Banana Bundt Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting and Chocolate Ganache is a delectable dessert that brings together fun flavors that are meant for each other. This simple but elegant recipe is a great way to take my Best Ever Banana Bundt Cake Recipe to the next level!
My Best Ever Banana Bundt Cake Recipe is one of the most popular recipes on my site. A few years ago, when my son needed a cake for a scouting event, we made a banana bundt cake and frosted it with peanut butter frosting and then drizzled it with chocolate ganache. Everyone who tried it that night loved it and I’ve made it a few times since. Last time I made it I finally remembered to take pictures so I could share the delicious recipe!
The more I look at these pictures I’m thinking maybe I should have called this Tiger King Cake. Lol.
Over the years I’ve fallen more and more in love with bundt cakes…probably because I’m not very good at decorating cakes and bundt cakes are simple and elegant looking without much effort in the frosting/decorating department. Here are some of my favorites:
Delicious Bundt Cakes:
The Best Bundt Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Next time the stars align and you need to take a dessert somewhere and you also have over-ripe bananas on your counter, bust out a Banana Bundt Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting and Chocolate Ganache. It’s the responsible thing to do.
Tips for making a great bundt cake
- Never fill your bundt cake pan more than 2/3 full. If you have extra batter put it in another small baking dish. Overfilling can result in the cake spilling over. If you are concerned about that, put a cookie sheet under your bundt pan. I have never had a bundt cake overflow but a few people have reported having that issue with the Best Ever Banana Bundt Cake Recipe…their bundt pans must be smaller than my traditional-sized one. You need a 12-cup bundt pan for this recipe.
- One way to lock in the freshness of your cake is to put it directly into the freezer when you take it out of the oven. I put mine on a hot pad in the freezer so it won’t melt anything. This keeps the cake incredibly moist. You do not need to do this step if you don’t want to. The cake is actually quite moist on its own, however, I love what this step does for this delicious cake. I also like to quickly run a knife around the edges of the cake before I put it in the freezer. Helps it come out of the pan easier when I’m ready for that step.
- My mom always had me grease and flour any kind of pan I was making a cake in. She did not believe that a spray of cooking spray could be enough to help a cake come out without falling apart. I hated greasing and flouring the pans. I am a lazy baker in case I didn’t make that clear earlier with the talk of how I prefer bundt cakes because they are EASY. So despite knowing that greasing and flouring are better you can be guaranteed that I almost always only use cooking spray to prepare my bundt pans before baking…I will say, however, that I am careful to get all the nooks and crannies.
- When frosting the cake put the frosting in evenly spaced globs around the top o the cake. Use the back of a spoon to gently start connecting the globs and then pushing the frosting down the sides. This helps to not have crumbs get into the frosting which can happen when you do a back-and-forth motion.
I can’t wait to hear what you think of this cake. For some reason this cake always makes me think of Elvis Presley. I heard once that his favorite food was peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwiches. I just swapped out the bacon for ganache but I still think Elvis would be proud!
More Peanut Butter Goodness
- For the Cake:
- ½ cup softened butter
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 2⅛ cup sugar
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1½ cup buttermilk, (i use sour milk* or ½ plain yogurt half milk if I don't have buttermilk)
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups smashed very ripe bananas, I use 3 or 4 bananas
- For the Frosting:
- ½ cup softened butter
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2-3 tbsp milk, heavy whipping cream or evaporated milk
- For the Ganache:
- ⅓ cup of heavy cream
- ⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, room temperature
- For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Grease and flour a bundt pan and set aside...or spray it with cooking spray paying close attention to the nooks and crannies.
- Smash the bananas and mix in the 2 tsp of lemon juice and set aside
- Using a hand mixer or your stand mixer combine, butter, oil and sugar and mix thoroughly
- Add eggs one at a time and mix just until combined
- Add vanilla, salt, and buttermilk. Mix well, scrape edges and bottom of bowl to make sure everything is well combined
- Add baking soda and flour mix gently and then add bananas and mix gently again.
- Pour the cake batter evenly into the greased and floured bundt pan (do not fill bundt pan more than ⅔ full) and bake in the 350-degree oven for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Immediately after removing cake from oven. Put cake (still in the pan) into your freezer and freeze for 45-60 minutes.
- Remove cake from freezer. Let the cake sit for 10-15 minutes and then turn it over onto a cake stand or large plate. Once you make the frosting you are ready to frost cake with the Peanut Butter Frosting and then drizzle with the chocolate ganache.
- Directions for Frosting:
- Use your hand mixer to cream together the softened butter, peanut butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, dash of salt and 2 tbsp of milk or cream. Add more milk or cream as needed until you reach the desired consistency.
- Place evenly spaced spoonfuls of the frosting along the top of the cake. Use the back of a spoon to connect them and start smoothing the frosting down the sides of the cake. Once the cake is covered, prepare the chocolate ganache.
- Directions for the Ganache:
- Heat ⅓ cup of heavy whipping cream in a glass bowl in your microwave for 45-60 seconds or until it is hot. Put ⅓ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips in another glass bowl.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and let it sit for 2-3 minutes. Stir vigorously until the chocolate and cream combine to make a smooth ganache. Drizzle the ganache over the frosted cake.
- Beautiful! Your cake is done. Cake can be stored at room temperature.
Try These Awesome Dinner Ideas
I will try this for sure today!! Tell me though, how long do you leave it in the freezer after baking? I sure don’t want to defrost slices all the time!!!
Thanks, Virginia
I freeze it for about an hour or two. I freeze the whole cake, not individual slices.
I never make bundt cakes for some reason, but this recipe made me realize the error of my ways. I loved this cake! Easy, beautiful, delicious!
Right! Aren’t bundt cakes the best!