This banana bundt cake is made healthier with white whole wheat flour, honey, and yogurt but still decadent with a drizzled cream cheese cinnamon frosting.
This banana bundt cake recipe has just the right level of sweetness that it feels like a treat without going over the top. It makes a lot too so it’s perfect for sharing!
This is the recipe you want if you either want a healthy cake or a gussied up version of banana bread. It’s dense, moist and the frosting makes it so so good.
What makes this banana bundt cake unique
I mean, when else do you get to eat cake for breakfast? Rarely I’m guessing. Being healthy and still amazingly good is what makes this recipe special.
This is the ultimate healthy version of a banana cake. With honey, Greek yogurt, white whole wheat flour, and a lightened up cream cheese frosting it’s more like a quick bread than a cake, but that isn’t a problem here since its absolutely delicious still.
White whole wheat flour adds more nutrition without the heaviness whole wheat flour can give baked goods so it still has great texture, is perfectly moist and full of rich banana flavor.
I debated on whether or not I should even call it a cake since the texture is more like banana bread, but decided that it is in fact a cake, just a healthy cake.
Ingredients
The ingredients in this recipe are pretty simple but come together fantastically. It’s a long list, but most cakes that are worth their salt are. here’s the ingredient list:
- white whole wheat flour (sometimes labeled whole wheat pastry flour)
- baking soda
- cinnamon
- salt (just regular table salt will work)
- butter or coconut oil
- mashed over ripe banana – browner the better!
- honey (or maple syrup)
- vanilla extract
- eggs
- plain Greek yogurt
- unsweetened almond milk (or any milk)
- toasted pecans
- semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
The glaze ingredients are a bit less healthy but lightened up wherever possible. I tried it multiple different ways and the version with powdered sugar always came out on top as the clear winner. Here’s what you need:
- 1/3 less fat cream cheese
- coconut oil or butter
- vanilla extract
- powdered sugar
- cinnamon
How to Make Banana Bundt Cake
This banana cake is easy to make with just a few steps more than your standard quick bread (toasting pecans and frosting).
- Start by mixing dry ingredients
- Blend wet ingredients
- Stir in chocolate and toasted pecans
- Pour batter into a greased bundt pan
- Bake
- Remove from oven, cool and frost
Tips for making this recipe perfectly
To make this recipe and have it turn out absolutely perfect, here are a few things you need to know:
- Use really ripe bananas with lots of brown spots (I keep bananas that have gotten too ripe in the freezer to defrost for recipes like this)
- Don’t over mix the batter
- Don’t skip toasting the pecans
- Make sure not to over bake
- Make the frosting and don’t skip it
- Grease the pan with a thick layer of butter or coconut oil or the cake may stick
- Use low or full fat yogurt (nonfat yogurts have stabilizers and fillers that make it not work as well for baking and cooking)
What to serve with Banana Bundt Cake
Well, you can serve pretty much anything with this cake. It’s healthy enough to be breakfast, filling enough for a snack and sweet enough to serve as a dessert.
- This piña colada nice-cream would be so so good served on the side
- A nice creamy coconut whipped cream
- a nice creamy dalgona whipped coffee or tea
Other recipes that use brown bananas
The sheer number of banana recipes on this site is overwhelming. I’ll share a few of my favorites and a few other intriguing ones:
- This coconut banana bread is always raved over – an absolute favorite for coconut lovers
- If you’re gluten free, or just looking for a high protein banana bread, this divine almond flour banana bread is what you need
- These peanut butter banana muffins are one of the most popular recipes on this site
- This basic banana bread is anything but basic! Such a great balance of flavor.
Banana Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups white whole wheat flour sometimes labeled whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup melted butter or coconut oil
- 1 3/4 cup mashed banana (4-5 bananas)
- 2/3 cup honey or maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (don't use nonfat)
- ½ cup unsweetened plain almond milk or any milk of choice
- 3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans*
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
Glaze
- 4 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese
- 1 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp. cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. cardamom
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).
- Spray bundt pan with cooking spray (or use a silicone baking form)
- Stir flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt together in a bowl.
- In a mixing bowl, beat butter, banana, honey, vanilla, eggs, yogurt, and almond milk until smooth.
- Pour dry ingredients into wet mixture and lightly beat for 10 seconds, scraping sides until mixed in but not over mixed. Stir in toasted pecans and chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into prepared bundt pan, place in oven and bake for 45-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted into a central area comes out mostly clean.
- Remove from oven and let cook for 15 minutes before turning the pan over to release the cake from the pan onto a wire cooling rack. Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
- To make the glaze, add cream cheese, butter, and vanilla into a mixing bowl and beat using a hand mixer or rigorously by hand with a wire whisk until blended (do not do this in the blender). Add powdered sugar, cinnamon and cardamom and beat until all powdered sugar is mixed in. Glaze should be somewhat thick but pourable and not runny. Add additional powdered sugar if needed to reach desired consistency.
- Place bundt cake on serving plate and, with a light hand, pour glaze over cake moving your hand back and forth in a zig-zag pattern until entire cake is fully glazed. Slice and serve. To store, keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Use really ripe bananas with lots of brown spots (keep bananas that have gotten too ripe in the freezer to defrost for recipes like this)
- Don’t over mix the batter
- Don’t skip toasting the pecans
- Make sure not to over bake
- Make the frosting and don’t skip it
- Grease the pan with a thick layer of butter or coconut oil or the cake may stick
- Use low or full fat yogurt (nonfat yogurts have stabilizers and fillers that make it not work as well for baking and cooking)
Nutrition
did you make this recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
LOVE IT!
Thank you Irene! 🙂