Banana bundt cake is moist, tender, and yummy, perfect as a snack or dessert! Use up overripe bananas by making this easy bundt cake recipe.
This delicious banana dessert has all the flavors of banana bread, but unlike the dense quick bread, this recipe makes a light and fluffy bundt cake.
It's super simple to make, and it's also a great way to use up overripe bananas!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It makes the perfect quick snack or light dessert. This sweet treat tastes fabulous with a hot cup of coffee, tea, or cider.
- Freezer friendly. Save time by making your banana cake ahead of time. Unfrosted, it freezes well for up to 3 months!
- Not overly sweet. Typically, banana cakes are sweeter than banana bread, but mainly because the cakes have a glaze or frosting. This bundt cake is topped with a light dusting of powdered sugar, for the perfect amount of sweetness.
Make this bundt cake recipe the next time you find yourself with speckled bananas. It's absolutely perfect for a breakfast or brunch treat, a potluck dessert, or any holiday gathering.
If you love banana desserts, make some banana drop cookies or my bananas foster dessert, too. They're both scrumptious!
Ingredients
See ingredient substitutions in the next section. ⬇️
To make this easy banana bundt cake recipe, you'll need:
- overripe bananas: I use them when the banana peels have more black showing than yellow.
- all-purpose flour
- white granulated sugar
- leaveners: You'll need both baking powder and baking soda. If you haven't used them in a while, I recommend testing them for freshness. If your leaveners are too old, they won't release the gas bubbles that make the banana cake light and fluffy.
- vegetable shortening: Crisco makes a butter flavored shortening that's really good!
- large eggs
- vanilla extract
- milk: Some bundt cake recipes call for sour cream or cream cheese, but I prefer to use milk. It adds just as much moisture, but it's lower in fat.
- kosher or sea salt: Avoid using iodized table salt - it will give the cake a bad after taste.
You'll also need a bundt pan! Here are some of my favorite bundt cake pans:
- nonstick bundt pan- I highly recommend this one! It's affordable and works great.
- fancier bundt pan
- fleur de lis bundt pan
I do not recommend using silicone bundt pans!
📖 Time-Saving Tip - Testing Baking Soda or Baking Powder for Freshness
This simple little test can save you time and money, because if your leavener is expired, whatever you're baking wont rise in the oven! This test works for baking soda and baking powder:
- Add about ½ teaspoon of baking soda or powder to a small bowl. Stir in an equal amount of an acidic ingredient, like vinegar or citrus juice.
- If the solution doesn't start to bubble immediately, it's time to replace your leavener.
Substitutions and Recipe Variations
- all-purpose flour: If you'd like to make the banana cake recipe gluten-free, substitute the AP flour with a cup-for-cup brand of gluten-free all-purpose flour. Two popular brands are Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur Flour.
- baking soda and baking powder: If you happen to be out of baking powder, but you have baking soda and cream of tarter, you can make a baking powder replacement!
To use baking soda as a substitute for baking powder, mix ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar with ¼ teaspoon of baking soda for every 1 teaspoon of baking powder. - white granulated sugar: To reduce the calories in your cake, feel free to use any cup-for-cup granulated sugar substitute. Monkfruit sugar is a good option. Light brown sugar can be used instead, but it will add a slight molasses flavor to your banana dessert.
- vegetable shortening: If you need or want to use unsalted butter instead, that's fine.
I haven't tested this recipe with plant-based or dairy-free butter substitutes, so I can't guarantee that they'll work. - egg: Egg yolks are important for creating moisture, and they also help stabilize the structure of the cake, so I don't recommend using egg substitutes. If you want to do some testing on your own, feel free! For tips and suggestions, read my article, Egg Substitutions for Baking.
- vanilla extract: If you need an alcohol-free flavoring, you can use vanilla essence.
Recipe Variations
- Add chopped nuts, chocolate chips and/or dried fruit to the cake batter. Banana walnut cake would be fabulous, and raisins or dried cranberries would be good, too!
