucky Bourbon Butter Cake recipe in the pan FOUR times—it got stuck in the pan every. single. time!  Even despite following all my tips and techniques above! I really don’t know why. I suspect that the pan is too small, even despite its claims of being a 10-cup capacity pan. 

Luckily, this banana bundt cake recipe has never gotten stuck in the pan (I’ve made it twice in the pan). But still. I’m hesitant to recommend it to y’all.

Can I bake this recipe in a 12-cup capacity bundt pan instead?

Yes! You can bake this banana bundt cake recipe in a 12-cup capacity bundt pan. However, let me warn you now—according to this King Arthur Flour blog post, small bundt cakes baked in large pans have a tendency to stick to the pan more. Be sure to check out my tips above and in the next section on how to unstick a stuck bundt cake.

I don’t have a bundt pan. Can I bake this recipe in another kind of cake pan?

Yes, with reservations. In a pinch, a 9- or 10-inch tube pan (like the one you need for angel food cake recipes) works. Just note that these tube pans are designed to carry around 12 to 16 cups worth of batter. Like I said above, small bundt cakes baked in large pans have a tendency to get stuck in the pan more—so watch out!

I’ve also seen old articles where Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray “fake” a bundt pan. They place a tall, greased glass jar in the center of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan and pour the batter around the jar. However, because I haven’t tried this method myself, I can’t guarantee the results. So please report back in the comments if you do!

FAQ: Troubleshooting Unexpected Results

Help! My banana bundt cake got stuck in the pan. What did I do wrong?

Okay, first things first: did you check out my tips above on how to grease your pan? If not, scroll up, give it a quick skim, and come back so we can chat about it.

Now that you’ve read my tips, let’s chat about why your cake got stuck:

Reason #1: You used a butter, coconut oil, or shortening-based cooking spray.

Did you use a cooking spray that was butter, coconut oil, or shortening-based? I wrote above that those cooking sprays don’t work as well as cooking sprays made out of liquid oils like canola or vegetable.

Reason #2: There was something wrong with your bundt pan.

Second, let’s talk about your bundt pan. I also discussed the importance of using a nonstick bundt pan up top. But nonstick pans with scratched up surfaces don’t work as well as newer ones with smooth surfaces. Furthermore, if you don’t clean and maintain your nonstick pans properly, they have a tendency to accumulate grime and residue that can act like glue. Gross, right?

So the next time you make a bundt cake, test your bundt pan for grime. What does that mean? Run your fingers through all its nooks and crannies. If your pan is perfectly clean, your fingers should have no whatsoever. If they come off feeling (even just a little bit) greasy, wash your pan (preferably with a liquid grease dissolver like Dawn Dish Power Dissolver) and dry it thoroughly before using it in a bundt cake recipe.

Finally, bundt pan size matters. This banana bundt cake recipe makes about 10-cups of batter, perfect for a 10-cup capacity bundt pan. Baking the cake in a bundt pan with a smaller OR larger capacity will make it more likely for the cake to get stuck in its pan.

Help! My banana bundt cake is stuck in the pan. What can I do to get it out?

Uh-oh! Don’t panic. Instead, scroll up top to the section titled “How to Get A Stuck Bundt Cake Out of The Bundt Pan”. Alternatively, do a page search (hit the “Command” and “F” keys at the same time on a Mac, or “Ctrl” and “F” keys on a PC) for that phrase. I provide three tips on how to unstick stuck bundt pans!

FAQ: Customizing My Best Banana Bundt Cake Recipe

Can I add chocolate chips to this banana bundt cake recipe?

Yes! You can add up to 2 cups (12 ounces or 340 grams) chocolate chips to this banana bundt cake recipe. You may need to add 5 to 10 minutes extra to the recipe’s original Bake Time.

Can I add nuts to this banana bundt cake recipe?

Yes! Similarly, you can add up to 2 cups roughly chopped nuts (whatever kind you like works here—I recommend walnuts!) to this banana bundt cake recipe. I recommend toasting the nuts beforehand for extra flavor. You can learn more about why toasting nuts makes baked good taste better in this elevated Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.

Can I add both chocolate chips AND nuts to this banana bundt cake recipe?

Yes! I recommend using 1 cup chocolate chips, and 1 cup chopped nuts of your choice.

FAQ: Storing The Cake

How to Store My Best Banana Bundt Cake Recipe

Store the banana bundt cake, under a cake dome or a large bowl turned upside down, for up to 3 days at room temperature. After that, tightly wrap any leftover slices in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 more days.

Can you freeze banana bundt cake?

Yes, with reservations. You can freeze the banana bundt cake after it’s been baked, but before glazing it. Tightly wrap the entire cake in two layers of plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and then for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature before glazing and serving.

Best Recipe Tips

Best Equipment Tip

  • The recipe for the honey glaze instructs you to use 1 ½ Tablespoons of both honey and whole milk. Most measuring spoon sets only come with four measures: ¼-teaspoon, ½-teaspoon, 1-teaspoon, and 1 Tablespoon. You can buy a 1 ½-Tablespoon measuring spoon online by itself. But no worries! If you don’t own one and/or don’t want to invest in one, 1 ½ Tablespoons is also equivalent to 4 ½ teaspoons.

Best Ingredient Tips

  • Bananas are listed in the recipe by weight, not volume or size. Why? It’s risky not to include exact measures for banana bread. Too little banana, and your banana bread will turn out dry, flavorless, and maybe even soapy tasting. Banana’s natural acidity helps neutralize the baking soda in the recipe, so without enough fruit, the banana bread will taste like baking soda! But go the other way and use too much banana, your bread will take forever to bake or collapse in the center. For best results, first peel the bananas, then use a digital scale to weigh the naked fruit. But for those of you who insist on volume measurements, use 1 ¾ cups mashed bananas (from around 3 large bananas or 4 medium ones).

