The most flavorful, soft, tender and fluffy spiced banana bundt cake is topped with a sweet maple brown sugar glaze. This recipe is the BEST way to use up those overripe bananas!
I could pretty much eat this cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner and not feel an ounce of guilt about it. Everyone loves a good loaf of banana bread and this cake is basically like a much lighter, fluffier banana bread! Consider this banana bread in cake form. It's chock full of bananas making it ultra-moist and sweet from all of the banana goodness and lots of spicy flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. I LOVE adding these spices to banana recipes because they all pair so incredibly well together.
This recipe is one I've been coming up with for some time. I love a good banana cake and I knew I wanted it to be as flavorful and moist as possible. With all of those bananas, spices and brown sugar, you know it's going to be good. Now, the cake is crazy flavorful on its own but paired with the brown sugar maple glaze (adapted from this recipe), it is GOOD.
Why you'll love this recipe
- This recipe for banana bundt cake is a great make-ahead cake because it stays moist for DAYS and is even more flavorful the NEXT day or two!
- If you love banana bread, you are going to love this fluffier cake version. I like to call it banana bread cake!
- The sweet maple brown sugar glaze makes this cake a 1000/10.
- This cake is such a yummy way to use up those overripe bananas!
Ingredients
Banana Cake
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil
- Bananas: Very ripe makes this cake the most flavorful.
- Sour cream
- Buttermilk
Brown Sugar Maple Glaze
- Unsalted butter
- Maple syrup
- Heavy cream
- Light brown sugar
Substitutions & Variations
- Add ½ cup chopped walnuts to the batter before baking.
How to Make Banana Bundt Cake With Maple Brown Sugar Glaze
For the cake:
- Beat butter until smooth. Beat in sugar until fluffy. Add rest of wet ingredients and mix until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat until just combined being sure not to over-mix.
- Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake.
For the Glaze:
- Add all glaze ingredients to a small saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool slightly and pour over warm cake.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Recipe tips
Because this cake uses baking soda for it's leavening agent, baking it immediately is important because the chemical reaction will start right away and your cake won't rise properly if you wait too long.
Storage
Room temperature
This banana bundt cake will stay fresh for up to 3 days stored at room temperature in an airtight container.
Freezing
To freeze, wrap the whole completely cooled cake without the glaze in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil. Place the wrapped cake in a large freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight and allow cake to come to room temperature. Prepare glaze and drizzle before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Brown sugar is simply granulated white sugar with the addition of molasses to give it its color and flavor. The difference between light and dark is that dark has more molasses added for a deeper flavor profile and light is more subtle.
The biggest difference is the shape of the pan. A regular 8-inch round cake pan holds up to 6 cups of batter and a standard bundt cake pan holds 10-12 cups of batter.
Grease your pan HEAVILY making sure to get all nooks and crannies. After greasing, flour your pan lightly and shake out excess. This method will ensure no sticking.
More Recipes You'll love
Banana Bundt Cake With Maple Brown Sugar Glaze
Ingredients
Banana Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- pinch salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup dark brown sugar*
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 4 medium bananas 2 cups mashed
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup buttermilk*
Brown Sugar Maple Glaze
- 2 tbs unsalted butter
- 2 tbs pure maple syrup
- 2 tbs heavy cream
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and adjust oven rack to the center position. Grease a bundt pan very well, set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat butter until smooth with no lumps. Add sugar and beat until fluffy and fully combined, scraping down as needed, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time making sure they are fully incorporated before adding the next, about 1 minute per egg.
- Add vanilla, vegetable oil, mashed bananas, sour cream and buttermilk and beat until completely smooth. Slowly add flour mixture into your running mixer set to low speed and beat until just combined, don't over-mix.
- Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bang it down a few times to allow the batter to settle in the crevices and to remove any air pockets. Bake cake for 45-50 minutes or until a thin knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Release the edges with a butter knife and transfer onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
- In a small saucepan, melt butter on medium-low heat. Stir in maple syrup and heavy cream. Allow it to heat up to a simmer, almost boiling but not quite. At this point, add the brown sugar, stir to combine and allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes on low heat, stirring often. Remove from heat and let the glaze cool for 5 minutes. Pour warm glaze on top of the warm cake. Keep in mind: I did not use all of the glaze on my cake for photo purposes because I really wanted you to see the cake too, you will have much more to pour on top.
Notes
- To make your own buttermilk: Stir in ½ tablespoon white vinegar to ½ cup of milk needed for this recipe. Let stand for 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Brown sugar: You can substitute light brown sugar for dark.
[pinterest]
Pro Tip
How to make your recipe right every time!
Barbara says
Definitely making this next week but I have a question. I assume I add the vanilla with the sour cream and buttermilk but is that when I add the vegetable oil too? Sorry -- not a baker and don't want to mess this up. Thanks!
Jessica says
So sorry about the confusion, I updated the recipe with instructions that are more clear!
Lynn says
I just made this today & it is delicious, but missing something. I read your description again & you talk about adding cinnamon, nutmeg, & clove. None of those ingredients are listed in the measurements & I think if those were in there this cake would be excellent! Also as stated from another comment, nowhere in the directions does it tell you to add the oil or vanilla yet.