Banana Breakfast Cake
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Ok, our family has been making and devouring this Banana Breakfast Cake for YEARS. It includes sneaky nutrition and is moist, delicious, and freezer-friendly. You might also like our Zucchini Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cake.
About This Recipe
- The texture is like moist, sweet banana bread but in a cake form.
- All ages love it–especially warmed up and slathered with a little butter.
- Because it’s freezer-friendly, this is one of my favorite make-ahead breakfast recipes. I always double and freeze one batch for later.
- The best part: It is filled with banana and sneaky sweet potato or pumpkin. YES, you can get your crew to eat veggies for breakfast! See more recipes with sneaky veggies.
Ingredients Needed
This breakfast cake is made with ingredients you likely already have in your pantry. Here is what you’ll need:
- Bananas – The riper the better. Pro-tip: You can freeze ripe bananas for recipes like this!
- Cooked sweet potato or pumpkin puree – You can also substitute canned pumpkin or cooked butternut squash for sweet potato.
- White Whole Wheat Flour – Please note that this is not just whole wheat flour. It needs to be WHITE WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR variety. We’ve found that white whole wheat flour yields much fluffier/lighter-tasting results. If you don’t have that, you can use half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour as a substitute. (Read more on this below.)
- Coconut oil – Make sure it’s melted or use avocado oil as a substitute.
- Plain Greek yogurt – You can use full-fat sour cream instead if you want.
- Mini Chocolate Chips – I’ve used dark chocolate chips before and loved it!
- Standard baking ingredients: Eggs, vanilla, sugar (I use coconut sugar because it’s lower on the glycemic index), baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Make It Now
Prep
Preheat oven to 350°F degrees. Spray an 8×8-inch baking dish (or a 9×13 baking dish, but note the shorter cooking time) with non-stick spray.
Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Wet Ingredients
In a blender*, combine the bananas, sweet potato, eggs, vanilla, coconut oil, and yogurt. Blend until smooth. (If needed, add just a splash of milk to help the blender get moving.)
Note About Using a Blender
One thing worth noting on this recipe is that you will need a blender. This makes the batter SUPER smooth and hides all the sneaky produce from picky eater eyes.
Finish Batter
Using a spatula to clean out the blender, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir gently with a spoon just until combined (do not over-mix). Batter will be thick. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared 8×8 inch pan and spread evenly using a spatula.
Bake
Bake for about 35-40 minutes (for a 9×12, bake 25-28 minutes). It’s done when a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
How Do I Freeze Banana Breakfast Cake?
We are huge fans of make-ahead freezer meals. Not only have we written two freezer meal cookbooks, but we have a huge collection of freezer meals that are delicious, healthy, and easy! Banana Breakfast Cake is a recipe that freezes beautifully.
If you are already busting out all of the ingredients and utensils to make this breakfast cake, you might as well make two batches and freeze one for later. Here’s how:
To Freeze For Later: Bake breakfast cake just until done. Cool completely. Either cover the baking dish tightly in a few layers of foil or plastic wrap or carefully lift the cake out of the baking dish and wrap in several layers of foil or plastic wrap, pressing as much air out as you can.
To Prepare From Frozen: Thaw on the counter. Warm a slice in the microwave for 15-20 seconds and top with a pat of butter, if desired.
FAQs
I do this all the time because my family will eat it ALL in just a few days.
Double the batter and pour into a 9×13 inch pan. Bake at 350°F for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean (it will have a few crumbs on it). Cover with foil if it starts to brown too much on top before it’s done.
We use the blender to get the banana and sweet potato super smooth in the batter, but you don’t have to use one. Instead, in a mixing bowl, mash the banana and sweet potato really well with a fork or potato masher. Then, add the rest of the wet ingredients and whisk them together until well combined.
Spray a non-stick muffin tin or use paper muffin liners. Fill muffin tin cups about 3/4th of the way. Bake muffins at 350°F for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
To cut back the sugar amount, use 1/3 cup coconut sugar and leave out the chocolate chips.
