Do you remember a couple of weeks ago when I shared these Whoppers Brownies with you? I had made them in honor of my dad’s birthday, but since I didn’t make it to town on his special day, I just had to bake them again. Only this time he got the entire batch to himself along with a huge banana bundt cake.
My dad is pretty much a chocolate fanatic – the darker and richer the better. He loves bananas too. So it only seemed natural to finish his belated banana birthday cake with a satiny chocolate ganache.
I’ve never been one to try my hand at elaborately decorated cakes. Don’t get me wrong, I think they’re pretty darn stunning. It’s just that I have an attention span that rivals a cupcake eating, Mountain Dew chugging 4-year-old. Seriously.
Instead of towering cakes with beautiful piping details, I like to keep things a little more simple – okay, more like easy – and it doesn’t get much easier than a bundt cake. Only this Banana Cake is not just any bundt cake. It’s incredibly flavorful and undeniably moist.
The secret seems to be in the unusual method which calls for baking the cake at 275 °F for about 1 hour and 40 minutes and then immediately placing the cake into the freezer for an hour.
Kind of odd? Absolutely.
However, after one delicious bite, you’ll be convinced that this banana bundt cake is second to none.
Whether you’re baking a cake for a special day or simply trying to use up the overly ripened bananas on your counter, I’m betting this will quickly become one of your go-to recipes for any occasion.
Banana Bundt Cake
Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Ingredients:
For the Cake
1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed, ripe
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla vanilla
1 1/2 cups buttermilkFor the Ganache
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy creamDirections:
1. Preheat oven to 275°. Thoroughly grease and flour a 12-cup non-stick bundt pan or use PAM spray for baking.
2. In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with the lemon juice; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time until fully incorporated. Stir in the vanilla.
5. Add in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, mixing until combined. Stir in banana mixture.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour and 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer (still in pan) for 45-60 minutes. This will make the cake very moist. Remove cake from freezer to a cooling rack for at least 3 hours.
8. When ready to serve, invert the cake onto a serving platter and prepare the chocolate ganache.
9. To make the ganache, pour the chopped chocolate into a medium mixing bowl, set aside. Pour the heavy cream into a microwave safe measuring cup (Pyrex) and microwave on high for about 1 minute or until bubbles begin to form on the surface. Take care to not overheat because the cream will boil over. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for about 3 minutes. Use a small whisk to combine the mixture into a smooth chocolate glaze. Drizzle over cooled cake.
Notes:
- Cake can be made in a 9x13 inch pan and will bake for approximately 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Store the cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Remove to room temperature one hour before serving.My Baking Addiction adapted from Food.com.
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{ 67 comments… read them below or add one }
Beautiful,I also prefer simple and easy baking and with emphasis on perfecting the taste. Can’t wait to try this at home
I don’t care how odd it is, it sounds delicious!
Wow must be serendipity. I got a bundt tin for christmas and have been trawling trying to find a recipe since then. And I have some bananas that will need to be eaten soon. Will be whipping this up this weekend.
It looks incredible!
Looks yummy…as much as I love baked good with banana and chocolate, I would be tempted to make this cake just to see how it turns out baking it like that….so Interesting. guess I would have to find some room in my freezer!
I can’t imagine what popping it in the freezer does, but I want to find out!
Sweet goodness, this sounds awesome!
Decorated cakes are cute, but I love how beautifully simple bundt cakes are. This is absolutely gorgeous!!!
Wonder if the freezer makes it moist? I bet so!!
Wow these look fantastic! I can’t wait to try them in my new mini bundt pan, they will look adorable! Sidenote: is the oven temperature correct in your recipe?
Now obviously the can goes into the freezer in the. Under pan but on the rack for 3 hours? Then it too must still be in the pan. Because I’m thinking otherwise it would dry out on the outside? No?
Janet-
Yes, you are going to place the cake (still in the pan) directly into the freezer. Then remove the cake from the freezer and allow it to sit at room temp for a few hours before inverting onto a serving platter. I hope this helps. Thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie
This looks amazing!
Interesting baking method….but these gorgeous photos have convinced me! YUM!
I’m so with you when it comes to decorating cakes – I’d much rather be eating it! I this this looks gorgeous anyhow though.
The ganache makes this that much more awesome… dripping down the sides like that omg
Thank you! My dad’s bday was last week and he is coming to visit this week and he loves banana cake. I was all set to make your banana bars with cream cheese frosting, but now I’m torn ….. I may have to try this cake. I was sold when I saw the buttermilk – I’ve never made a bad recipe when buttermilk was involved.
Thanks Jamie !
What a cool recipe (lol no pun intended)
oh my goodness.. look at that cake.. with the chocolate dripping over!! gulp!!! i am with you when it comes to preferring simpler cakes!!!
Oh my GOODNESS, this looks amazing! My dad is a chocolate fan too!
Yum! Your cake looks amazing! I’m going to try your recipe in my mini bundt pan! It looks so delish!!
strangest instructions ever! but banana and chocolate is one of my favorite combos and I kind of have a thing for bundt cakes so you can be sure I’ll be giving this a try
I love banana bread, cake, and in a bundt, bet this is fabulous!
This is a classic cake, and I love the banana and chocolate combination. Beautiful photos, as always, Jamie!
Sounds delicious and looks very impressive !
What a gorgeous bundt cake and a great flavor! Your photography is lovely too!
I was wondering if you think the freezer portion of this method would work with other cakes…I am about to try a chocolate bundt cake recipe that calls for a similar low baking temp and longer baking time. The recipe just says to cool completely in the pan before turning out, but I’m thinking that maybe this cake would benefit from the deep-freeze treatment, too. Thanks!
