Here is the deal. We buy bananas because at times our children eat a lot of them. But next time we buy them almost all of them end up in the trash! If you find yourself in a similar situation, your best bet is to bake something with bananas in order to avoid the shameful waste. Ultimately, this banana cake will come in handy. Unlike famous banana breads out there, this banana cake is moist due to the usage of less flour and addition of yogurt. What could be more pleasant than not wasting perfectly fine bananas and enjoying an amazing dessert?
If you love banana bread and you are looking for a fancier recipe with moisture filled core, this is it! Dried fruits give this cake a nice twist of additional flavors.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of dried fruits (my choice: divided among dried cranberries, dried raisins and dried strawberries)
- 1 1/2 cup of apple juice
- 1 cup of all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup of light brown sugar
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 2 medium bananas
- 3 Tbsp of plain yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
Directions:
Preheat the oven at 350 F. Place dried fruits in a small bowl, add juice, close the bowl with a lid (or with a plate) and microwave it for 30 seconds. Once the time is up, without disturbing the dried fruits, set the bowl aside for 15 minutes. The dried fruits will drink up most of the moisture.
In a medium bowl mix together flour, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
If the bananas you have are soft, that’s even better! Place bananas, yogurt, vanilla extract and 2 egg whites in the blender and puree everything for 10 seconds.
In a separate bowl whisk together melted butter and light brown sugar until well incorporated. Add the banana mixture and whisk some more.
Carefully add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix with a spoon just until incorporated.
Drain the water under the fruits and add half of them into the batter. Add half of the chopped walnuts, too.
Line a parchment paper on the bottom of the spring form pan and pour the batter in. Decorate the top with the remaining fruits and with the rest of the walnuts.
Bake the cake in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes or until the it turns pleasantly brown. You can always test the readiness of the cake with a toothpick or a small fork. Once the cake is done baking, take it out of the oven, cool for 15 minutes and un-mold from the spring form pan. Completely cooled cake can be dusted with confectioners sugar, cut in small squares and served with tea or coffee.
Bon Appetit!!
Amazing, kids are the same everywhere, that happens at my home too!
Yes, Miriam :) Here comes our imagination of using everything that might go to waste :) My mom says she gained a lot of pounds eating our leftovers because she didn’t want to waste perfectly good food, lol
Just peel them and freeze them. Frozen bananas are great in smoothies.
That’s a great idea too, Jen!!! Thank you for the tip.
Wow, I really enjoyed reading this post! This is definitely a recipe for banana bread, kicked up a notch. I love the idea of using dried fruit! I will definitely be giving this a try soon!
There is is something very special about this recipe :) My whole family likes it a lot. Let me know how yours turn out :)
Hiya, will this freeze? I want it for a charity bake thingy. hope it comes out well will let you know.
It should freeze pretty well. Just make sure the package is waterproof before you put it in the freezer. Wrap it with a cling wrap nicely and cover it with aluminum foil. It should do just fine :)
mmmmmmmmmmmmm que delicia!!!!
thank you, Mar!
mmmmmmmmmmmmm que delicia!!!!
this is great but as i did not had apple juice, I made it with pineapple fresh juice and it came out just gorgeous, gorgeous ! yummmmi
It is so tasty just when smelling!Unfortunately I can’t take it immediately.It is OK if there is such a food plaza.
Victoria, I couldn’t quite understand your question. But I would more than happy to help you out. Let me know what it is that interests you :)
I made it and it was delicious but I also put some white chocolate chips un top about half a cup before baking it ! yummmmi !
Truly, YUMMY!! :)
These look sooooo good so I decided to make them. Unfortunately, they didn’t brown beautifully like yours did and turned out rubbery instead of that moist fluffy texture it’s supposed to have. I was so disappointed. Im not sure what I did wrong since I followed the recipe carefully. Any advice? Would love to make these again and have them turn out perfectly.
Dear Zhanna,
I suppose yours was not baked enough. Ovens vary across the board. Next time try to keep the cake in the oven for a little longer and see how it browns. This cake is fluffy in texture but it is not very tall. So, do not worry about the height of the cake. Let me know how it turns out. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have anything in mind.
Great tip , wi’ll try it now!
Hi Lola, I really enjoy your blog, having lived in Central Asia (KZ) for some time as a child. This recipe was delicious, and enjoyed by all. I’m making some more for an event tomorrow, and wonder if – I doubled the batch – I could then freeze one of the cakes for another occasion? Have you tried this, or would you recommend it? Thanks!