Pecan Banana Bundt Cake

Thirty weeks. October feels both close and impossibly far. The baby is due in late October, which is our wedding anniversary month, which Tyler says is the best possible timing. I say it was not timed on purpose and he says he knows, it just worked out right, which is his way of saying the universe is paying attention.

I told the daycare children I am having a girl. This was the same group I told I was pregnant to and the reactions were exactly proportional to what they could understand. Brianna, who is five and very invested in this situation, said: finally, I knew it was a girl. She did not know it was a girl. She had said she hoped it was a girl and is now claiming she knew. I did not correct her. She is five and delighted and her delight is correct even if her claim of knowledge is not.

Made a cake for Destiny birthday this week. She turned eight last month and we were going to celebrate and then I was too tired and we postponed, and this week I was not too tired. I made a yellow cake with lemon glaze. Crystal mother cake. Destiny did not know that story but I know it and I thought about it while I made it. Some food carries histories the people eating it cannot see. That is all right. The carrying is the point.

I made this cake thinking about Crystal’s mother and about Destiny and about how the same gesture — a cake, a glaze, a little sweetness — travels forward through people who may never know its origin. I wanted something dense and warm and worth the wait, the way the celebration itself had been worth the wait. A bundt felt right: something that looks simple and holds more than you expect.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 55 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes | Servings: 12

Ingredients

3 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
For the lemon glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Instructions

Preheat and prepare. Heat oven to 350°F. Generously butter and flour a 12-cup bundt pan, making sure to coat every ridge.
Combine dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add eggs and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
Mix in banana and sour cream. Fold in the mashed bananas and sour cream until just combined — the batter will look a little uneven, and that’s fine.
Fold in dry ingredients and pecans. Add the flour mixture in three additions, stirring gently after each. Fold in the toasted pecans last.
Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50–55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean and the top springs back lightly when touched.
Cool. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then invert onto the rack and cool completely before glazing.
Make the lemon glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth and pourable. Add a few more drops of lemon juice if needed to reach a drizzleable consistency.
Glaze and serve. Drizzle the lemon glaze over the fully cooled cake, letting it run down the sides. Slice and serve at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pecan Banana Bundt Cake — The Cake That Carries a History