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This Banana Pound Cake with Salted Toffee Icing may be the most delicious, easy banana cake you'll ever make! The icing takes it over the top!
I'm always looking for recipes that will make your life (and mine) a little easier and more delicious - this Banana Bundt Cake with Salted Toffee Icing ticks all the boxes!
While I don't mind making a fancy layer cake with all the trimmings, it's usually not something that's in my time budget. A Bundt cake, on the other hand is easy to throw together and the pan does most of the styling. You can leave Bundt cakes plain and simple, give them a sprinkle of powdered sugar, brush them with a syrupy glaze or drizzle with a delicious icing. A beautiful and easy way to add an extra special touch, is to place a tiny vase of flowers in the center opening as is you can see with my Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake.
I came across this banana cake recipe a while back on Food.com. It's from Dorie Greenspan, a Jame's Beard award winning cookbook author who's recipes are always reliable and consistently delicious. When I read the myriad of rave reviews, I was sold! I had to try it.
I'd been searching for a great banana bundt cake recipe for awhile and had tried a number of versions which were just "so-so". Despite the great reviews on the Food.com recipe, I was still a bit of a doubting Thomas. But the first taste sealed the deal and I knew I didn't have to look any further.
I've made this cake several times now and it's definitely a winner: moist, flavorful and one of those cakes that keeps getting better and better (if there's any leftover, that is)!
The toffee icing is easy to make and takes less that 10 minutes to put together. If you missed our last post, I actually did a tutorial called How to Ice a Bundt Cake - an Easy and Beautiful Technique! We shot a video to demonstrate how easy it is and I'm including it below so you don't have to click back (although the post does include a few extra tips).
A sprinkle of flaky sea salt is the crowning glory for this already fabulous cake. I really like Maldon which you can find at gourmet grocery stores and online.
You'll need 4-5 very ripe bananas for this cake. If you don't have time to buy them in advance and let them ripen, most grocery stores have a "mark down" section in the produce department. That's where they sell fruit and vegetables that are past their prime for a lower price. Sometimes you have to ask, as it's usually tucked in some little corner out of the limelight, but you'll almost always find bananas loaded with brown "sugar" spots. Sugar spots, or the brown flecks that appear all over ripe bananas, really are what their name declares - the browner a banana becomes, the more natural sugar it contains. Don't tell the grocer (they might raise the price) but these are the most coveted bananas for any kind of baking, as they produce sweet, super moist and flavorful breads, coffee cakes, muffins and cakes.
This would be a perfect dessert for Easter, Mother's Day, Graduation or any special occasion coming up. And I'm here to testify that it also perfect for making an ordinary day seem like a special occasion!
P.S. Have you ever baked a Bundt cake and had trouble getting it out of the pan? Disappointment with a capital D, right? Especially if you're wanting to take it to a friend, serve it at a potluck or picnic or enjoy it with friends for dessert. A little trick I use that never fails: double grease the pan. Double grease? Yes! First spray the pan generously with baking spray. (Baking spray is different than regular cooking spray as it contains oil and flour.) Then rub it into all the nooks and crannies of the pan with a small piece of paper toweling. Now, spray the whole pan one more time, lightly. That's it, no more cake stuck to the pan. It's one of those little tricks that has saved me lots of frustration.
What I used to make and serve this cake:
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For your Pinning pleasure:
- For the cake:
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces salted butter at room temperature (1 cup or 2 sticks)
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 4-5 very ripe bananas 1 ½ - 1 ¾ cups
- 1 cup buttermilk
- For the icing:
- 5 tablespoons salted butter
- ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup sifted powdered sugar
- flaking sea salt I love Maldon
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For the cake, preheat to 350°F. Generously spray a 9- to 10-inch (12 cup) Bundt pan** with baking spray. Rub the spray into all the grooves of the pan with a small piece of paper toweling. Spray pan again lightly and set aside.
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Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together.
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With a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the eggs (one at a time), beating for about 1 minute after each egg goes in. Reduce mixer speed to low and add in the bananas. Finally, add half the dry ingredients (the batter may curdle a bit) and mix until combined. Next add all of the buttermilk, mix again, then add the rest of the flour mixture. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and stir one more times. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top.
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Bake for 60-75 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. After 30 minutes of baking time, cover the cake loosely with foil.
