Bananas are a favorite fruit of many people. Ripe bananas are excellent in baked goods recipes as the sugar content increases as they ripen – delivering utter sweetness. Plus, ripe bananas become creamy when mashed, helping with the texture of baked goods, too! Check out this easy recipe down below featuring ½ cup of mashed ripe bananas.
But first, some fun facts:
- Bananas are part of the flowering plant genus Musa.
- They are native to Southeast Asia.
- Though generally categorized as fruit, they are botanically a berry.
- Bananas taste great!
- Eating them offers immense health benefits.
They are healthy, too!
Bananas are great sources of:
- Potassium (helping with blood pressure and heart health)
- Fiber (helping with digestion, weight management, and lowering cholesterol)
- Magnesium (helping with blood sugar, blood pressure, and bone strength)
- Vitamin A (good for vision and possible cancer prevention)
- Vitamin B6 (crucial for brain function, metabolism, and immune system support)
- Vitamin C (supporting heart health and the immune system)
- Manganese (great for skin health)
- Energy (to give the body a boost)
Sweet banana cake recipe
Serves 8
Ingredients:
- 1 ⅔ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup water
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup ripe mashed bananas
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour and baking soda. In a separate bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, water, oil, vanilla and bananas. Stir banana mixture into dry ingredients until just moistened. Add walnuts and mix until incorporated. Transfer to a greased and floured 8 x 8-inch square baking pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Extra sweet frosting option: To make this cake even sweeter, make a frosting instead of dusting with confectioners’ sugar. You’ll need: 8 oz. softened cream cheese, 1 stick (8 Tbsp.) softened butter, 4 cups of confectioners’ sugar, and 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract. Using an electric mixer, cream together the softened cream cheese and softened butter (about 1 to 2 minutes). Turn off the mixer and gently fold in the powdered sugar. Once mixed in, turn the electric mixer to low for 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat the frosting until it is light and fluffy (about 3 minutes more). Frost the cooled cake and top with additional walnuts.
Frosting tip: If you make the frosting ahead, be sure to store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Bring it to room temperature and give it a good mixing before using.
Visit Healthline to find out if organic bananas are better.
Note: This article is purely informational and is not intended as a medical resource.
