Banana Cake

The batter for this simple banana cake with Greek yogurt is whipped up in minutes in a mixer or food processor. Then it’s baked in a bundt pan.

Kitchen appliances breaking is never a good thing, but despite that unexpected expense, I tried to look on the brighter side of things.

After nearly 15 years, our fridge decided to call it quits. While I am thankful for all its service, it was the opportunity to switch to the frustratingly narrow compartments of a side-by-side model to a bottom freezer, top fridge.

To have enough width to easily fit a sheet pan in either section has been an absolute dream. I have really been missing out!

And the other bonus is long-term storage that is way more efficient in the freezer. This gives me plenty of space for frozen bananas for baking banana bread and cake.

My family can never manage to finish an entire bunch of bananas before they get too ripe to eat as a snack, so I keep a spot in the freezer just for them.

How To Freeze and Thaw Ripe Bananas

There’s no need to peel overripe bananas before you freeze them. Just put them in a bin or drawer if you want to keep things organized. It’s so simple. I think that’s why I seem to have a constant supply.

And yes, I always find a banana floating around!

To thaw the bananas, I put them on a plate and microwave them in 20-second blasts, flipping them over from one side to the other. 

I snip one end of the peel and squeeze out the banana instead of peeling it the usual way.

When the bananas are thawed, they will be total mush. Don’t worry, they may look weird, but this consistency makes them easy mash and stir right into the batter of whatever you are baking.

Also, don’t be concerned if the banana skins have turned almost black, they are fine.

Frozen bananas stay good up to 2 to 3 months.

Ripe Bananas for Baking

The riper the better when it comes to baking. The banana should have more than a couple brown streaks on the skin. They should be very speckled and marked.

As a banana ripens, its flavor intensifies. The fruit’s starches change to sugar—a definite win when it comes to baked goods.

How To Ripen Bananas In The Oven

I get it. Not all of us are hoarders like me and keep bananas in the freezer.

Since you won’t find bananas at a baking-level of ripeness at the grocery, you can do it in the oven.

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Place the bananas, without overlapping, on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan.
3. Bake for 30 minutes until the bananas are soft and the peels are black.
4. Let the bananas cool for 15-20 minutes.
5. Use a pair of scissors or a knife to cut one end of each peel. Then squeeze out the banana and mash with a fork.

The Ingredients

This is what you need for a banana bundt cake:

Wet Ingredients

• Bananas
• Granulated sugar
• Brown sugar
• Butter
• Greek yogurt
• Vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Cinnamon
• Salt

How To Make Banana Cake

You can make this recipe using either a mixer or a food processor, depending on what you have in your kitchen.

My biggest piece of advice with either way is to mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until they are just combined. Or even better if you stop when you still see a little bit of flour and gently fold the last bits together with a spoon.

When you over-stir cake batter, you end up with a tough, dense crumb. As with many baked goods, keep things light and fluffy.

First, I preheat the oven and grease and flour the bundt pan.

Then I combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, mashed bananas, butter, eggs, Greek yogurt and vanilla extract in either a mixing bowl or the bowl of a food processor.

You want to mix the wet ingredients together until they are completely combined.

Then in a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. After that, dump the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix or process until they are justcombined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake it in the oven. You can use a toothpick to poke the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s ready.  Also, when you press softly on the cake, it should spring back.

Let the cake cool for 15 minutes before turning it out onto a cake rack. Then let the cake cool completely and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Chocolate & Banana? Yes, Please!

If you’re a fan of chocolate and banana, and I totally understand why, you can add mini chocolate chips to the batter.

More Banana Recipes

Crunchy Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Vegan Roasted Banana Tahini Ice Cream

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