- Drizzle glaze or frost the bundt cake. If you want to add more sweetness to your cake, top it with vanilla glaze, buttercream frosting, or cream cheese frosting. There's an easy recipe for a delicious glaze in my glazed pumpkin bundt cake recipe.
Single Serving: If you don't want to make a whole cake, try this Banana Mug Cake for a single serving dessert!
How to Make Banana Bundt Cake
NOTE: Before you begin making this recipe, bring all of the ingredients, including eggs and milk, to room temperature.
Summary only. The complete recipe instructions are in the card at the bottom of this post ⬇️
- Make the cake batter. There are two important things to remember here. First, bring all of your ingredients to room temperature - especially the eggs.
Secondly, avoid over mixing the banana cake batter. If you do, the cake will be dry and crumbly instead of moist and fluffy.
- Pour the batter into a greased and floured bundt pan. If you forget to grease and flour the pan, you will have a difficult time removing the dessert from the pan. The crevices in a bundt pan seem to hang on to everything possible!
- Bake and cool. It takes about 45 minutes for the cake to bake. To know for sure that it's baked through, insert a toothpick into the cake. If it comes out dry or with a few moist crumbs, it's ready to remove from the oven.
- Decorate your banana bundt cake as desired before serving. I keep it simple, adding just a dusting of powdered sugar over the top.
Liz's Tips for Super Moist Bundt Cake
- Have all ingredients at room temperature. Having everything at room temp makes it easier to combine the wet and dry ingredients without over mixing.
- A quick way to bring eggs to room temperature is to place them in a dish covered with warm water (should be warm to the touch, but not hot or boiling) for about 5 minutes.
- Be sure to grease and flour the pan well! It's best to use non-stick cooking spray or brush it with melted butter. Be sure to get into all the creases of your bundt pan to prevent the cake from sticking!
- Use very ripe bananas- The riper the banana, the sweeter your banana cake will be. You can microwave the bananas to make them easier to mash.
Storage
Storing: You can store the banana cake for up to 4 days in an airtight container at room temperature or up to a week in the refrigerator.
Freezing: You can freeze this dessert for up to 3 months. After baking and cooling the bundt cake, wrap it with a layer of plastic wrap. Then, place it in a freezer Ziploc bag or wrap in aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Thaw before enjoying.
Banana Bundt Cake Recipe FAQ
If you don't use the right ratio of wet and dry ingredients, or if you over mix the ingredients, you will have a dry cake.
Be careful adding ingredients because it can affect the moisture of your cake. Some good additions are peanut butter, chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans, or coconut flakes.
Other Bundt Cake Recipes:
- Raspberry Lemon Bundt Cake
- Vanilla Almond Bundt Cake
- Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Lemon Bundt Cake
- Easy Strawberry Chocolate Bundt Cake
Super Moist Banana Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ⅓ cup granulated white sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup shortening or room temperature unsalted butter
- ½ cup milk room temperature
- 1 cup mashed bananas about 2 large bananas
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease and flour a 10-cup bundt pan, and set it aside.
- To a large bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Whisk well to combine.
- In mixing bowl add shortening, milk, eggs, vanilla and mashed bananas. Mix for 2 minutes at low speed.
- Slowly add in flour mixture until combined.
- Pour cake batter into the prepared greased bundt pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out dry, or with a few moist crumbs.
Helpful Notes and Tips From Liz
- Have all ingredients at room temperature. Having everything at room temp makes it easier to combine the wet and dry ingredients without over mixing.
- A quick way to bring eggs to room temperature is to place them in a dish or bowl covered with warm water (should be warm to the touch, but not hot or boiling) for about 5 minutes.
- Be sure to grease and flour the pan well! It's best to use non-stick cooking spray or brush it with melted butter. Be sure to get into all the creases of your bundt pan to prevent the cake from sticking.
Audrey
YUM,YUM, YUMBA...DELICIOUS. I made this cake and I added 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and nutmeg. It was a cake to make anytime and everyone will love it.