Banana Bread Bundt Cake

Banana bread bundt cake is delicious with rich flavor and a tender crumb. It is filled with rich banana flavor, and crunchy walnuts, and then topped with the best sweet and slightly tangy cream cheese frosting and more nuts. This delicious banana bundt cake is sure to satisfy any sweet tooth!

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Banana bread or this banana bundt cake are my favorite ways to use up over-ripe bananas. I used buttermilk instead of sour cream in this recipe to give it an incredibly light and fluffy texture. It’s really dreamy how amazing this bread nut bread bundt cake is!

Topped with a homemade brown sugar cream cheese frosting, this cake really can’t get any better. Probably except if I was enjoying it on the weekend with a giant mug of tea with a good book. LOL. #livingthedream

If you need a dessert for the upcoming holiday season, this banana cake will get rave reviews! This banana bread nut cake is a little fancier than a simple banana bread and it’s even more tasty! I love this  comforting and delicious dessert and I know that I will be making on repeat all fall and winter long.

If you don’t like nuts or have an allergy, feel free to take them out! Replace them with chocolate chips, raisins, or whatever you like. 

Have more bananas to use up? Check out these other family-favorite banana recipes

• Starbucks Banana Nut Bread
• Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread
• Banana Nut Muffins
• Strawberry Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie
• Blueberry Strawberry Banana Smooth

Why You’ll Love This Banana Bread Bundt Cake Recipe

• It has a wonderful rich banana flavor with a nutty crunch topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting. 
• It’s impressive enough to serve for your next dinner party or during the holidays. 
• This cake is a great recipe for using up overripe bananas. 
• It has the perfect light and fluffy texture and it’s super easy to make every time. 
• It’s quick to whip up, taking just a few minutes to whip up the batter and the frosting. 

Recipe Ingredients

• Bananas – Ripe bananas with plenty of brown spots because they will be sweeter and give your banana bundt cake a great banana flavor.
• Buttermilk – can also use sour milk, milk with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar, or regular milk. The acid in the buttermilk helps to keep this banana bread bundt cake moist and tender. It also interacts with the baking soda to give this cake a nice light and fluffy texture. 
• Vanilla extract – richer flavor. You can also use vanilla bean paste for a deeper vanilla flavor.
• Brown sugar – for a rich caramel sweetness and for added moisture.
• All-purpose flour – regular all purpose flour to give the perfect cake and light crumb texture.
• Walnuts – chopped and used inside of the banana bread and on top. I love the nice crunch these give this cake. Feel free to substitute with chopped pecans. 
• Cream cheese – full-fat cream cheese softened to room temperature so you don’t have lumps in your frosting.
• Butter – to make the frosting thicker and richer with a better and firmer texture. 
• Powdered sugar – for sweetness and structure.
• Vegetable oil or melted unsalted butter –  either one works fine in this recipe. You can use regular or refined olive oil or coconut oil, or avocado oil.
• Salt – just a pinch to balance out all the flavors of the sweet and rich frosting.

How to Make The Best Banana Bundt Cake

All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

1. Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then in a large bowl mash your overripe bananas, then add in the eggs, vegetable oil, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk until everything is combined. 
2. Next, in a medium bowl combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until everything is well combined. Don’t overmix, just combine until there aren’t any streaks of flour. Lastly, stir in the buttermilk and chopped walnuts. 
3. Pour the banana bread batter into a 12-cup bundt cake pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 50 – 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
4. Allow the banana bread bundt cake to cool for 30 minutes, then run a thin knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the bundt cake pan. 
5. Place a plate larger than the bundt pan on top then flip the cake over, remove the bundt pan then allow the cake to finish cooling for another 30 minutes – 1 hour or until it’s completely cooled.

How to make the Cream Cheese Brown Sugar Frosting

While the cake is cooling make the brown sugar frosting.

1. Into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add room-temperature butter. Mix on low speed until creamy then add in the softened cream cheese until combined.
2. Now add the brown sugar, salt, and vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. Mix until combined then add in sifted powdered sugar. Mix until everything is combined and light and fluffy, 1 – 2 minutes. 
3. Now you can frost your cake, but if the frosting is too soft then place it in the refrigerator for 10 – 20 minutes so it can firm up a bit. 

How to frost and decorate a bundt cake

You can spread the frosting on the cooled cake with a cake knife or silicone spatula, if you like, or use a frosting bag. I use 2 frosting bags because it’s easier for me to frost the cake. 

1. Grab 1 disposable piping bag. Place the round tip inside the bag, and mark with your scissors halfway up the frosting tip. 
2. Remove the frosting tip then cut the pipping bag at an angle where you marked it. Place the tip bag back into the bag, then grab the 2nd pipping bag, and cut off the end large enough for the round tip to fit through but not big enough for it to fall out. Place the bag with the round tip inside the second one. 
3. Fold back the top of the frosting bag, then hold the bag in your hand. Fill the frosting bag halfway with the frosting. Roll the bag back up squeeze out the air then twist the top of the bag. 
4. Start piping the frosting onto the top of the cake squeezing the bag as needed. Once finished, you can use a cake knife to spread out the frosting the way you like then top the cake with chopped walnuts.
5. Slice the cake, serve, and enjoy!

Recommended Tools

Large mixing bowl

​10-cup bundt cake pan, similar

Silicone spatula to scoop the frosting or the banana bread batter.

