Go Back

Banana Pound Cake

Banana pound cake with a golden, caramelized crust and a tight, velvety crumb made by creaming butter and sugar, then folding in mashed bananas. Finished with a simple vanilla glaze that drips down the sides for a rich banana dessert slice.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana pound cake
  • 3 bananas ripe, mashed
  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 2 cup sugar
  • 4 eggs large
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup sour cream
For the vanilla glaze
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk use 2–3 tbsp for drip consistency
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment

  • 1 stand mixer
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep the pan and oven
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease and flour a large loaf pan or bundt pan for easy release.
Make the banana pound cake batter
  1. Beat butter and sugar together for 5 minutes until very light and fluffy.
  2. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  3. Mix in vanilla extract and the mashed bananas until the batter looks glossy and evenly blended.
  4. Whisk the all-purpose flour with baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  5. Alternate folding in the flour mixture and sour cream in three additions, stopping as soon as no dry streaks remain.
Bake and glaze
  1. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, then bake for 65–75 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is deeply golden.
  2. Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes, then unmold.
  3. Stir together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract for the vanilla glaze until smooth and drizzle-ready.
  4. Drizzle the vanilla glaze over the cooled cake so it drips down the sides.

Notes

For the densest, velvety crumb, scrape the bowl and fold the flour mixture just until combined—overmixing can toughen the cake. Store tightly wrapped in the refrigerator up to 4 days; let slices come to room temperature for the best texture. Freezing is yes: wrap well and freeze up to 2 months, thaw overnight in the fridge. For a lighter swap, use reduced-fat sour cream (or Greek yogurt) while keeping the rest the same.