My favorite things about quarantining? Pajamas all day. Naked babies in the backyard. Cocktails at 4, coffee at noon, and drawn-out breakfasts that turn into lunch and dinner. I’ve loved the limited options, an excuse to stay in, and those few weeks where my husband was home to play with the kids more; we’ve had extra time for snuggling, playing, reading, and doing absolutely nothing. We’ve baked cookies and sandwich loaves and batches of banana bread cake for absolutely no reason at all. I know I’ve complained some about the isolated minutes of these days, but don’t let me fool you- sometimes I kinda like it.
One thing that has absolutely tickled me is the number of you who have taken up baking during this time. It is AWESOME. Being able to navigate the kitchen, to serve people we love yummy things we’ve made with our own two hands, is such a huge and wonderful thing. It’s not silly or a waste of time or limited to just a few crafty homemaker types- everyone has a place in the kitchen, and it makes me happy to no end to see so many of you find your space. For that reason, I’ve found myself making simple homemade treats and special twists on familiar classics to share on this site, because I know that’s better for everyone right now. Case in point: this banana bread cake.
Banana Bread Cake
Banana bread has got to be one of the most basic baked goods ever. Combine that with the fact that I almost always have 2 or 3 bananas dying on my counter, and you have yourself a winning combination for a shoo-on recipe. This banana bread cake is just that, a cakey bread, and it’s topped with a peanut butter whipped cream that is, and I kid you not, to DIE FOR. So good. Why have we not been doing this all along?
To make it, we need a single bowl, some grungy bananas, and a few other staple ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, and so on. They all get mixed together and poured into a round cake pan. I used a 9″ springform pan, but you could opt for an 8″ round pan, a square pan, or even a big loaf pan! I’ve baked this in several different pieces of bakeware. Keep in mind that your bake time will differ depending on your pan size, so just bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. The top will have risen a bit and will no longer look wet.
Once the banana bread cake has cooled, we top it with the peanut butter whip! If you’re not planning to eat this cake all at once, I highly recommend just serving individual slices with the cream as you go. It’s best to keep the whipped cream stored covered in the fridge as opposed to on top of the cake. If you’re hoping to serve this as a dessert instead of a breakfast or brunch option, I’d recommend also throwing in a drizzle of salted caramel, some candied peanuts, or maybe even some caramelized bananas- something to up the sweet a bit and elevate this from a breakfast food to a dessert.
Keep baking, y’all! You’re doing awesome, and I love following along. Maybe consider making this banana bread cake? Give it a try and let me know what you think! Happy baking, friends!
If you like this banana bread cake you should try:
Caramelized Banana Pudding
Banana Crumb Cake
Bananas Foster Cinnamon Rolls
Banana Cream Pie Cake
Banana Coconut Chocolate Cream Pie
Banana Bread Cake
This banana bread cake is served with a fluffy peanut butter whipped cream and can be made for dessert or breakfast!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 60
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 10 Servings
- Category: Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- ¾ cup mashed ripe bananas (from about 2 large bananas)
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1–1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1–1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup whole milk
For the whipped cream:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (see notes)
For garnish:
- Crumbled peanut butter cookies (like Nutter Butters), peanut granola, or chopped honey roasted peanuts
Instructions
To prepare the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Lightly grease a 9” springform pan and line the bottom of it with a sheet of parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine the mashed bananas and vinegar. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until pale, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and extract and beat on low just to combine. Add in half of the flour as well as the baking soda and salt and stir on low until almost combined. Add half of the milk and stir to combine. Repeat this process to incorporate the remaining flour and milk. Do not overmix. Fold in the banana mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 1 hour. Allow to cool completely prior to topping with whipped cream.
To prepare the whipped cream:
- Come all of the ingredients in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and whip on medium speed until fluffy, medium peaks form in the bowl. If you plan to serve and eat all of the cake at once, go ahead and top the cake with the whipped cream and garnish as desired, otherwise, I recommend just cutting slices and serving with whipped cream as you eat it. Cake is best eaten within 2 days.
Notes
- You can add extra peanut butter for a more intense flavor- this is totally optional!
- See text in blog post for pan options!
6 thoughts on “Banana Bread Cake”
D-Lish!!! OMG!! Just started a new recipe tradition for Easter morning!! Yummy!! I think the vinegar helped bring out the banana flavor. I didn’t have whole milk on hand so I substituted evaporated milk. Best banana bread/cake EVER!👍🏻👍🏻
★★★★★
Hooray! I’m thrilled to hear this!
Speechless! The best ever in my twenty years of baking with bananas. I think the low temp oven is a winner! Thankyou
★★★★★
Agh! This is the best feedback! So happy to hear this!
Hi Kate, this looks delicious. I’m definitely going to give this a go, but wanted to confirm the temperature you have written (275F) since thats lower than most cakes I’ve made. Thanks!
that’s correct!