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Super moist and fluffy, this banana walnut cake is ridiculously easy to make! Enjoy it as an everyday breakfast or snack or for special occasions.
Healthy Banana Cake with Walnuts
You can absolutely make a perfectly moist, sweet, melt-in-your-mouth cake without refined sugars and a ton of butter.
And you will love how easy this delicious banana cake is to make. There is no need for creaming the butter, layering, or using fancy equipment.
Plus, a handful of ingredients are all you need – the star ingredients being whole grains, protein-rich yogurt, ripe bananas, and a little bit of maple syrup.
This simple snack cake was inspired by my ever popular first birthday cake recipe. I love the addition of walnuts as it adds a lovely texture and a dose of healthy fats. I believe you will, too!
If you’d like to add additional fruit, here’s banana blueberry cake! And if you are looking for an egg free option, make this eggless carrot walnut cake.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
I am highlighting just the ones that need further explanation. The complete list is in the recipe card below.
- Over-ripe bananas – The browner, the better! They mash easier and result in a sweeter cake with mega banana flavor.
- White whole wheat flour – it’s the same nutritionally as whole wheat flour but is lighter in texture and a little sweeter in flavor. You can use all purpose flour.
- Yogurt – will make the cake moist while boosting protein and healthy fat.
- Maple syrup – can also use honey or date syrup or leave out completely. Be sure to read the “tips for success” section
- Salt- just a pinch of salt helps bring out the flavor of all the ingredients and enhance the sweetness.
- Walnuts – be sure to finely chop or ground if planning to enjoy with your baby. I like to use a coffee grinder for this.
- Cream cheese frosting – optional but highly recommended! This is the healthiest and easiest cream cheese frosting you will ever make!
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and line a 8 inch square pan. Mash bananas in a large bowl using the back of a fork or a potato masher. Try to get it as smooth as possible but small lumps are fine. Measure out 1 cup. Freeze any leftover mashed banana.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
- To the bowl with bananas, add all the wet ingredients and mix together until well combined.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Fold in the walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the inserted toothpick in the center comes out clean.
Spread cream cheese frosting on the cooled cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving to help the frosting to set and make cutting easier.
Tips for Success (A MUST Read)
- For best results, take all the cold ingredients (like eggs, yogurt, and maple syrup) out of the refrigerator at least 15 minutes prior to baking.
- Be sure to measure out the mashed bananas so you have exactly 1 cup. Too much banana can make the cake overly moist and soggy.
- Use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup rather than scooping the flour out of the container or bag with your measuring cup. Using the latter method, you could end up with a lot more than what you need.
- I’ve provided a range for the maple syrup amount so you can decide how sweet you want the cake to be. You can also substitute with date syrup, a wonderful alternative to added sugars.
- Do NOT over-mix the batter after combining the dry and wet ingredients. Mix lightly with a spatula until just combined. Otherwise, you will end up with a dense cake.
- Cool completely before frosting. Then refrigerate for 30 minutes to help the frosting set, giving you a cleaner slice.
- Make ahead of time if you can. You will notice the cake tastes sweeter and the banana flavor is more pronounced over time.
Substitutions and add-ins
- Dairy-free? Use any non-dairy yogurt of choice
- Egg-free? Use egg replacer or add 1/4 cup of milk to the wet ingredients. You should also try these eggless banana muffins!
- Feel free to fold in fresh fruits (like blueberries, raspberries, and apples), unsweetened coconut flakes, chocolate chips, or other nuts.
Make Ahead Suggestions
Prepare the cake, cool completely, cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
When ready to enjoy, bring to room temperature, frost (or not).
Frequently Asked Questions
Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To freeze individual slices (don’t frost), I recommend flash freezing. It’s exactly the same as freezing muffins.
Absolutely! The only ingredient I would leave out is the maple syrup since the recommendation is to avoid added sugars until 2 years of age. It is plenty sweet for babies and toddlers thanks to the natural sweetness from the overripe bananas.
Since this cake is quite tall, you can slice into strips or bite-sized pieces, depending on their age.
You can use an 8-inch round cake pan or a 9-inch square or round pan, although the cake won’t be as tall.
More Recipes with Over Ripe Bananas
Healthy Banana Walnut Cake
Ingredients
Dry
- 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (180g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Wet
- 1 cup mashed very ripe banana (240g), about 3 medium bananas
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (120g)
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3-4 tablespoons pure maple syrup, see note
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fold in
- 3/4 cup finely chopped or ground walnuts
Optional: Cream cheese frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 8 inch square pan with parchment paper for easy removal and clean up.
- In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
- In a medium bowl, mash bananas in a large bowl using the back of a fork or a potato masher. Try to get it as smooth as possible but small lumps are fine. Measure out 1 cup. To the same bowl, add all the wet ingredients and mix together until well combined.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Fold in the walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the inserted toothpick in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
- Optional: Spread cream cheese frosting on the cooled cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving to help the frosting to set and make cutting easier.
Notes
- Be sure to measure out the mashed bananas so you have exactly 1 cup. Too much banana can make the cake overly moist and soggy.
- I’ve provided a range for the maple syrup amount so you can decide how sweet you want the cake to be. You can also substitute with date syrup, a wonderful alternative to added sugars, or leave out completely.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Freeze unfrosted slices for up to 3 months
Oh my oh my… so good and my 2 year old agrees! I just made this for the first time. I substituted the maple syrup with homemade date syrup (4-5 tablespoons) and cut into it after it’d only been cooling for maybe 10 min. Truly delicious. Light and fluffy. I don’t plan to put any frosting on it. Doesn’t need it! 😀