Banana Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

If you’ve got a few overripe bananas sitting on the counter, this Banana Cream Cheese Bundt Cake is exactly what to do with them. It’s a tall, moist bundt cake built on brown sugar and sour cream, packed with mashed banana flavor in every slice, and finished with a rich, tangy cream cheese frosting that sets it apart from an everyday banana cake. It’s the kind of cake that looks impressive sliced on a stand but is genuinely simple to put together.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Uses up overripe bananas for maximum banana flavor
• Sour cream keeps the crumb moist and tender for days
• A classic bundt shape that looks beautiful with no special decorating skills
• Rich cream cheese frosting balances the sweetness of the cake
• Makes a generous 16 slices, great for a gathering
• Simple pantry ingredients — no unusual equipment beyond a bundt pan

This cake also holds up well once frosted, which makes it a good make-ahead option. Because the frosting is a simple butter-and-cream-cheese spread rather than a delicate glaze, the cake travels well to potlucks and holds its shape when sliced.

What Does It Taste Like?

The cake itself is dense but tender, with a deep, rounded sweetness from the brown sugar and a strong banana flavor throughout, since the recipe uses four bananas. The sour cream adds a subtle tang and keeps every bite moist. On top, the cream cheese frosting is rich and slightly tangy, cutting through the sweetness of the cake, and the optional chopped pecans or walnuts add a bit of crunch and toasty flavor if you choose to add them.

Recipe Overview

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Servings: 16 slices

Ingredients

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For the Cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 overripe bananas, mashed
• 1 cup sour cream

For the Frosting

• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• Optional: chopped pecans or walnuts for topping

Ingredient Notes

Bananas: Use bananas that are very ripe, with brown spots on the peel — they mash more easily and bring the most banana flavor and natural sweetness to the cake.

Sour cream: Adds moisture and a light tang, helping keep the cake tender for days after baking.

Brown sugar and granulated sugar: The larger amount of brown sugar gives the cake a deeper, more caramel-like sweetness than granulated sugar alone would.

Butter: Room temperature (softened) butter creams properly with the sugars, both in the cake batter and in the frosting.

Baking soda: The leavening agent here; make sure it’s fresh so the cake rises properly in the bundt pan.

Cream cheese: Softened cream cheese blends smoothly with the butter for a frosting that’s easy to spread over the cooled cake.

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need

• 12-cup bundt pan
• Electric mixer (stand or hand)
• Mixing bowls
• Fork or potato masher, for mashing the bananas
• Cooling rack or serving platter
• Offset spatula or butter knife, for spreading the frosting

Substitutions and Variations

These are optional ideas, not part of the original recipe:

• Top the finished cake with chopped pecans or walnuts, as suggested in the recipe, for extra texture.
• A pinch of cinnamon in the batter can add warmth alongside the banana flavor.
• Swap the frosting for a simpler drizzle if you’d like a lighter finish, keeping in mind this changes the texture from the original recipe.

How to Make the Recipe

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This cake follows a creaming method: butter and sugars are beaten together first, then bananas, vanilla, and eggs are worked in before the dry ingredients and sour cream are folded in at the end. The frosting is a simple butter-and-cream-cheese mixture that’s beaten smooth, then sweetened, and spread over the cake once it has cooled completely.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan (or use a nonstick spray with flour).
2. Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.
3. Mash the bananas with a fork.
4. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Stir in the mashed bananas and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Mix in the sour cream and the flour mixture until just combined.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 50–60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
7. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a serving platter to cool completely.
8. For the frosting, mix the softened butter and cream cheese together. Add the powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla. Spread over the cooled cake and top with nuts, if desired.

Tips for Success

• Make sure the pan is thoroughly greased and floured, including the center tube, so the cake releases cleanly from the bundt shape.
• Cool the cake in the pan for exactly the time given — too long and it can stick, too short and it may break apart when unmolded.
• Let the cake cool completely before frosting, or the cream cheese frosting will melt and slide off.
• Beat the eggs in one at a time rather than all at once, so the batter emulsifies smoothly.

How to Know It’s Done

The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the batter comes out clean, with no wet batter clinging to it. The top should look set and lightly golden where it’s visible around the edges of the pan.

What to Serve With It

This cake is rich enough to serve on its own with coffee or tea. For more banana and cream cheese inspiration from Poulef, try our Brown Sugar Banana Coconut Loaf or our Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bundt Cake.

Storage Instructions

Because it’s topped with a cream cheese frosting, keep this cake loosely covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It tastes best served at room temperature, so let refrigerated slices sit out for a bit before serving.

Freezing Instructions

The recipe source didn’t provide specific freezing instructions, but as general guidance: it’s best to freeze the cake unfrosted. Wrap the cooled, unfrosted cake tightly and freeze in an airtight container for up to a few months, then thaw and frost with a fresh batch of cream cheese frosting before serving.

Common Mistakes

• Not greasing and flouring the bundt pan thoroughly enough, which can cause the cake to stick and tear when unmolded.
• Frosting the cake before it’s fully cooled, which causes the frosting to melt and slide.
• Overmixing the batter once the flour and sour cream are added, which can make the cake dense instead of tender.
• Using bananas that aren’t ripe enough, which results in less banana flavor and sweetness.

Frequently Asked Questions

How ripe should the bananas be?

Use very ripe, overripe bananas with plenty of brown spots — they’re softer, sweeter, and mash more easily than firmer, yellow bananas.

Can I skip the nuts on top?

Yes, the chopped pecans or walnuts are listed as optional in the recipe.

Why did my cake stick to the bundt pan?

This is usually from not greasing and flouring the pan thoroughly enough, especially in the pan’s grooves and center tube.

How long does this cake keep?

Kept loosely covered in the refrigerator, it stays good for up to 3 days, and tastes best when allowed to come back to room temperature before serving.

Can I make this cake ahead of time?

Yes — because the frosting is a sturdy butter-and-cream-cheese mixture rather than a thin glaze, this cake holds up well made a day ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator, making it a convenient option when you’re preparing for a gathering.

Recipe Background

Banana bundt cakes build on the classic banana bread format by baking the batter in a decorative bundt pan and adding a cream cheese frosting, turning an everyday quick bread into a cake fit for serving guests. The combination of banana and cream cheese is a familiar pairing in American baking, echoing the way carrot cake is traditionally finished with a similar cream cheese frosting. Bundt pans themselves became popular in American home baking in the mid-20th century, prized for turning a simple batter into a cake with an elegant, ridged shape without any piping or layering — which is part of why a banana bundt cake like this one feels a bit more special than a loaf while still being just as easy to mix together.

Conclusion

This Banana Cream Cheese Bundt Cake turns a few spotty bananas into a genuinely impressive dessert, with a moist, tender crumb and a rich cream cheese frosting that makes it feel special. Slice it up for a gathering, or keep it in the fridge for a treat over a few days. Happy baking!

More Delicious Recipes You’ll Love

• Brown Sugar Banana Coconut Loaf
• 7 Irresistible Maple Banana Bread
• 7 Irresistible Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bundt Cake
• 7 Irresistible Homemade Lemon Bundt Cake
• Sticky Pecan Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

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Nutritional Information

Nutrition is per slice (16 servings), as provided by the recipe source.

Nutrient	Amount per Serving
Calories	381
Carbohydrates	49g
Protein	4g
Fat	19g
Sugar	28g

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