I will be the first person to admit that I love bananas. They are one of my favorite fruits - but, I love them when they are still slightly green. When they start getting soft they do not appeal (heh) to me as much. Therefore I sometimes end up with overripe bananas because they will sit on the counter until I realize that I had better do something with them. Recently I learned to use frozen bananas in a delicious smoothie. It is no surprise to regular readers I am sure that baking is my prefered way to deal with leftover bananas. One of the most popular recipes on the blog is for chocolate banana bundt cake. OK, I guess I have a thing for bundt cakes.
I had some leftover bananas this week and I was trying to decide what to make and I realized I also had some pineapple. Knowing I also had cherries and strawberries in the freezer the idea of a banana split bundt cake popped into my head! I used a classic banana cake recipe as a starting point and embellished from there.
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Banana Split Bundt Cake
Serves 10 - 12
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 ripe bananas mashed
- 2 cups quartered strawberries
For the Ganache
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 TBS confectioner’s sugar
For the Nut Brittle:
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp unsalted butter, cold
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup pistachio nuts
- 1/4 tsp salt
For Garnish:
- 4 to 6 pieces of pineapple, fresh or canned plus more for serving if desired
- 4 to 6 cherry halves, bing or maraschino plus more for serving if desired
- whipped cream
Make the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350
- Butter and flour a 10 cup bundt pan
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside
- Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached. Beat on medium high until creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the sugar and and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time beating well after each. Pour in the vanilla and beat until combined.
- Remove the strawberries to a small bowl and take about 2 TBS of the reserved flour mixture and sprinkle over the fruit and stir to coat. Set aside.
- Reduce the speed to low and add the mashed, overripe bananas, mixing until combined. Turn off mixer.
- Add half of the flour and turn on mixer to low beating until just combined.
- Mix in sour cream, then remaining flour until the batter just comes together
- Remove the bowl from the stand and fold in the strawberries until combined.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth the top
- Bake in the preheated oven for 65 to 75 minutes until a tester comes out clean
- Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes then remove from pan to cool completely
While the cake is baking you can make the nut brittle and ganache
Make the Nut Brittle:
- Heat a small saute pan over medium heat.
- Add the sugar and salt and let melt. Watch carefully as the sugar can go from a lovely caramel to burnt in the blink of an eye.
- When the sugar has melted, add the butter - it will spit.
- After the butter has melter, turn off the heat and add the nuts, stirring to coat.
- Remove the mixture to a heat safe surface; a silicone mat, a cutting board. Let cool then roughly chop.
Make the Ganache:
- Add the chopped chocolate and confectioner’s sugar to a heatproof bowl
- Warm the heavy cream in a small saucepan until just before boiling.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate/sugar. Let sit for a minute then stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Set aside.
Decorate the Cake
- Place the cake on a rack over a pan or foil or something to catch the excess ganache.
- Pour the ganache evenly over the cake.
- Take the chopped brittle and distribute over the top of the cake
- Alternate pineapple and cherry pieces on top of the brittle
- Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and additional fruit if desired
Was This a Good Use of Overripe Bananas?
It was indeed. The cake was very moist and had a wonderful banana flavor with the tart strawberries making a themselves known in just about every bite. The rich chocolate ganache acts like a sort of hot fudge like sauce with the cherries, pineapple and whipped cream rounding out the banana split experience. I will note that the nuts lose their crunchiness after a day and do get soft so keep that in mind. I think the next time I make it I will sprinkle them as garnish if the cake is not going to be eaten all at once.
This recipe will become a favorite use of overripe bananas like the chocolate banana cookies I made or the marbled banana cake. So many delicious ways to use those bananas.
PrintBanana Split Bundt Cake
a moist vanilla pound cake with bananas and strawberries drizzled with chocolate ganache, chopped nut brittle and cherries and pineapple
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 10 - 12 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 ripe bananas mashed
- 2 cups quartered strawberries
For the Ganache
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 TBS confectioner’s sugar
For the Nut Brittle:
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp unsalted butter, cold
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup pistachio nuts
- 1/4 tsp salt
For Garnish
- 4 to 6 pieces of pineapple, fresh or canned plus more for serving if desired
- 4 to 6 cherry halves, bing or maraschino plus more for serving if desired
- whipped cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
- Butter and flour a 10 cup bundt pan
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside
- Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached. Beat on medium high until creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the sugar and and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time beating well after each. Pour in the vanilla and beat until combined.
- Remove the strawberries to a small bowl and take about 2 TBS of the reserved flour mixture and sprinkle over the fruit and stir to coat. Set aside.
- Reduce the speed to low and add the mashed bananas, mixing until combined. Turn off mixer.
- Add half of the flour and turn on mixer to low beating until just combined.
- Mix in sour cream, then remaining flour until the batter just comes together
- Remove the bowl from the stand and fold in the strawberries until combined.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth the top
- Bake in the preheated oven for 65 to 75 minutes until a tester comes out clean
- Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes then remove from pan to cool completely
While the cake is baking you can make the nut brittle and ganache
Make the Nut Brittle:
- Heat a small saute pan over medium heat.
- Add the sugar and salt and let melt. Watch carefully as the sugar can go from a lovely caramel to burnt in the blink of an eye.
- When the sugar has melted, add the butter - it will spit.
- After the butter has melter, turn off the heat and add the nuts, stirring to coat.
- Remove the mixture to a heat safe surface; a silicone mat, a cutting board. Let cool then roughly chop.
Make the Ganache:
- Add the chopped chocolate and confectioner’s sugar to a heatproof bowl
- Warm the heavy cream in a small saucepan until just before boiling.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate/sugar. Let sit for a minute then stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Set aside.
Decorate the Cake
- Place the cake on a rack over a pan or foil or something to catch the excess ganache.
- Pour the ganache evenly over the cake.
- Take the chopped brittle and distribute over the top of the cake
- Alternate pineapple and cherry pieces on top of the brittle
- Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and additional fruit if desired
Keywords: banana split bundt cake, bundt cake, bananas, banana split
