When life gives you ripe bananas, it’s time to bake something delicious! This banana snack cake combines the flavors of classic banana bread with the convenience of a snackable cake. Soft, moist, and topped with a sweet, sugary crust, this easy recipe is perfect for afternoon treats, lunchboxes, or even a casual dessert.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
I have tried so many recipes for using up over-ripe bananas, and this Banana Bread Snack Cake is hands-down one of my absolute favorites!
Whenever I have ripe bananas, I look for a new banana bread recipe to try. I finally found my favorite! This is, without a doubt, the BEST banana bread/cake recipe I have ever baked! The sugar topping is an unbelievable surprise! This is now my go to banana recipe!
Barb
The secret to this “banana bread” is that it’s baked in a 9-inch square pan, and sprinkled with sugar before baking, which gives it that amazing, crunchy topping you see.
Which, if you ask me, kind of transforms it from bread to cake. But the kind of cake that it’s okay to eat for breakfast, or a late-night snack, if you know what I mean.
Seriously though, that sugar topping! I don’t know where that’s been all my life. I’ll be sprinkling sugar on every banana flavored bread or cake I make from here on out.
To say my family loved this would be a huge understatement. If I would have had enough bananas, I would have gladly doubled the recipe. This stuff disappeared within in a day.
And as soon as it was gone, I wanted to make it again. Alas, it really does need to be made with very ripe bananas, so I had to wait several days for my newly purchased bananas to ripen.
No matter what kind of pan you bake this banana bread in, the sugar topping is an absolute must!
I hope you love this simple (yet utterly amazing) banana treat as much as we did. Really, just make this Banana Bread Snack Cake. You won’t be sorry, and you can thank me later.
Love this recipe – and so does my husband. I’m on my 3rd cake in 2 weeks! It’s a keeper for sure!!
Dar
Ingredients
- Butter – I use unsalted
- Brown sugar -packed
- Eggs
- Vanilla – I recommend real vanilla extract
- Bananas -you’ll need at least four ripe bananas
- Flour – all-purpose
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Pecans – substitute walnuts, or omit the nuts if you prefer
- Sugar
Recipe Tips
- The key to intense banana flavor is super ripe bananas! Look for bananas that are heavily speckled or nearly black—they’re the sweetest and mash up beautifully. If you’re in a hurry and don’t have ripe bananas, pop them in the oven at 300°F for 15-20 minutes until the skins turn dark. Let them cool before mashing.
- Feel free to stir in chopped pecans, walnuts, or even chocolate chips. It’s also great with a dollop of whipped cream or a drizzle of caramel sauce on top.
- I know it’s hard to wait, but allowing the cake to cool slightly helps it set and makes cutting into neat squares a breeze. Use a serrated knife for the cleanest cuts.
Be sure to save this recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
FAQs
How many cups of mashed banana are in this recipe?You’ll need roughly 1 1/2 – 2 cups of mashed banana for this recipe. More banana will make a more moist cake.
Can I double this recipe?Yes, if you have enough ripe bananas! In fact, I highly recommend doubling this recipe and baking it in a 9×13 pan.
What if I don’t have a 9-inch square pan?A 9-inch round cake pan will work too. Just cut the cake into wedges. If you use an 8-inch pan, you may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time.
Can I use frozen bananas?Frozen bananas work wonderfully in this recipe. Let them thaw completely, then drain any excess liquid before mashing. They’re often even sweeter after freezing, so it’s a great way to use up bananas you’ve saved for baking.
More Banana Bread Recipes to Try
- Butterscotch Pecan Banana Bread
- Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread
- Grandma’s Banana Bread
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Banana Bread
Banana Bread Snack Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup 1 stick butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4-5 very ripe bananas mashed
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans optional
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick baking spray or line with parchment paper.
- With an electric mixer, beat together the 1/2 cup 1 stick butter, melted and cooled, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 2 eggs, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract until well blended. Mix in the 4-5 very ripe bananas (mashed) until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir in the 1/2 cup chopped pecans, if using.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup granulated sugar evenly over the top.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center. Let the bread cool slightly in the pan on a rack. Cut into squares to serve.
Nutrition
Be sure to check out my tips for choosing and storing bananas.
73 comments
Timeflies54
I have this baking in the oven right now. Husband LOVES banana bread, with walnuts! It was so easy to mix up. I had a 6th banana. The first 5 were frozen, and the last one was hanging on the banana tree. I reasoned they were all small bananas, so the last one got thrown in too. I sprinkled some sugar cinnamon that I always have on hand, over the top of batter.
There is only 2 of us here, but I know 1/4 of this will be gone by tonight…
Lauren
So so good!!! I just made this an hour ago – here were my tweaks, some taken by liberty, others because I didn’t have certain things:
I only had a large circular glass pie dish (too lazy to measure dimensions but looks like a 10”w x 4”deep) so I greased that with butter and baked in that. I used 5 overripe bananas that I had frozen, mashed them up for the batter. I browned the (unsalted for me) butter on the stovetop and allowed to cool to add an extra dimension of richness, and also added about a tsp of light miso paste for nutty salty yumminess into the wet batter. For the brown sugar I was low on all sugars but I did half and half light brown and dark brown sugar. Into the dry I added a little nutmeg and cinnamon to my preference. I also only had bread flour so I used that. I didn’t have any nuts so didn’t add. And for the sugar topping I ran out of white sugar so I only had enough for about half white and the remaining was light brown sugar, mixed those together with a pinch of salt and sprinkled over top. Finished baking in my oven a little longer at 55 mins. If I were to serve this as a dessert to guests or family it’d be so good with a caramel of some kind
Lauren
So so so good!!! I just made this an hour ago – here were my tweaks, some taken by liberty, others because I didn’t have certain things:
I only had a large circular glass pie dish (too lazy to measure dimensions but looks like a 10”w x 4”deep) so I greased that with butter and baked in that. I used 5 overripe bananas that I had frozen, mashed them up for the batter. I browned the (unsalted for me) butter on the stovetop and allowed to cool to add an extra dimension of richness, and also added about a tsp of light miso paste for nutty salty yumminess into the wet batter. For the brown sugar I was low on all sugars but I did half and half light brown and dark brown sugar. Into the dry I added a little nutmeg and cinnamon to my preference. I also only had bread flour so I used that. I didn’t have any nuts so didn’t add. And for the sugar topping I ran out of white sugar so I only had enough for about half white and the remaining was light brown sugar, mixed those together with a pinch of salt and sprinkled over top. Finished baking in my oven a little longer at 55 mins. If I were to serve this as a dessert to guests or family it’d be so good with a caramel of some kind