Love the chocolate ganache! Mmmm!
I got the “bundt” part that came with a pan which i bought for a fruit cake…never knew what to do with that bundt part…now i know!!! LOOKS SCRUMPTIOUS!!
If you are looking for more bundt cake ideas you should check out The Food Librarian. She did 30 Days of Bundts for 3 years straight so she has a ton of neat recipes to try.
I did make this cake over the past weekend and we just finished it off today. It was so fantastic that I will definitely be making it again. Next time I think I’ll take it out of the pan before freezing it to see how it holds up being frozen for a little longer, like say 1 month. The delicious flavor and moist crumb make this cake to die for so I would love to have it on hand in the freezer to just pull out if company stops by unexpectedly.
Banana and chocolate–one of the most classic but SCRUMPTIOUS flavor combos!
So yummy, I love bundt cakes!
beautiful looking cake!
i should make this for father`s day!
The method for this cake sounds so unusual, but I can’t wait to try it out! I love the simplicity of the chocolate sauce on top, gorgeous!
Interesting method. I’ll have to give that a try and see if it makes a difference!
This cake was as delicious as it looks, I personally could have had more chocolate on it but was delicious anyways..Have some milk nearby as well.
That is seriously the strangest method of baking a cake I’ve ever seen! I really want to try it, but my lifelong hatred of bananas is stopping me…
Casey-
Every time I post something with bananas, I immediately think of you!
-Jamie
I’m not even a banana fan and I can’t help but want to try this! YUM.
Oh wow your bundt cake looks amazing! So beautiful, and delicious too, I’m sure!
)
How gorgeous Jamie!! Love everything about this tasty dessert
Banana and chocolate is such an irresistible combination! Great recipe, Jamie! Thanks for sharing.
Keeping things easy doesn’t meant they aren’t beautiful or delicious. I love how this bundt cake looks and I’m sure it must be really delicious!
Your dad is one lucky guy, Jamie.
I bought a bundt pan about three months ago and I still haven’t used it yet! But I think it’s time to dusted it off and make this amazing looking cake. I always have ripe bananas on hand so this recipe is absolutely perfect for me!
Oh, I love this! My mom used to make a banana layer cake that I adored, but she lost the recipe about 10 years ago. I’m still bummed about it, but thrilled that I might have found its replacement!
Absolutely gorgeous….just like everything you make!
OK…that method has me so curious…i can’t wait to try it!
That is the prettiest bundt cake – with those perfect rivulets of ganache running down the side.
That looks so simple and beautiful. I can’t wait to make this for a tea party.
I just adore bundt cakes, they are the perfect no fuss cake. This one is must be made soon, love the flavor combo’s
I have never heard of this freezer method before. I’ll have to try it; the cake looks amazingly delicious!
Made this yesterday and it was AMAZING. Best banana cake recipe I have ever made.
oh my… i love me some banana and chocolate! and those chocolate drips are perfectly mouth-watering… yum!
this is the perfect pantry/fridge staple cake. with very, very, very ripe bananas and just enough buttermilk, my kids are taking this to their last day of hebrew school tomorrow! thank you, thank you for posting this just in the nick of time!
Can you leave it in the freezer after until you want to use it.?
Love this low bake idea….
Judy-
I have never tried leaving it in the freezer longer than an hour, but my guess is that it will be fine. After the first hour, you’ll probably want to remove it from the pan and place it in a sealed container or wrap it in plastic wrap and tin foil. Hope this helps.
-Jamie
When I made it, I (accidentally) left it in the freezer, still in it’s pan, for 2 days. It still came out amazing.
I made this last night for my father in law who loves bananas. It was absolutely perfect! I thought the instructions were strange, but the cake tuned out moist and decadent. The chocolate ganache took it from simple and delicious to extraordinary!
Yum! I made this over the weekend and it is by far the most moist and delicious banana cakes I have ever had. I did have a small issue – in that the batter overflowed my cathedral bundt pan so I would recommend putting a cookie sheet beneath. Great recipe- thanks so much for posting!
What a great combination of flavors for a bundt cake!
There’s something so fun about bundt cakes! I haven’t made one in a long time and have also never tried making a banana cake, so I’m completely inspired to get the bundt mold of the shelf and whip up your recipe! Hope you have a great weekend!
I’ve fallen in love with your recipes!
I’ve just got a quick question though. Coming from the land down under, I’m used to working with Celcius rather than Fahrenheit, so I’m wondering if my conversion is right – 135 degrees Celcius?
Thanks! Absolutely cannot wait to bake this yumminess!
Shannel-
Yes, that is correct according to Google’s conversion. The cake is baked at a really low temp, so that’s why it probably seems off to you. I hope this helps. Happy Baking!
-Jamie
Hi again!
Made this beautiful cake last night – AH-MAH-ZING!
There is no other way to describe it!
Thank you for sharing!
Shannel-
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks so much for coming back and letting me know how the recipe worked for you!
-Jamie
I would like to make this recipe. I just recently bought a bundt pan. It turns out it is only an 8 cup pan. I figure I can cut the recipe by 1/3 on all the ingredients. But I was wondering, how long should I bake it for? Any thoughts, advice?
Nancy-
Since I have not tried to attempt this variation, I am unable to comment on the outcome. If you give it a try, definitely report back – we’d love to hear how it went! Thanks for reading My Baking Addiction! Have a great day.
-Jamie
I made the recipe as you have it with no reducing and had just a little left over so I put it in a mini loaf pan. Everything came out great. I should have let the ganache sit for a bit to thicken. Thanks for the great recipe!