If you spend much time browsing through our baked goods, you’ll find that we almost always use white whole wheat flour (instead of just “whole wheat flour”). We’ve found that white whole wheat flour is more nutrient-dense than all purpose flour but yields much fluffier/lighter-tasting results than regular whole wheat flour. Here is a bit more about the difference between the two.
Here are some of our favorite recipes that use white whole wheat flour:
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits
Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Banana Breakfast Cake
A deliciously moist banana cake that makes a healthy snack or breakfast. You will be surprised how fast your family will empty the dish on this one!
Ingredients
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour (sub: 1 cup wheat flour + 1 cup all-purpose flour)
- 1/2 cup sugar (I often use unrefined coconut sugar)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1 cup pumpkin puree or cooked sweet potato flesh (sub: butternut squash puree)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil (sub: avocado oil or melted butter)
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (sub: sour cream)
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I used carob chips, since they are low in sugar and dairy-free)
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Instructions
Make It Now:
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F degrees. Spray an 8×8-inch baking dish (or a 9×13 baking dish, but note the shorter cooking time) with non-stick spray.
- Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Wet Ingredients: In a blender*, combine the bananas, sweet potato, eggs, vanilla, coconut oil, and yogurt. Blend until smooth. (If needed, add just a splash of milk to help the blender get moving.)
- Finish Batter: Using a spatula to clean out the blender, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir gently with a spoon just until combined (do not over-mix). Batter will be thick. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared 8×8 inch pan and spread evenly using a spatula.
- Bake: Bake for about 35-40 minutes (for a 9×12, bake 25-28 minutes). It’s done when a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
Freeze For Later: Bake breakfast cake just until done. Cool completely. Either cover the baking dish tightly in a few layers of foil or plastic wrap or carefully lift the cake out of the baking dish and wrap in several layers of foil or plastic wrap, pressing as much air out as you can. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw on the counter. Warm a slice in the microwave for 15-20 seconds and top with a pat of butter, if desired.
Notes/Tips
*If You Don’t Have a Blender: In a mixing bowl, mash the banana and sweet potato really well with a fork or potato masher. Then, add the rest of the wet ingredients and whisk them together until well combined.
Can I cut back on the sugar? To cut back the sugar amount, use 1/3 cup coconut sugar and leave out the chocolate chips.
Storage Instructions: Let cake cool completely and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Store on the counter for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or use our freezing instructions above to store for 3+ months.
How to Turn Batter Into Muffins: Bake muffins at 350°F for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Dairy-Free Version: Use dairy-free Greek yogurt or sour cream and dairy-free mini chocolate chips (like Enjoy Life brand).
Gluten-Free Version: Use 1:1 gluten free baking flour in place of the whole wheat flour. I like Bob’s Red Mill brand.
If you liked this recipe, you might like these 10 other recipes that use up ripe bananas. You’ll never throw away brown bananas again!
Hi. How many muffins should this make?
Hi Tina. It should make 12 to 15 muffins.
Loved it! Easy to put together and tastes great. Easy to make gluten and dairy free.
Yes! We definitely love a review that uses the word easy twice and includes the word love. 🙂 This is one of my family’s favorites. So glad you are enjoying it too!
So good! My kids devoured it and asked me to make more! Will have to do a double batch next time!
When the kids devour it, it truly is a home run, amiright? 🙂 We’ve been making this recipe for years and still can’t make enough for it to make it to the freezer! Thank you for leaving a review.
all enjoyed
Glad to hear it! This is one of my family’s and Rachel’s family’s favorites!
I made this tonight with 1/3 cup sugar and a little extra yogurt/flaxseed, a little less butter. Turned out great! May not be as kid-friendly, but I loved it not so sweet – with the exception of the chocolatey-chocolate chip bites 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Awesome! Love hearing that you enjoyed it.
My 9 year old picked out this recipe to make for her Recipe of the Week. Thanks! 🙂
Wow, what an honor, Jena. Thanks for sharing!
Between the song lyrics and the Bill Cosby reference, I am in love with this post. It reminds me of why I love being your friend! I want to try the recipe, too:)