Banana Bread Snack Cake.
What I’m sharing with you today is only the snack that I’ve fallen madly in love with… that I’ve made four times already… that I inhale the moment it comes out of oven, singed taste buds and all…that I can’t keep my grubby little paws off of.
You know… no big deal.
Except it’s a HUGE DEAL. Because it’s amazing. And so so so easy. And healthy! Fruit + whole wheat flour = pure unadulterated health.
I should be a doctor or something.
Even my mom – who worships at the altar of enriched breads and all-purpose flour – could not get over how good this tastes. Now that’s saying something.
Must I really tell you more?
Banana Bread Snack Cake
makes 9-12 squares
1 large egg
1/3 cup loosely packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8×8 baking pan with non-stick spray
In a large bowl, whisk egg and brown sugar until smooth. Add in vanilla extract and mashed bananas, mixing until combined. Add in flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, mixing until the batter comes together. Add in melted butter and mix until evenly distributed.
Pour batter in the baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until center is no longer jiggly and edges are golden. Top with a cream cheese glaze, if desired.
Note: you can definitely sub in all-purpose flour, but I would not use regular whole wheat.
Oh wait, yes… I must. Cream cheese glaze. Get it!
189 Comments on “Banana Bread Snack Cake.”
I looove banana bread. Like seriously, best thing ever.
It’s funny, the last couple days, I have been to about 3 or 4 blogs, all who’ve done banana bread or a banana bread cake and Ive paid close attention b/c I have to bring bday goodies to a class of kindergarteners and cannot bring candy, cookies, cupcakes, or cake. Muffins are allowed. I need to muffin-ize this. And how I want to add the cream cheese glaze, too! But that’s not 5 year old friendly. But it’s mommy friendly :)
This looks fantastic. I love homemade banana bread. I love the way it smells cooking. I love the idea of topping it with a cream cheese glaze. Yum!
I’m SO excited about this post. I’ve been eating leftover banana cake all week! (HOW there is leftover banana cake is a mystery to me. Are they good and banana bread-ish without the glaze?
banana bread may be my all time favorite (semi healthy) baked good. there is seriously nothing like it, especially straight out of the oven with a pat of melting butter. yum.
That looks insanely good. And it’s totally health food.
Banana bread/cake is my favorite!!! And now it is healthy so I can eat even more right? Hello, the glaze sounds downright perfect!!!!
I’m sold and I don’t even like banana that much!
Yummy! This is really similar to a recipe I do in my bread machine (yip, I’m laaaaazy), but let me tell you what I do with it then… no frosting. I cut a slice, toast it, and smother it in butter. When the butter melts, against the slightly crisp surface, it is health food heaven.
Looks delicious! A perfect remedy for the two bags of overdue bananas anxiously awaiting use in my freezer.
All right!! I was going to make banana bread this weekend, but this is a nice change up!! Going to make this tonight, so hubby can take it to work tomorrow!!
I don’t know if I’ve ever heard the words snack and cake used together and it ends up healthy! I annoy wait to try this!
Anything banana you create is like gold. So thank you for creating another flawless recipe that I’ll go bananas for…sorry, had to do it!
What a pretty little dream! Can’t wait to try this!
Can’t get enough of banana nut bread. I seriously have like 20 different recipes and love them all. Love the icing, it always make it that much better! Happy Friday! :)
I’m the same way. I think I make a different recipe every time.
Somehow you knew what I’ve been in the mood for.
I’m with you! That bread/ snack cake is healthy! Mmmmmmmm! Oh heavens, and the glaze!
shut.your.face.
Banana bread is like, my lover.
That dirty little banana bread. BB is my love too… I knew I wasn’t the only one. What a two timer!!
“Snack” is just how I would like this described…
You’re in love with something that’s not chocolate and not bacon?? Who are you and where is the real Jessica?? ;) Just kidding… banana bread is one of my favourite quick breads and I’ve got an enormous bag of frozen over-ripe bananas in my freezer waiting for this recipe!
This looked delicious on it’s own, and then you went and glazed it…oh my gosh! I seriously wish I had a pan of this to nosh on for breakfast right now. I freeze over-ripe bananas and therefore always have a stash on hand. I can’t wait to make this recipe!
I’m curious… I freeze bananas too but only use them for smoothies, etc… they seem to get so gross in the freezer that I can’t imagine defrosting them for banana bread. Have you done that and does it work??
I peel them, cut them into 1″ chunks, & freeze them on a cookie sheet or whatever else is flat and will fit into the freezer with all the other crap I’ve jammed in there. Then once, they’re all firm and frozen, I put them all in a big zipper bag. While I’d love to pretend that I use them in healthy baking, I once realized that frozen bananas take on an almost ice-creamy consistency, and tend to eat them like bonbons, stolen late-night out of the freezer when no one else is looking. I may or may not dip them in Nutella. I’ll never tell!
