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    Home » Recipes » Cakes

    Banana Pound Cake

    Published: Sep 27, 2021 · Modified: Dec 30, 2022 by Liz Mincin · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Pound cake is my favourite cake! This easy banana pound cake is a fun cross between a banana loaf and the classic thrifty pound cake. A moist spiced banana bundt cake with a cinnamon glaze.

    Banana pound cake topped with a cinnamon maple glaze and sliced.
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • How to Make an Easy Banana Pound Cake
    • Cinnamon Maple Glaze
    • FAQs for Banana Pound Cake
    • Banana Pound Cake

    Ingredients

    This easy banana pound cake recipe is adapted from my classic thrifty pound cake and uses similar ingredients, with the addition of spices and bananas!

    • Butter - unsalted butter softened at room temperature. You can substitute with salted butter, but this will add a bit of saltiness to the overall flavour. If using salted butter, you may wish to reduce the salt added to the recipe.
    • Sugar - superfine granulated sugar or caster sugar.
    • Light brown sugar - sometimes called muscovado. Measurements for brown sugar are always firmly packed!
    • Flour - all-purpose flour or plain flour will work in this recipe.
    • Baking soda
    • Baking powder
    • Salt
    • Cinnamon
    • Ginger
    • Nutmeg
    • Eggs
    • Soured milk - or buttermilk.
    • Bananas - ripe and mashable.
    • Vanilla extract.
    Ingredients for banana pound cake.

    How to Make an Easy Banana Pound Cake

    This recipe can easily be made in one bowl.

    Start by creaming together the butter and sugar. Beat these for about a minute until your mixture is creamy and light. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

    Mixing bowl filled with softened butter, superfine granulated sugar and brown sugar.
    Mixing bowl filled with butter and sugar beaten until creamy.

    Then, add your eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until you have a smooth batter.

    Adding an egg to a mixing bowl of creamed butter and sugar.
    Cake batter in a mixing bowl once the eggs have been added.

    Finally, add your dry ingredients (flour, spices and leavening agents) in alternating additions with the soured milk, mashed banana and vanilla.

    I do this by adding a third of the dry ingredients, sifted into the batter. Once this is mixed in, I add the soured milk. Then I add another third of the dry ingredients, followed by the addition of banana and vanilla. All ending with the final addition of dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.

    Adding an addition of dry ingredients to cake batter in a mixing bowl.
    Cake batter after the first addition of flour is mixed in.
    Adding soured milk to cake batter in a mixing bowl.
    Adding second addition of sifted flour to cake batter.
    Adding mashed banana and vanilla extract to cake batter.
    Adding the third and final addition of sifted flour to cake batter.

    Once the batter is ready pour this into prepared baking tins.

    This recipe makes enough batter for a standard size bundt pan, two loaf pans (if you want the traditional pound cake loaf cake) or you can make two 7.5" round cakes to make a quick banana layer cake. The timings for alternate size trays will be different, so be sure to watch and check these as they bake.

    Bake the cakes in a preheated 350°F (175C/155C Fan) oven for about an hour. After about 50 minutes, check for doneness with a toothpick or skewer. These cakes are ready once a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

    Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes before flipping out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

    Cinnamon Maple Glaze

    This super simple four ingredient glaze can be whipped up in seconds.

    All you'll need is:

    • Powdered sugar - also known as icing sugar or confectioner's sugar. For best results, sift before using if your sugar is lumpy.
    • Cinnamon - a bit of ground cinnamon goes a long way in this glaze!
    • Maple syrup
    • Milk - either full fat (whole milk) or 2% (semi-skimmed) will work fine here.

    Whisk the ingredients together in a bowl until smooth.

    Tips on Troubleshooting Glaze

    If you feel the mixture looks too thick, add a bit more milk (about a teaspoon) and then stir again. You can continue adding milk in small amounts, whisking after any addition, until you have a consistency you are happy with. Similarly, if you glaze seems too runny, add a tablespoon of powdered sugar. This will help thicken it up.

    Alternative Toppings

    This banana cake pairs well with many frostings or glazes. As a bundt cake, you could try a cream cheese glaze or a plain vanilla.

