Banana Brunch Cake
This recipe has been in our family as long as I can remember. My brother Bruce named it rotten banana cake. That's what he calls it every time he sees those blackened, sad-looking bananas going into my mixing bowl instead of the trash.
When I've got a countertop full of bananas nobody's touching and a Sunday morning that calls for something from the oven, this is the one I go to. It's simple, it's forgiving, and it comes out with a cinnamon-pecan swirl running straight through the middle — the kind of thing that looks like you fussed over it. You didn't. That's our secret.
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Banana Brunch Cake
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Why You'll Love This
It forgives your forgotten bananas. The uglier they are, the better this cake turns out — finally, a use for the ones you were feeling guilty about.
One bowl, one pan. No layers to stack, no frosting to fuss with.
It freezes beautifully. Make it ahead for a brunch, a houseguest, or a Sunday morning that needs something sweet.
That swirl does all the work. Cinnamon, brown sugar, and pecans running through the center make it look far more impressive than the effort it actually took.
Ingredients
For the cake:
1 cup sugar
½ cup butter- softened
2 eggs
1 cup ripe mashed bananas (the uglier, the better)
½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
For the topping:
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
How to Make It
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and smooth.
Add eggs and mix well.
Stir in mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Gradually mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until combined.
Pour half of the batter into a greased bundt pan, or an 8×8 glass pan.
Sprinkle with half of the topping mixture.
Cover with remaining batter and finish with the rest of the topping.
Bake 45–55 minutes, until golden and set.
Cool slightly before slicing and serving.
Pro Tips
Don't rush the bananas. The spottier and softer they are, the more flavor and moisture they bring. If they're not there yet, let them sit a few more days.
Out of sour cream? Plain yogurt works just as well — they’ll never know.
Make it ahead. This cake freezes beautifully, so it's an easy one to have ready before guests arrive.
Grease every groove. A bundt pan holds onto detail, so don't skip the corners when greasing — nobody wants to lose the swirl to the pan.
Watching sugar? Johnny's is too, so this is one of the recipes I make with monk fruit worked in. Since it's more concentrated than sugar, it's not a straight swap by volume — for the 1 cup of sugar in this recipe, I use ½ cup sugar plus ¼ cup monk fruit.
One weird tip: Monk fruit doesn’t cream with the butter the same way sugar does, so I add it to the dry ingredients.
What to Serve It With
A slice of this alongside a good cup of coffee is really all it needs. For a brunch spread, set it out next to a fruit salad and something savory — my favorite crustless quiche rounds it out nicely.
It also travels well, makes the car smell like a bakery on the way over, and is the perfect thing to bring when someone else is hosting.
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A few things that make this one easier:
A good bundt pan — the nonstick kind with defined grooves so the swirl shows once you flip it.
A set of stainless steel measuring cups — accuracy matters here, especially when you're splitting sugar and monk fruit.
A little Monk Fruit Sweetener — this is the one I keep on hand for swapping in on recipes like this one.
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