Banana Pineapple Bundt
E
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
A moist, dense cake with ripe bananas and crushed pineapple giving a sweet-tart buzz. Baked in a Bundt pan for even crust and tender crumb. Cream cheese drizzle melts slightly, adding tang and richness. Slight substitution with applesauce cuts oil a bit, for a lighter touch. Mix of baking soda and salt balances the sweet fruit, essential for lift. Timing plays a key role; too early out means soggy center, too late overbakes dry edges. Bundt shape traps steam, so watch that toothpick test carefully. A sweet mess of tropical flavors, textured with banana bits, and pineapple juice soaking the strands for extra zing. Not neat, but honest home baking with zing and a few lessons learned from early failed attempts.
Prep:
20 min
Cook:
Total:
Servings:
12 servings
#American dessert
#Bundt cake
#tropical flavors
#banana recipes
#pineapple recipes
#cream cheese drizzle
#moist cakes
Banana and pineapple together — a combo that’s tricky but worth the trouble. The first few attempts, the cake came out gummy or flat, ruined by too much juice or underbaked centers hiding gooey patches. Learned fast the key was balancing fruit with dry ingredients and careful testing while baking. Bundt pan holds heat evenly, encouraging a crisp edge but you gotta watch for cracks as a sign it’s baking fast. The smell … ripe bananas with citrusy pineapple swirl, filling the place nicely, hints when it’s nearly done. I threw in applesauce to lighten the oil load from past fats-heavy tries. The cream cheese drizzle — not too runny, enough to drizzle and cling, softening the sharp tang. The cake slices sturdy but yielding, tropical, not fussy.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 very ripe bananas, mashed rough
- 1 cup crushed pineapple with juice
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
For the icing===
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream, plus more as needed
About the ingredients
Bananas must be ripe; spots and mushier than firm are best. Under-ripe ones cause bland cakes, over-ripe feel mushy and make batter runny. Pineapple juice matters — use canned crushed with juice for sweetness and moisture. If fresh pineapple, reserve juice to balance moisture accordingly. I swapped 1/4 vegetable oil for applesauce to keep moistness but lower fat, which worked well to mellow richness. Sugar can be reduced slightly if preferred less sweet; brown sugar can add deeper molasses flavor but changes texture slightly. Baking soda balanced with salt is key; using baking powder can throw off rise and crumb texture. Vanilla gives the final fragrant background but avoid artificial extracts with odd aftertaste.
Method
- Grease and dust a Bundt pan with flour, knocking out excess. Do not skip or the cake sticks like glue.
- Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a big bowl. Whisk well to evenly distribute. Add sugar next; stir to combine evenly.
- Add mashed bananas, crushed pineapple with all its juice, oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla. Stir gently with a wooden spoon until just combined. Don’t overmix or risk tough crumb.
- Pour batter carefully into the Bundt pan. Level the top with a spatula but no need to smooth obsessively.
- Bake in preheated 350°F oven for roughly 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes. Start checking at 1 hour. Test doneness with a thin skewer or toothpick — it should come out with moist crumbs, never wet batter.
- Look for golden brown edges starting to pull away slightly from pan; smell fills the kitchen with banana-caramel aroma.
- Cool completely in pan on wire rack to avoid breakage. If still warm, cake crumbles if unmolded too soon. Patience pays off.
For the icing
- Beat cream cheese until creamy and soft but not runny. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons milk or cream. Stir to combine. Add more milk a teaspoon at a time until thick but just pourable texture achieved.
- Drizzle over cooled cake. The cheese icing softens almost immediately with warmth from cake surface giving a glossy finish. Avoid icing a hot cake; it will melt and slide off in puddles.
- Serve at room temp or chill briefly for thicker icing set. Crunchy nuts sprinkled on top add welcome texture contrast.
Cooking tips
Step one, prepping pan well avoided failed demos where cake refused to come out cleanly. Flour and grease combo is must; commonly asked. When mixing wet and dry components, don’t overbeat or gluten builds up — watch batter; if it looks shaggy with lumps, you’re good. Pour evenly into the pan to bake uniformly; gaps or air pockets create uneven crumb. Oven temps vary, so smell and visual cues beat the clock on timing. Toothpick test – look for crumbs clinging lightly — not sticky batter, not dry crumbs. Cooling in pan traps steam; patience pays, solid cake without cracks or collapse. Icing adjusts with milk amount; thicker for spreading, thinner for drizzle. Adding cinnamon or toasted coconut flakes on top adds punch and texture twist. Use leftovers for French toast or muffins.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Prep pan right, grease then flour, or cake sticks like glue. Bundt shape traps steam; cool in pan fully to keep structure. Don’t rush unmolding or crumb falls apart. Timing matters; early pull means gummy center, too late dries edges. Smell is good cue — banana-caramel hints crack in air.
- 💡 Mix flour, baking soda, salt dry first, whisk well. Add sugar after for even sweetness. Banana and pineapple juice add moisture but balance with oil and applesauce to avoid soggy mess. Mash bananas rough, lumps are okay. Overmix and gluten builds tough crumb; fold gently until just combined.
- 💡 Oven heat varies; start checking at 1 hour. Toothpick test key — look for moist crumbs, no wet batter. Edges pull away slightly, golden brown, smell fills kitchen with ripe banana and pineapple notes. Don’t trust time alone, rely on cues matter more than clock here.
- 💡 Icing thick but pourable works best. Cream cheese soft, beat till no lumps. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk or cream tablespoon by tablespoon. Avoid runny mess; warmth from cake softens it fast. Drizzle, don’t flood. Hot cake melts icing into puddle; cool completely first.
- 💡 Applesauce swaps in for some oil lightens fat but keeps moist. Pineapple juice from can preferred; fresh needs juice reserved to balance moisture. Sugar can shift; brown sugar adds depth but tweaks texture. Baking soda must pair with salt - baking powder ruins rise and crumb texture here.
Common questions
Can I use fresh pineapple?
Yes but keep juice separate. Too much water messes crumb. Adjust oil or applesauce accordingly. Too wet batter sinks or gums up middle. Canned crushed best for balance. Texture differs but taste still tropical punch.
What if cake is gummy inside?
Underbaked usually. Oven temp might be off, or too much juice. Test with toothpick early and often. Pull when crumbs cling, no wet batter. Let cool in pan fully or crumb falls. Don’t open door too early or bake too short.
How to fix runny icing?
Add powdered sugar slowly. Mix well but don’t overbeat. Use less milk if icing drains fast. Chill briefly after drizzling for firmer set. Warm cake melts icing, wait always. Thick paste spreads, thinned drizzled in lines. Texture key to topping effect.
Storage tips?
Wrap cooled cake airtight. Refrigerate to keep icing firmer but softens crumb. Room temp lasts 2 days. Freeze wrapped tight, thaw slowly on rack. Icing may separate if frozen; re-stir before serving. Cake tastes better fresh but lasts a few days covered.
