Kickstart the Spring season with the irresistible indulgence of our Jamaican Honey Banana Bundt Cake —a sweet, moist, and dense delight that’s sure to brighten your day and fulfill those tastebuds. Whether you’re aiming to impress at a bake sale, elevate your brunch game, or simply satisfy your dessert cravings, get ready to enjoy a slice of pure joy with this Jamaican-inspired recipe.
What Makes This Jamaican Honey Banana Bundt Cake SO GOOD?
I’m a huge fan of anything with banana flavors, and pairing that with honey? It’s a dreamy combo! This Jamaican Honey Banana Bundt Cake was inspired by my upbringing and trips during my childhood to Jamaican but I decided to amp it up with a bit of a twist and in a bundt cake form. Every bite is filled with that delicious banana goodness, and I can’t wait for you to try it! With it being Holy Week and the leading up to Easter Sunday, this cake going beautifully with a great read of this Daily Devotional: The Sower + The Seed Parable.
Lately, I’ve been enjoying easy to bake cake-like desserts. Whether it’s my go-to classic Olive Oil Cake or this delightful Apple Cinnamon Olive Oil Cake, I’ve uncovered a secret love for ease, intention, and being present while baking and I use this kind of rhetoric with my Lemon Blueberry Olive Oil Cake too! Seriously, give it a whirl, and thank me later. If you’re a lover of cake, then my Best Cake Flavors for Any Occasion list is one to check out, especially for the Easter season and any other occassion.
Overall, this honey banana bundt cake is just the right amount of sweetness, fluffiness, softness and includes a beautiful marriage of banana + honey, and is altogether easy to make—using simple ingredients. It’s a win, win situation—believe me! And It’s not just delicious but also completely packable! So, if you’re on the hunt for a delicious baked treat that can keep up with your on-the-go lifestyle, look no further!
How To Make Jamaican Honey Banana Bundt Cake
First step? Making the cake, of course! We’ll save the glaze for later because right now, we’re all about that Sweet Potato Bundt Cake batter. And let me tell you, it’s a breeze to whip up! Here’s what you need:
Ingredients
HONEY BANANA CAKE:
- Mashed bananas. Make sure to use super-ripe bananas for the sweetest flavor.
- Butter. Use salted or unsalted butter that’s softened to room temperature.
- Flour. I use organic flour from Bob’s Red Mill. (Sub-out for Bob’s Red Mill GF flour for Gluten-free version)
- Baking powder + baking soda
- Warming spices. I’m talking about the perfect pairing with banana: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice.
- Honey. I recommend using organic and raw. This adds a nice sweetness to this cake.
- Eggs. It’s best to use room-temperature eggs for better mixing.
- Vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil. You can also use avocado oil.
- Molasses. I like to use premium molasses.
HONEY GLAZE:
The shiny and sweet honey glaze drizzled over the top of the bundt cake brings everything together. Here’s what you need to make it:
- Powdered sugar. Make sure not to use granulated sugar, or the glaze will be grainy, not smooth.
- Water.
- Honey. This creates a beautiful thick glaze that adds sheen to the cake and a nice stickiness.
Why You’ll Love This Honey Banana Cake
- It’s super fluffy, moist and beautifully textured.
- Delicious and comforting in every bite.
- Melt in your mouth goodness!
- Can be made as a traditional 2-layer cake, sheet cake, or cupcakes. Your choice!
- Not too sweet, but perfectly sweet at the same time.
- The warm spices are EVERYTHING.
How Ripe Should Bananas Be for Banana Cake?
When it comes to making Jamaican Honey Banana Bundt Cake, the level of ripeness of your bananas matters. I’ve made my banana cakes with both types of bananas and to be honest, the VERY ripe bananas have made the BEST cakes.
Very ripe bananas make for a sweeter and more moist cake and the mashing is also a lot easier.
How to Ripen Bananas for This Honey Banana Bundt Cake Recipe?
Have you ever had bananas that weren’t fully ripe, but you were dying to get baking? Well, I totally understand. I’ve definitely been there. Luckily, I’ve come across a few hacks to help you ripen your bananas if you’re in a pinch, and here’s what you can do:
- Keep the banana bunches together to avoid the ripening process from stalling.
- Store your bananas in a warm place like near a heater or atop your refrigerator. This helps them to ripen faster.
- Using a paper bag, add your bananas inside and fold it over to close it. The gases from inside the bag once shut tight will ripen the bananas within 24-36 hours.
