Buttermilk Banana Cake is one of the few cakes I could eat all day long and never get sick of! It’s moist, flavorful, not too sweet, and packed with bananas. And that glaze? Mmmm, pass me a fork, please!
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I love this cake and I’m not a big sweets person. In fact, I love it so much that when I bake it, I freeze slices of it and hide them in the back of the freezer so that my kids can’t find it! I first started making this cake a gazillion years ago when I had my deli, and we’d make individual-sized bundt cakes and they’d sell out!
This Buttermilk Banana Cake is easy, moist, flavorful, and not too sweet – just how I like a cake! And that glaze! Mmm, omigosh, it’s so good! It’s a cream cheese glaze that’s lightly sweetened, and the combination of flavors is out of this world!
What you’ll love about Buttermilk Banana Cake
- It’s moist, flavorful, easy to make, and oh-so-crazy-good!
- The cream cheese glaze puts this cake over the top!
- It freezes like a dream.
Buttermilk And Bananas…?
What is it about buttermilk and bananas? These two ingredients go so well together. It is the rich and tangy flavor of the buttermilk and the creamy, subtle banana flavor that really shine in this easy cake recipe. Don’t substitute anything else for the buttermilk, but if you’re really stuck and can’t find any, I’ve got a quick and easy hack that’ll work: combine 3/4 cups whole milk with 1/2 cup of full-fat sour cream until smooth. This will replicate the flavor and texture of buttermilk.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder – Make sure yours isn’t expired, or the cake won’t rise properly.
- Nutmeg – Fresh spices make all the difference!
- Cinnamon – Fresh is best!
- Salt
- Butter – At room temperature.
- White sugar
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract – Pure or artificial vanilla is fine.
- Buttermilk
- Bananas – Use very ripe bananas.
For the Glaze
- Cream cheese – At room temperature.
- Butter – At room temperature.
- Powdered sugar – Also called icing or confectioners sugar.
- Milk – As needed to make the glaze.
How To Make The Best Buttermilk Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze
For a full list of ingredients and instructions, please scroll down to the recipe near the bottom of this page.
- Preheat your oven to 350-F and spray a 10-cup bundt pan with cooking spray.
- Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.
- Cream the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
- Add the sugar, beating until light.
- Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture, one at a time, mixing well in between each egg.
- Add the
vanilla extract and mix until combined. - Add half the flour mixture and half the buttermilk to the bowl of the stand mixer and mix until combined.
- Add the remaining flour and buttermilk and mix.
- Mix in the smashed bananas and mix until just combined. Don’t overmix.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared bundt pan and bake until cooked.
- Cool on a wire rack until cool enough to handle, then invert the pan onto a plate and cool the cake completely before glazing.
- Make the glaze by beating together the butter and cream cheese until well mixed. Turn off the mixer and add the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk. Mix, adding a dribble more milk as needed until the glaze is runny but still thick.
- Glaze the cake with the cream cheese glaze, slice and serve!
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Never overmix cake batter; only ever mix until just combined unless instructed otherwise.
- Soft brown bananas make the best banana cake! You can freeze bananas – remove the peel and freeze them, then just thaw and add to the cake as per the instructions.
- 4 medium bananas will yield about 2 cups of smashed bananas.
- If your bundt pan is very full, scoop some batter out (make muffins with it) or put the bundt pan on a cookie sheet and hope the cake doesn’t spill over the top.
Recommended
How Do You Know When A Bundt Cake Is Done?
Insert a toothpick into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean or nearly clean – a few clingy crumbs are OK, then it is done. If the toothpick has gooey batter on it, it’ll need to cook longer.
Storage
Leftover Buttermilk Banana Cake should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It’ll keep fresh and moist for 2-3 days. You can also freeze leftover cake – either freeze the whole cake or wrap individual slices and hide them in the back of the freezer so the kids don’t find them.
Step By Step Process
Buttermilk Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze
Equipment
- large bundt pan 10-12 cup capacity
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 cup butter salted; softened
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar lightly packed
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk full fat
- 2 cups mashed bananas about 4 medium bananas
Glaze
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350-F and spray a 10-cup bundt pan with cooking spray then lightly flour it.
- Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.
- Cream the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the white and brown sugar, beating until light.
- Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture, one at a time, mixing well in between each egg. Add the vanilla along with the last egg.
- Add half the flour mixture and half the buttermilk to the bowl of the stand mixer and mix until combined.
- Add the remaining flour and buttermilk and mix.
- Mix in the smashed bananas and mix until just combined. Don't overmix.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared bundt pan and bake until cooked.
- Cool on a wire rack until cool enough to handle, then invert the pan onto a plate and cool the cake completely before glazing.
- Make the glaze by beating together the butter and cream cheese until well mixed. Turn off the mixer and add the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk. Mix, adding a dribble more milk as needed until the glaze is runny but still thick.
- Glaze the cake with the cream cheese glaze, slice and serve!
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Never overmix cake batter; only ever mix until just combined unless instructed otherwise.
- Soft brown bananas make the best banana cake! You can freeze bananas – remove the peel and freeze them, then just thaw and add to the cake as per the instructions.
- 4 medium bananas will yield about 2 cups of smashed bananas.
- If your bundt pan is very full, scoop some batter out (make muffins with it) or put the bundt pan on a cookie sheet and hope the cake doesn’t spill over the top.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