Stand mixer with paddle attachment or hand mixer to make the frosting

Disposable piping bags with round tip to pipe the frosting onto the cake.

Frequently Asked Questions  —

Looking For More Recipes?

• The Best Banana Nut Muffins
• Starbucks Copycat Banana Nut Bread Recipe
• Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread
• Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
• Brown Butter Cranberry Pecan Cookies
• Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies (Old-Fashioned Recipe)
• Sour Cream Cheesecake with Sour Cream Topping
• Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

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Banana Bread Bundt Cake

Banana bread bundt cake is delicious with rich flavor and a tender crumb. It is filled with rich banana flavor, and crunchy walnuts, and then topped with the best sweet and slightly tangy cream cheese frosting and more nuts. This delicious banana bundt cake is sure to satisfy any sweet tooth!

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 14 slices

Calories: 409kcal

Author: Tonya Fowler

Ingredients

Banana bread bundt cake

• 3 – 4 bananas 1 ½ cup mashed
• 2 eggs room temperature
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup buttermilk
• ¾ cup walnuts chopped

Brown sugar cream cheese frosting

• 4 ounces full-fat cream cheese softened
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 2 cups powdered sugar sifted

Cake decorating

• 2 disposable piping bags with a round tip or silicone spatula
• ¼ chopped walnuts for topping

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Instructions 

How to make the banana bread bundt cake

• Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl mash the bananas, then add in the eggs, vegetable oil, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk until everything is combined. 
• Next, in a medium bowl combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until everything is well combined. Don’t overmix, just combine until there aren’t any streaks of flour. Lastly, stir in the buttermilk and chopped walnuts. 
• Pour the banana bread batter into a 12-cup bundt cake pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 50 – 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Allow the banana bread bundt cake to cool for 30 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen the cake from the bundt cake pan. 
• Place a plate larger than the bundt pan on top then flip the cake over, remove the bundt pan then allow the cake to finish cooling for another 30 minutes – 1 hour or until it’s completely cooled.

How to make brown sugar frosting

• While the cake is cooling make the brown sugar frosting. Into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add your room-temperature butter. Mix on low speed until creamy then add in the softened cream cheese until combined.
• Now add the brown sugar, salt, and vanilla extract or bean paste. Mix until combined then add in sifted powdered sugar. Mix until everything is combined and light and fluffy, 1 – 2 minutes. 
• Now you can frost your cake, but if the frosting is too soft then place it in the refrigerator for 10 – 20 minutes so it can firm up a bit. 

How to frost and decorate a bundt cake with piping bag

• You can spread the frosting on the cake with a cake knife or silicone spatula, if you like, or use a frosting bag. I use 2 frosting bags because it’s easier for me to frost the cake. 
• Grab 1 disposable piping bag. Place the round tip inside the bag, and mark with your scissors halfway up the frosting tip. Remove the frosting tip then cut the pipping bag at an angle where you marked it. Place the tip bag back into the bag, then grab the 2nd pipping bag, and cut off the end large enough for the round tip to fit through but not big enough for it to fall out. Place the bag with the round tip inside the second one. 
• Fold back the top of the frosting bag, then hold the bag in your hand. Fill the frosting bag halfway with the frosting. Roll the bag back up squeeze out the air then twist the top of the bag. 
• Start piping the frosting onto the top of the cake squeezing the bag as needed. Once finished, you can use a cake knife to spread out the frosting the way you like then top the cake with chopped walnuts.
• Slice the cake, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

How To Store/ Make Ahead

Wrap the whole cake in layers of plastic wrap, or slice the cake into individual slices and then wrap it in plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container. Before wrapping in plastic wrap, place the cake in a refrigerator to allow the frosting the harden.

Banana cake can last for up to 1 week tightly wrapped or inside of an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Freeze the individual slices of the cake for several months. When ready to enjoy, simply allow the slices to thaw on the counter. 

Variations

• ​Chopped pecans instead of walnuts.
• Raisins would be amazing in this cake as well.
• Replace the vegetable oil with brown butter to give this cake an even nuttier taste. 
• Make chocolate chip banana bread bundt cake by adding ½ cup of mini chocolate chips or a bittersweet or semisweet chocolate bar cut into pieces.

Tips and Tricks

• You can mix the banana bread cake batter in the bowl of your electric stand mixer using the paddle attachment, just be careful not to over mix the batter or else you’ll have a tough cake. 
• Don’t over mix the banana bread batter because it can lead to a tough cake. Only mix until there aren’t any streaks of flour left. 
• Make sure to soften the cream cheese and butter until it’ts room temperature. You want both of these ingredients to be really soft otherwise you’ll end up with butter or cream cheese chunks in your frosting, which isn’t what we want.
• Make sure to sift the powdered sugar. Powdered sugar can often have chunks in it that won’t mix into the frosting. This will make your frosting clumpy, so give it a quick sift before using. 
• Don’t overfill your bundt cake pan. Fill about ¾ of the way up, that way your cake will bake evenly and it won’t spill or overflow in the oven. 
• Place the bundt cake pan on a metal sheet pan so it will be easier to transfer to and from the oven.
• If your frosting is too soft, place it in the fridge for 10 – 20 minutes before frosting the cake. Then top with chopped nuts or raisins right away so they will set in the frosting and not fall off. 

Nutrition

Calories: 409kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 239mg | Potassium: 206mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 289IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 1mg

All nutrition information is automatically generated and should be only used as a rough estimate. This recipe card may contain affiliate links.