Hahaha, well this is what I do too but I just use them to make banana soft serve… have never baked with them yet!
Oh my gosh, that glaze…yummmmm! Wish I had some for breakfast!
drooooooooooooooooooling
Yuuuum!!! Snack cake means I can eat it for breakfast, right?
Obviously.
Snack cake makes this sound less indulgent. I think I will be referring to all my cakes as a snack cakes.
Maybe snack candy or snack steak. Sounds way cuter!
And it means EVERYTHING is healthy!
so I know you don’t generally do calories and such, but I did just out of curiosity, and these are pretty impressive. For 9 bars (no glaze) each 2.5oz bar has:
150 Cals
4.7g Fat
24.5g Carbs (2.5 fiber, 10.5 sugar)
2.5g pro
Awesome! Thanks for figuring that out. :)
That looks heavenly. I’m not a cream cheese glaze gal but I’ll be the fleur de sel caramel sauce I’ve got would do the trick!
OMG… yes.
Yum! Banana bread is one of my all-time favorite foods, so I’m sure I’d love this. I really like the idea of making it in little square too.
I LOVE banana bread!! This looks to die for and not too too bad in the health department either. Bookmarked!
I always buy extra bananas so I have some leftover to make banana bread! Your version looks gorgeous and love the cream cheese glaze. It’s also gorgeous with chocolate chips in if you’re feeling less virtuous!
I like to make my banana bread into muffins so that way I can just take one to work with me and not be tempted with the entire loaf, so genius behind the squares did not go unnoticed by yours truly.
The problem of course then when I get home is that I have access to the rest. Bad things happens when I’m alone with banana bread.
Looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it
Yum!! Looks so good– and actually healthy!!
I do desire glaze. I surely do.
My butt is getting bigger as we speak, but I am going to bake this a million times over anyway…since…you are all Doctor like…it is good for us :))) xx I adore your recipes. Just sayin’.
Thanks Lynne! :)
These are healthy…perfect after workout snack!
I first read this recipe as “snake cake” – I’m so glad it wasn’t that.
My son asked me to buy some “brown bananas” so we can make banana bread this week! Looking forward to making this Dr. Jessica :)
I have all the ingredients..YES! I’ll be making this in 5, 4, 3, 2,…. :)
Let me know how it turns out. :)
Yummy! I bet that is soooo good when it is still warm. I will have to try this soon. I love your photography!
Thank you!
This looks..utterly divine. Wow. And the healthy part of this cake is such a bonus. I will be making this soon!
Soooo what you’re saying is I could eat the whole pan aaaand it’s alright. Awesome!
Ha, my mom must go to that same place of worship. I told her I was slightly altering a Barefoot Contessa recipe and she goes “well just don’t make it TOO healthy because what’s the point, Gina?” Guess what…it came out fine. better even in my opinion without 3 cups of sugar!
This looks awesome. Anything with less than 1/2 a stick of butter in it and I feel like I can eat it whenever I want ;)
Over-ripe bananas make me super uncomfortable. I love banana bread/cake/cupcakes/whatever but I can’t handle watching bananas sit on my counter and turn all brown and stuff. Like, it really bothers me. I need help. I should probably also learn how to not be a drama queen about fruit.
This recipe looks so good, I love banana bread! I even put chocolate chips in it when I am in the need of chocolate. :) Have you (or anyone out there) ever tried making it with a gluten free flour blend?
I have not… perhaps someone else has?
I’ve got bananas on my counter that are that brown. PERFECT for this recipe! Sounds like a good plan. Thanks!
Ahhhhh….heaven!
I have whole wheat flour and all purpose flour but, I don’t have whole wheat “pastry” flour on hand. Is there a substitute for that?
You can try mixing 50/50 AP and WW, or just use all AP!
What’s the difference between whole wheat pastry flour and regular whole wheat flour?
WW pastry has fewer proteins than regular WW – I’m not sure of much other technical stuff, but it results in much fluffier baked goods and is not dry or gritty. I can rarely tell the difference once baked in WW pastry and all-purpose. Regular whole wheat is super dry and gritty and requires a lot of liquid for baking, and even then still can result in a dry baked good.
Good to know! I usually hate things I bake with regular WW flour. I’ll be picking up the WW pastry for this!
You will LOVE it. Seriously, I felt the same way. It’s a bit more expensive than regular WW but 400% worth it to me. Let me know if you like it!!
Right now I’m staring at my banana sitting on my desk wishing it would magically turn into this. Maybe if I think I’m eating this cake….it will really taste like that. Should work, right?