If you’re looking to ripe your bananas more quickly for baking purposes then you can do one of the following:
- Oven Method: Preheat the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit and place bananas (with peels on) unto a baking sheet and let them bake for 15-20 minutes or until skins are black. The bananas at this point should be soft and sweet.
- Microwave Method: Poke holes into the peel
Tips for the Best Bundt Cake
Here are a few tips to make sure your bundt cake comes out perfectly the first time:
GREASE THE PAN
Make sure you thoroughly grease the bundt pan. I also recommend adding a light coating of flour to make sure your cake slides easily out of the pan, however, when not using flour—-just ensure that you butter the pan generously.
ROOM TEMP BUTTER
Use room-temperature butter so it whips up light and fluffy with the honey. Otherwise, you may get lumps of butter in the cake batter.
DON’T OVER-MIX!
Once you combine the dry and wet ingredients, avoid over-mixing the cake batter. Just mix until the batter comes together smoothly. It will be thick and rich.
LET IT COOL!
Let the cake cool completely: After you’ve baked the cake, let it cool completely in the pan before you try to remove it. This will help it keep its shape and prevent it from falling apart.
Perfect Occasions For A Slice Bundt Cake
These events are a great excuse to eat cake!
- Birthdays
- Anniversaries
- Barbecues
- Potlucks
- Kids Sleepovers
- Holiday Gatherings
- Graduations
- Baby Showers
- Dinner Parties
- Actually, any time is a good time for cake, right? Bake away for a little weekday pep-up!
Why Didn’t My Cake Come Out Of The Pan Clean?
This issue can occur for TWO reasons: the first being that you didn’t allow the cake to cool enough before removing it. I always recommend letting it cool for at least 20-30 minutes before removing it and letting it cool completely on a cooling rack. Secondly, the issue could be that the pan wasn’t greased well. I like to grease + add cake pan parchment paper to the bottom.
Great Reads to Enjoy with this Bundt Cake!
Everything Up, Starts Down: Book of Ecclesiastes
Beware of False Prophets + Teachers
Understanding the 7+ Spiritual Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The Modern Day Pharisees + Sadducees of the Church
Daily Devotional: Psalm 27: 13-14
Jamaican Honey Banana Bundt Cake
Ingredients
BUNDT CAKE:
- 6 very ripe organic bananas, mashed
- ½ cup salted butter, softened at room temp.
- 3 cups organic all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsps baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsps ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- 4 large eggs, at room temp.
- 1 cup organic raw honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsps molasses
- ½ cup vegetable oil
OPTIONAL [ADD-ONS]:
- ½ tsp lime zest
- ½ cup organic coconut flakes
- 3 Tbsps pineapple rum
HONEY GLAZE:
- ¼ cup organic raw honey
- 2 Tbsps water
- 1 cup organic powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
TO MAKE THE BUNDT CAKE:
- Begin by preheating the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease (with butter or oil) and LIGHTLY flour a standard Bundt cake pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice until combined. Set aside.
- In a bowl, add the butter and honey, beating them together using a hand-mixer (on high-speed), until pale and fluffy, about 2-3minutes.
- Add in the eggs (one at a time), mashed bananas, vanilla, molasses, and vegetable oil followed by the dry ingredients, mixing everything together until well combined, smooth, and lump-free, about 2-3 minutes. NOTE: The batter should be thick, yet easy to stir.
- Scoop the batter evenly into the Bundt cake pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick or butter knife comes out clean when tested all around the cake.
- Remove cake from the oven and let it cool completely in the pan before removing the cake and placing it onto a cake stand or dish. NOTE: Let it cool for at least 1-2 hours in a cool place.
TO MAKE THE GLAZE:
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add the honey and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the powdered sugar until completely dissolved and smooth. Remove from heat.
- Once the cake has cooled completely and is on the cake stand or dish of your choice, generously drizzle the honey glaze atop.
- Slice and enjoy with your favorite scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.
- Bon Appetit!
Notes
- STORAGE: Keep cake leftovers stored for up to 4 days in the fridge. Keep it in an airtight container to keep the cake from drying out. You can also freeze the cake tightly wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 months. Before serving, defrost the cake on the counter.
- FLOUR: You can always just use cake flour for this recipe for a fluffier texture.
- MAKE AHEAD: You can always bake this cake the night or day before and let it cool, tightly wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use. When ready to serve, let the cake sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour. Then make the glaze and top and serve!
- OIL vs. BUTTER: Instead of vegetable oil, you can also use melted butter, olive oil or coconut oil, if preferred.
This recipe was a hit!! The sweetness of the honey and the warm feeling of the bananas made this great for the family!!