    If making the cake in a loaf or layer, buttercream frostings are my favourite. I recommend pairing this cake with my cinnamon buttercream or my super smooth dulce de leche buttercream.

    FAQs for Banana Pound Cake

    How long does banana pound cake keep?

    This cake is a dense but moist cake and can keep well for several days. For best storage, wrap well in plastic wrap or keep in an airtight container.

    Can I freeze this cake?

    Yes, banana pound cake can be frozen easily.

    Wait for the cake to cool, wrap in plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil to freeze.

    This cake will last for about three months in the freezer without issue.

    I don't have the spices, can I still make this cake?

    Yes, absolutely - you can still make this recipe, as is, leaving out one or all of the spices mentioned.

    I recommend these flavours since the spices do work nicely with the banana as a flavour. If you're missing them or don't like one/all of them, by all means just omit them!

    Equally you can experiment with other spice combinations to your taste. I would recommend keeping the overall amount of spice to about 2 teaspoons, to avoid any issues with overly increasing the amount of dry ingredient in the recipe.

    If you like this recipe, you might also like these other banana based bakes:

    • Banana Chocolate Loaf
    • Pumpkin Banana Muffins
    • Banoffee Blondies
    • Malagasy Cake
    • Banana Ganache Muffins
    Banana pound cake topped with a cinnamon maple glaze and sliced.

    Banana Pound Cake

    Liz Mincin
    An easy banana cake recipe. This spiced banana bundt cake is topped with a quick maple cinnamon glaze. The perfect twist on the classic pound cake and great for using up spare bananas.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 16
    Calories 344 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    Ingredients for Banana Pound Cake

    • 1 cup unsalted butter softened at room temperature
    • 1½ cup superfine granulated sugar or caster sugar
    • ½ cup light brown sugar firmly packed
    • 3 large eggs
    • 3 cups all-purpose flour or plain flour
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
    • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ⅔ cup buttermilk or soured milk
    • 1-2 bananas ripe

    Ingredients for Maple Cinnamon Glaze

    • ¾ cup powdered sugar also known as icing sugar
    • 3 tablespoon maple syrup
    • 1 tablespoon milk
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat your oven to 350°F (175C/155C Fan). Grease and flour your baking pan. (see note)
    • Begin by creaming your sugars and butter together in a large bowl.
    • Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
    • In a separate bowl, sift together your dry ingredients - the flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda and baking powder.
    • Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the cake batter. Mix until just incorporated.
    • Add the buttermilk and beat to combine.
    • Add in another ⅓ of the dry ingredients and beat until just combined.
    • Then add the banana, by breaking this into small pieces, and add the vanilla, beating to incorporate and break the banana down. (see note)
    • Finally add the last ⅓ of the flour and stir until just combined.
    • Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly.
    • Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, checking for a skewer (inserted in the thickest part) to come out clean.
    • Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a couple of minutes in the baking tin, before flipping out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

    Instructions for Maple Cinnamon Glaze (optional)

    • In a mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup and milk until smooth. (see note)
    • Pour over the cooled cake.

    Notes

    If using a bundt pan, ensure that you grease and flour the corners and edges well so that the cake comes out cleanly. You can also use a non-stick baking spray if you have a tried and trusted one for your pan. 
    This recipe involves using well ripened bananas. In my experience, you do not need to mash these separately and can add in small pieces to your batter. The beaters will break these up easily if you are using an electric beater or stand mixer. If whisking by hand, you may want to pre-mash the bananas before adding to the batter.
    If you find that the consistency of your glaze is either too thick or too thin, you can adjust by using extra powdered sugar or milk. See the above post for more detail in troubleshooting.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 344kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 4gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 147mgPotassium: 102mgFiber: 1gSugar: 35gVitamin A: 423IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @waitingforblancmange or tag #waitingforblancmange!

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    Image of Liz Mincin blogger and recipe developer behind Waiting for Blancmange.

    Hi, I'm Liz! I'm an American expat in the UK, with over 20 years experience baking and creating desserts. Taught tricks and tips by my mother and grandmothers, I'm sharing recipes and baking tips from my Italian American and Southern roots, along with a few British staples picked up from my time living across various regions in the UK.

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