Treat yourself with these delicious banana cake donuts that are brimming with cozy fall flavors. They have a cake-like, fluffy inside that’s flavored with pecans, nutmeg, ginger and clove. A brown sugar pecan praline icing takes them over the top.
For more delicious donut recipes, also check out these chocolate Nutella donuts and these cardamom cinnamon donuts.

Jump to:
What’s in the donuts?
These donuts are made with typical cake donut batter ingredients along with pecans, banana and fall spices.

Ingredient notes:
- If you only have ripe but not overripe bananas when you want to make the donuts, you can quickly ripen a banana in the oven. See the frequently asked questions section below for instructions.
- You can use light or dark brown sugar for this recipe.
What’s in the icing?

How to make the donuts:
See full ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below!
Step 1. Heat the oven, prepare the donut pan, then whisk the dry ingredients together.
Step 2. Mash up the banana with a fork.

Step 3. Add brown sugar and egg to a bowl.
Step 4. Whisk together until well combined.
Step 5. Whisk in melted butter.
Step 6. Stir in the dry ingredients, the mashed banana and nuts.

Step 7. Fill the batter into a piping bag, pipe into the donut pan wells and bake.

How to make the icing:
See full ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below!
Step 1. Boil brown sugar, butter and cream, then let cool.
Step 2. Whisk in powdered sugar, then pour over the donuts and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Recipe tip:
If you don’t have a piping bag you can use two spoons to fill the batter into the donut pan.
How to serve the donuts:
These donuts are a great breakfast treat along with a cup of coffee or an espresso drink. They are also great for fall picnics outdoors.
Frequently asked questions:
The donuts are best fresh but you can keep them in an airtight container for up to one day.
They will not be as good as fresh but yes, you can transfer the glazed donuts into a freezer bag and freeze. (You can stack them, separating the layers with aluminum foil.) To thaw, let the donuts sit on the kitchen counter for about ½ hour.
In that case, you can ripen a banana in the oven. Set it on a baking sheet and bake it at 350 degrees F. until its skin turns dark brown (about 15 minutes).
More delicious fall baking recipes:
- Baked Cinnamon Cardamom Donuts25 Minutes
- Rum Raisin Bundt Cake with Chai Spices1 Hours
- Maple Pecan Bread Pudding with Maple Cream Sauce1 Hours 35 Minutes
- Mini Apple Cakes with Cinnamon Whipped Cream40 Minutes
See more delicious baking ideas →
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating or comment! Thanks!
Full Printable Recipe

Baked Spiced Banana Cake Donuts with Pecan Praline Icing
Equipment:
- donut pan
- measuring cups and spoons
- mixing bowls
- whisk
- fork
- knife and cutting board
- wooden spoon
- piping bag (optional)
- toothpick
- small saucepan
Ingredients:
For the donuts:
- ¾ cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground clove
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 very ripe banana*
- 3 tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped pecans
For the icing:
- 3 tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 5-6 tablespoons powdered sugar (start with 5 and add more as needed)
- 2 tablespoons pecans, finely chopped
Instructions:
For the donuts:
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease all six wells of a donut pan (this recipe will make 5 to 6 donuts). Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, clove, ginger and salt together. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mash up the banana with a fork. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar and the egg together until well combined.
- Whisk the melted butter into the sugar/egg mix.
- Stir in the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until just combined.
- Stir in the mashed banana.
- Stir in the pecans.
- Fill the batter into a large piping bag and pipe into the donut wells.** (You will be able to fill 5 to 6 wells, depending on your piping technique).
- Bake the donuts until they start to brown on the surface and an inserted toothpick comes out clean (about 12 minutes).
- Let the donuts cool completely, then unmold.
For the icing:
- Add brown sugar, butter and cream to a small saucepan pan.
- Turn on the heat and bring the mix to a full boil, whisking continuously.
- Boil for 1 minute, then turn the heat off and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Whisk in the powdered sugar until no clumps remain. If the icing is too think, whisk in more cream, if it's too thin, whisk in more powdered sugar.
- Pour the icing on the donuts, then sprinkle the pecans over it and let the icing dry.
Notes:
Nutrition Information (Estimated):
Nutrition values provided on this website are generated from a nutrition database and are estimates only. The accuracy of the nutrition information for any recipe on this website is not guaranteed. Nutrition values can vary quite a lot depending on which brands are used.
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