Banana Bundt Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

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This banana bundt cake strikes the perfect balance between sweet, caramelly, and fruity flavors. Every bite of this moist cake is coated in a homemade brown butter glaze making it a dessert that is truly unforgettable.

Banana bundt cake with powdered sugar glaze poured over the top and with bananas and a fork in the background.

Did you accidentally overbuy bananas again?

I’ve been there!

The kids always swear they will eat them, but in reality, that bunch of bananas has been ignored for a few days too long.

Never fear! This moist and delicious banana bundt cake recipe has come to save the day!

Close up image of moist banana cake slice on cake server

Still need more recipes to use up bananas? Whip up a batch of these delicious double chocolate chip banana muffins and these banana blueberry oatmeal breakfast cookies. Or try this banana pudding cookie recipe.

The lighter, more elegant, and slightly sweeter cousin of banana bread, this banana cake is the perfect treat to serve at your next formal dinner or tea party!

Table of Contents

Ingredients And Possible Substitutions

This section includes ingredient notes and substitution options. Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

Ingredients on countertop: Greek yogurt, milk, baking powder, baking soda, salted butter, granulated sugar, 4 eggs, brown sugar, mashed banana, and all purpose flour.

All-Purpose Flour—Your favorite gluten-free flour blend or whole wheat flour would also work well.
Mashed Bananas—The riper, the sweeter and the sweeter, the more flavorful!
Sugars—A mixture of white and brown sugar adds a light caramelly flavor.
Greek Yogurt—Keeps your cake from drying out in the oven. Sour cream would also work in a pinch.
Salted Butter—Adds a rich, decadent flavor. Coconut oil would be the best substitute here.
Eggs—Help to hold all your other ingredients together. They also create a lovely spongy texture in your finished cake.
Whole Milk—Adds richness and smooths out your cake batter. You can substitue with any other cow’s milk or plant-based milk.
Leaveners— A combination of baking soda and baking powder gives this homemade banana cake the perfect rise.
Brown Butter Glaze—A heavenly mixture of browned butter, whole milk, and powdered sugar.

How to Make the Best Banana Bundt Cake

This section shows you how to make the recipe with step-by-step photos and instructions. For the full printable recipe, see the recipe card below.

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, beat together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter until light and smooth.

large glass mixing bowl with brown sugar, granulated sugar, and butter.

Step 2: Add your eggs, milk, yogurt, and bananas. Mix until all the ingredients are well incorporated.

Greek yogurt, mashed bananas, and eggs added to the mixing bowl.

Step 3: Gently stir in your baking soda, baking powder, and all-purpose flour. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom of your mixing bowl, ensuring that no pockets of flour are left behind.

Dry ingredients added to large mixing bowl.

Step 4: Pour the batter into a prepared 10” bundt pan.

Step 5: Bake your banana cake until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out clean. Allow your cake to cool slightly before removing it from the pan.

golden brown homemade banana cake in bundt pan

Step 6: While your cake is cooling, brown some butter in a small saucepan. When the butter is golden brown, remove from the heat and whisk in confectioners sugar and milk. Top your cooled banana cake with the brown sugar glaze, serve, and enjoy!

Banana Bundt Cake with brown sugar glaze poured over the top and dripping down the sides.

How to Store Leftover Banana Brown Sugar Bundt Cake

Leftover banana bundt cake will stay good in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. For best results freeze before glazing the cake.

Slice of glazed banana cake on a plate with rest of banana bundt cake on a cake stand in the background.

Expert Tips and Tricks

Mashing the bananas before adding them to the cake batter will ensure that they distribute evenly throughout the cake.
Alternatively, if you like chunks of fruit in your cake, you can swirl in a few additional big bits of banana before baking.
If you don’t have time to wait for your bananas to ripen, you can use yellow bananas in this cake and compensate for the lack of natural flavor by adding banana extract.
Out of brown sugar? You can use all white sugar and add molasses to your batter instead.
Make the brown butter glaze thinner by adding more milk or thicker by adding more powdered sugar.

Golden brown banana bundt cake with brown sugar glaze dripping down the sides

Recipe Variations

The caramelly, nutty, and sweet flavors of this banana bundt cake can be totally elevated by switching up the glaze or throwing in some fun mix-ins!

Frosting/toppings ideas:

Maple glaze
Chocolate ganache
Cream cheese frosting
A simple powdered sugar glaze
Melted white or melt chocolate drizzle
Fresh whipped cream

Mix-in ideas:

Semi-sweet or white chocolate chips
Chopped walnuts, pecans, cashews, or almonds
Crushed graham crackers or vanilla wafers
Swirls of peanut butter or chocolate hazelnut spread
Fresh blueberries

Slice of moist banana cake on white plate with a piece taken out of it and on a fork.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between banana bread and banana cake?

Banana cake tends to be light, fluffy, and sticky-sweet, whereas banana bread is more moist, dense, and easier to slice. Additionally, banana cake is typically topped with a glaze or frosting while banana bread is more likely to have add-ins such as chocolate chips or chopped nuts.

Is banana cake unhealthy?

This really depends on your definition of “healthy.” Sure, this cake has fruit and Greek yogurt in it, but it also has refined sugar, white flour, and butter. At the end of the day, this cake is meant to be a fun and indulgent dessert, not a super healthy snack or breakfast.

Why does my banana cake not taste like banana?

This is most likely because you used bananas that weren’t very ripe. Green or yellow bananas are far less sweet than brown bananas and therefore won’t add a ton of banana flavor to your cake.

Can bananas be too ripe to use for banana cake?

Not really! The browner and spottier your bananas, the better!

More sweet and fruity dessert recipes

That should have said for one serving, not for 1 gram. I just re-ran the recipe through the the nutritional calculator app so that it is more accurate. However, nutrition information provided here is calculated automatically by a third-party app and should be considered only as an estimate. Individuals on special diets are advised to calculate the nutritional information themselves to ensure accuracy.