Banana Pound Cake

What would make a pound cake even better? Bananas! Our banana pound cake recipe has mashed bananas whipped into the batter for an amazingly moist, delicious cake. It’s a simple recipe to make, but it’s definitely something special to serve. And to top things off, it has a confectioners’ sugar glaze. More, please!

Ingredients for Banana Pound Cake

•  Sugar: Sugar helps make the cake tender.
• Butter: Butter helps the cake rise; creaming it with the sugar helps give it this trait. Let the butter soften for about an hour before you start.
• Eggs: The eggs create structure for the batter and also make the cake moist. This recipe, like a lot of baking recipes, calls for room-temperature eggs.
• Ripe bananas: The riper the banana, the sweeter it is, making the cake even more delicious.
• Vanilla and lemon extracts: These flavors add fragrant notes to the cake as it bakes—and when a warm slice is served.
• All-purpose flour: This variety of flour makes an excellent pound cake.
• Baking soda: Baking soda helps the cake rise.
• Sour cream: Sour cream makes the cake moist, rich and tender.

Glaze:

• Confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and 2% milk: This trio makes a simple and simply delicious glaze for cakes and cookies.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the pan

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Grease a 10-inch fluted tube pan, then sprinkle it with 3 teaspoons of sugar. Set it aside.

Step 2: Prepare the cake batter

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Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the remaining 3 cups of sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, five to seven minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the bananas and the extracts. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking soda, then add the dry mix to the creamed mixture a little at a time, alternating with the sour cream, beating until just combined.

Step 3: Bake the cake

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Pour the mixture into the prepared pan (the pan will be full). Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, 75 to 85 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 4: Make the glaze

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In a small bowl, whisk the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and milk until smooth, then drizzle it over the  cake. Store the cake in the refrigerator.

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Banana Pound Cake Variations

• Use brown sugar on the pan: Sprinkle brown sugar on the glazed tube pan instead of white sugar for a hint of molasses flavor on the cake surface.
• Change the extracts: Swap the lemon extract for almond extract to change the flavor a bit. Other extracts to try include coconut, rum or bourbon.
• Add some nuts: Add 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped nuts to the cake batter for a bit more texture and protein.
• Make it with raisins: Add 1/2 cup or so of raisins for a banana raisin pound cake.

How to Store Banana Pound Cake

Store the cooled banana pound cake lightly covered in the refrigerator, where it will keep for three to five days.

Can you freeze banana pound cake?

Yes, this banana pound cake can be frozen for up to a month. Wrap it in two layers of plastic, then in foil, or wrap smaller portions the same way, taking out only what you might eat in a day or so. Thaw the cake in the refrigerator overnight, then on the counter for an hour or so to bring it to room temperature.

Banana Pound Cake Tips

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What is a tube pan?

A tube pan is a baking pan that makes a ring-shaped cake. A bundt cake pan is one example, but not all tube pans are bundt cake pans. “Fluted” in the pan’s name (used in this recipe) means the sides and top have sculpted shapes, as you may have noticed on many bundt pans. The fluting makes the cake look a bit fancier, and it’s often used for bundt cakes and some pound cakes, while the straight tube pans are often required for cakes such as angel food cake.

Does it matter what shape of tube pan I use?

Fluted tube pans come in all sorts of interesting designs, having features such as angled ridges that give the cake a twist shape, a somewhat floral design or even shapes reminiscent of art deco buildings. Any shape you have works for this recipe; just make sure it’s a 10-inch cake pan.

 What other cakes can I make with bananas?

For a recipe for banana pound cake done in a totally different way, try this contest-winning bananas and cream pound cake, which has layers of bananas and cream. This banana coconut cake is another contest-winning recipe, and it has a buttercream frosting. Yum! This chocolate banana cream cake recipe is another winner. Finally, this banana upside-down cake is a must-try if you love bananas and nuts.