Mashed Banana and Date Breakfast Cake with Walnuts
A tender, naturally sweet breakfast cake loaded with ripe bananas, chewy dates, and toasted walnuts. The mashed banana keeps the crumb moist while the dates add caramel-like flavor and richness. Perfect for breakfast or a quick snack, this cake requires no mixer and comes together in one bowl.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Wait
- 15 min
- Total
- 1 hr 15 min
- Makes
- 1 loaf cake (8 slices)
Steps
Before you start
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
- Grease a 9×5-inch (23×13 cm) loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment
- Use very ripe bananas with dark speckles for maximum sweetness
- Chop dates and walnuts while you mash the bananas
Prepare the pan and mix dry ingredients
- Grease the 9×5-inch loaf pan with oil or butter and line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Set aside.
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Ready when: dry mixture is evenly combined
Tip: Whisking the baking soda with the flour prevents lumps that won't mix smoothly into the batter
Mash bananas and combine with eggs and oil
- In a large bowl, mash the three peeled bananas with a fork until mostly smooth but with a few small lumps remaining (don't over-mash into a completely uniform paste).
- Add the two eggs and beat lightly with the fork for 30 seconds until yolks are broken and mixture is roughly combined.
- Pour in the vegetable oil and vanilla extract, and stir until incorporated.
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Ready when: mixture is mostly uniform with yolk broken and oil blended in
Tip: Leaving a few small banana lumps creates a better texture in the finished cake; don't over-blend or the cake will be dense
Fold in flour mixture and fold in dates and walnuts
- Pour the dry mixture into the wet ingredients.
- Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir gently until the flour is just incorporated and no white streaks remain—don't overmix.
- The batter should look slightly thick and lumpy.
- Fold in the chopped dates and walnuts until evenly distributed throughout.
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Ready when: flour is fully incorporated with no white streaks; dates and walnuts are evenly scattered throughout
Tip: Overmixing develops gluten and makes the cake tough; mix just until combined
Transfer to pan and bakeOven 350°F / 175°C
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon so it bakes evenly.
- Place the pan on the center rack of a preheated 350°F (175°C) oven.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
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Ready when: golden-brown on top; wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter
Tip: Start checking the cake at 40 minutes to avoid overbaking; every oven varies. The top should be light golden brown
Cool in pan and turn out
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it rest in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes.
- The internal crumb will set as it cools.
- Run a thin knife around the edges to loosen it from the pan, then invert onto a wire rack and carefully peel away the parchment paper.
- Let cool to room temperature before slicing, about 20 to 30 minutes, or serve slightly warm.
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Ready when: cake has cooled enough to be handled without burning your fingers; still warm to the touch
Tip: Cooling in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes prevents the cake from breaking apart; turning it out too soon will cause it to crumble
Good to know
Tips
- For the ripest, sweetest bananas, choose ones with dark brown speckles or even a mostly brown peel. These have fully converted their starches to sugars and will give the cake more natural sweetness.
- If your dates seem dry, soak them in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes before chopping to plump them up and soften them for better distribution in the batter.
- Toasted walnuts have more flavor than raw ones. If you have time, lightly toast the chopped walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, then let cool before folding into the batter.
- This cake is excellent served warm with a small spoonful of Greek yogurt or whipped cream, or simply as is for a quick breakfast on the go.
Make ahead
Bake the cake up to 2 days ahead. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap once fully cooled and store at room temperature or in the fridge. Refresh in a 325°F (160°C) oven for 10 minutes before serving.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature (covered): up to 2 days. Refrigerator (wrapped tightly): up to 5 days. Freezer (wrapped tightly, then in a freezer bag): up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, or warm in a 325°F (160°C) oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
Substitutions
- Medjool dates, pitted → raisins or dried cranberries. Use 1 cup chopped raisins or cranberries. They'll add chew and tartness instead of the caramel sweetness of dates
- raw walnut halves → pecans or chopped almonds. Use the same amount. Pecans will add a richer taste; almonds will be slightly milder and crunchier
- vegetable oil or melted coconut oil → unsalted melted butter or applesauce. Use 5 tablespoons (75 g) melted butter for a richer cake, or ⅓ cup (80 g) unsweetened applesauce for a slightly lighter version
- ground cinnamon → pumpkin pie spice. Use 1 teaspoon (3 g) pumpkin pie spice in place of both the cinnamon and nutmeg for a warm fall flavor