  • This recipe works best if you use incredibly ripe, spotted, and almost black bananas. The unpeeled bananas should feel soft to the touch and give easily when gently pressed. That means that they’ll mash easily in the stand mixer. If the bananas feel firm, you may need to mash them before using them in the recipe. Set the bananas on a firm surface and use the twines of a fork to press down on the fruit until mashed.

Best Baking Tip

  • The Bake Time for this recipe is listed at a range between 65 to 75 minutes. That being said, if you’re using extremely ripe bananas, you’ll likely need to bake it for 10 to 15 minutes longer than what’s listed in the recipe. The same goes for bananas that were frozen, then thawed for use in the recipe. Extremely ripe and previously frozen bananas contain more moisture and will need longer to cook in the oven.

    The best way to test for doneness is to use a wooden skewer and stick it in the center of the cake, between the bundt pan middle and its sides. The skewer should come out with few crumbs. If you find that the skewer is plenty wet with batter but the top of the cake looks too browned, don’t panic! Simply cover the top of the cake with a loose sheet of aluminum foil. This will help prevent the top of the cake from browning further.

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My best banana bundt cake recipe makes a super moist banana bundt cake filled with brown sugar, banana, and sour cream flavors!
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Ingredients

For the Banana Bundt Cake

  • 3 cups (13.5 ounces or 383 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup (8 ounces or 227 grams) sour cream, at room temperature
  • 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces or 227 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups tightly packed (15 ounces or 425 grams) light OR dark brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 14 ounces (or 397 grams) very ripe peeled bananas (see baker's notes for cup measures)

For the Honey Glaze

  • 1 ½ cup (6 ounces or 170 grams) confectioners' sugar, sifted
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons honey
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons whole milk
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Equipment

  • a 10-cup capacity bundt pan
  • cooking spray
  • a 1 ½-Tablespoon measuring spoon

Instructions
 

For My Best Banana Bundt Cake

  • First, make the banana bundt cake. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
  • Mix the dry ingredients, then the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream and the vanilla.
  • Cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar. Beat on medium-high until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, 3 to 5 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. Reduce the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time, adding the next egg only after the previous one has been fully incorporated, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition.
  • Add the dry and wet ingredients, then the bananas. With the mixer still on low, add the the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the wet ingredients in two parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat until just combined, then scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, then beat on low for an additional 30 seconds. Add the bananas a handful at a time and beat until broken into pieces and distributed evenly throughout the batter, about 1 minute. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, and beat on low for an additional 30 seconds.
  • Prep and fill the bundt pan. Generously spray a 10-cup capacity bundt pan with cooking spray. Immediately pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Set the filled bundt pan on the sheet pan.
  • Bake the bundt cake. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
  • Cool the bundt cake. After 10 minutes, place a serving plate or second wire rack over the bundt cake and flip the cake to turn it out of its pan. Cool completely before glazing.
  • Make the honey glaze. Once the cake is cool, make the honey glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, honey, milk, and salt for the glaze until smooth. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake and use an offset spatula to spread it into a thin layer on top of the cake. Let any excess glaze drip off and transfer to a wire rack to dry for 1 to 2 hours.
  • Serve and store. Serve at room temperature. The assembled banana bundt cake can be stored at room temperature, under a cake dome or a large bowl turned upside down, for up to 3 days. Press a sheet of plastic wrap against any cut surfaces to prevent the cake from drying out.

Notes

  • The recipe for the honey glaze instructs you to use 1 ½ Tablespoons of both honey and whole milk. Most measuring spoon sets only come with four measures: ¼-teaspoon, ½-teaspoon, 1-teaspoon, and 1 Tablespoon. You can buy a 1 ½-Tablespoon measuring spoon online by itself. But no worries! If you don’t own one and/or don’t want to invest in one, 1 ½ Tablespoons is also equivalent to 4 ½ teaspoons.
  • Bananas are listed in the recipe by weight, not volume or size. Why? It’s risky not to include exact measures for banana bread. Too little banana, and your banana bread will turn out dry, flavorless, and maybe even soapy tasting. Banana’s natural acidity helps neutralize the baking soda in the recipe, so without enough fruit, the banana bread will taste like baking soda! But go the other way and use too much banana, your bread will take forever to bake or collapse in the center. For best results, first peel the bananas, then use a digital scale to weigh the naked fruit. But for those of you who insist on volume measurements, use 1 ¾ cups mashed bananas (from around 3 large bananas or 4 medium ones).
  • This recipe works best if you use incredibly ripe, spotted, and almost black bananas. The unpeeled bananas should feel soft to the touch and give easily when gently pressed. That means that they’ll mash easily in the stand mixer. If the bananas feel firm, you may need to mash them before using them in the recipe. Set the bananas on a firm surface and use the twines of a fork to press down on the fruit until mashed.
  • The Bake Time for this recipe is listed at a range between 65 to 75 minutes. That being said, if you’re using extremely ripe bananas, you’ll likely need to bake it for 10 to 15 minutes longer than what’s listed in the recipe. The same goes for bananas that were frozen, then thawed for use in the recipe. Extremely ripe and previously frozen bananas contain more moisture and will need longer to cook in the oven. The best way to test for doneness is to use a wooden skewer and stick it in the center of the cake, between the bundt pan middle and its sides. The skewer should come out with few crumbs. If you find that the skewer is plenty wet with batter but the top of the cake looks too browned, don’t panic! Simply cover the top of the cake with a loose sheet of aluminum foil. This will help prevent the top of the cake from browning further.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule

Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.

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