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When cake is finished baking, transfer it to a rack and cool for 10 minutes, invert pan and transfer cake onto the rack. Cool to room temperature. If you have time, wrap the cooled cake in plastic and allow it to sit overnight (if not don't worry, it will still be wonderful!).
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For the icing, combine the butter, dark brown sugar and heavy cream in a heavy saucepan and bring the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring constantly.
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Boil for ONE minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract.
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Add about ½ cup of the powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. Continue to whisk in powdered sugar by the tablespoon until you reach your desired consistency.
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Place on a serving platter or cake stand and pour the salted toffee icing over the top. Sprinkle lightly with flaky sea salt.
*With very ripe bananas, you can "mash" them right in the peel - just gently push each banana between your fingers until the whole thing feels smushed. You can then add each one right to the bowl. The mixing of the other ingredients will mash them more. **This makes a fairly large cake. Use a bundt pan that has a 12 cup capacity, otherwise you'll have a mess in your oven. If your Bundt pan is smaller than 12 cups, just pour about a cup of the batter into a small, greased bread pan and bake it along side the Bundt cake. Cake recipe adapted from Food.com Icing recipe adapted from The Hungry Housewife
Janet says
I love this recipe and have made it several times. It came out perfectly!
But after not making it for several months, I'm having a little trouble with the icing the two times I have tried to make it in recent weeks. I measured and sifted the powdered sugar, but I am ending up with an icing that is too thin with little white dots of powdered sugar throughout. It doesn't look anything like your beautiful photo, nor does it look like the versions I made successfully in the past. I don't know what I am doing wrong. Would boiling it longer than a minute help dissolve the powdered sugar dots? The frosting appears to be smooth but then the dots appear in the frosting when I pour it over the cake. Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Janet, yes, it sounds like your powdered sugar is not fully dissolved but I would simply whisk it a bit longer rather than cooking it longer. Increasing the time that it cooks could cause the sugar to crystalize.
Winnie says
Hi I am excited to make this for my son's birthday. Any suggestions as to how much salt to add if I am using unsalted butter? Thank you.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Winnie, the general rule is 1/4 tsp per stick of butter so for this recipe I would add 1/2 tsp.
Diane says
I’ve made this cake twice now and I doubled the icing because I love it so much. It was too much for the cake (I knew it would be!) so I froze the extra. And now I’m eating the frosting straight out of the freezer! It’s just like toffee fudge! This cake is just so easy and delicious.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much for letting us know, Diane!
Dawn L. says
I've made this cake multiple times and everyone loves it! It's actually in the oven now ... special request for my husband's birthday. A few times I added a tad of coconut and rum extract for more tropical flavor. DELICIOUS!!!!
Chris Scheuer says
I love that your husband requested this for his birthday, such a nice compliment! Thanks for taking the time to share your review, Dawn!
Janet says
This is an inredible pound cake! I have made it a couple of times, to rave reviews. The icing makes a great cake even better!
Also, does this freeze well? I know the banana bread will, but I am wondering of the icing. (With our shelter-in-place, there are only two of us in my household right now, and one does not eat dessert!)
Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
So happy you enjoyed this cake, Janet! It definitely freezer well!
Susan Swindal says
I made this tonight for the first time and it is soo good. I'm not even sure if I'm going to bother making the topping. (not
sure it even needs it). Thank you for sharing.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Susan! I'm so happy you enjoyed it. Sometime, when you feel like splurging, try the icing, it's pretty amazing 🙂
Susan Swindal says
I will have to do that. Thanks again for sharing an amazing recipe. I've shared this with
all of my friends and they love it too!
Chris Scheuer says
💕
KATHY says
This cake is amazing! Wonderful flavor, perfect texture & the salted toffee glaze takes it over the top!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Kathy! I'm so happy you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
Michelle says
Does this cake need to be refrigerated since the toffee frosting contains cream?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Michelle, it's fine at room temperature for a few hours. If I were going to keep it overnight, I would refrigerate and then bring it back to room temperature before serving. It tastes much better at room temp as all the flavors come out.
Julia says
Another ridiculously awesome recipe. I had 5 bananas looking to be repurposed- I came to you and was not disappointed. The cake was super easy, moist and delicious. That Salt Toffee Icing is demanding to be made over and over. It is super simply and delicious. I will make this over and over again . What did I do before I discovered your site? Thank you!!