Recipe: Nutty Banana Sheet Cake
Now here’s a wholesome cake you can feel equally happy about for dessert as you can for breakfast. A fluffy sheet of banana cake is the perfect partner to a mix of crunchy, earthy nuts and seeds. To make this wholesome cake a bit more sweet, we’re finishing it off with a drizzle of bittersweet chocolate.
Another One-Bowl Wonder
I love the ease of making this cake. Like banana bread, it’s a one-bowl wonder, thanks to the use of oil instead of creamed butter and sugar. Even with the use of oil, you still get a light cake, which means this recipe is ideal for eating any time of day.
A Wholesome List of Ingredients
While still very much a cake, this recipe is chock-full of wholesome ingredients.
- The mashed bananas make it moist and flavorful.
- Applesauce doubles down on the tenderness of this cake.
- Poppy seeds, walnuts, and sunflower seeds make this cake hearty — but not dense — and add a nice layer of crunch. You can swap in flaxseeds or coconut flakes here with equal success!
Nutty Banana Sheet Cake
Serves 9 to 12
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 2
medium, overripe bananas (about 7 ounces peeled banana)
- 1/2 cup
loosely packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup
vegetable oil or melted unsalted butter
- 2
large eggs
- 1/2 cup
ground almonds
- 1/3 cup
applesauce
- 1/4 cup
milk
- 3/4 teaspoon
baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon
baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon
fine salt
- 1 1/2 cups
whole-wheat pastry flour
- 1 tablespoon
poppy seeds
- 3 tablespoons
sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup
walnut pieces
- 2 ounces
dark chocolate (70% cocoa), melted
Instructions
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F. Coat a 9x13-inch rimmed baking sheet with oil or butter; set aside.
Peel the bananas, place on a plate, and mash with the back of a fork until smooth. Scrape into a large bowl. Add the sugar, oil or butter, eggs, almonds, applesauce, and milk. Stir together until well-mixed. Add the baking soda, baking powder, salt, flour, and poppy seeds. Fold together until no floury patches remain.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the sunflower seeds and walnut pieces. Bake until well-risen and golden-brown — a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
Drizzle the cake with the melted chocolate and leave to cool and set. Once cooled, cut into 9 to 12 pieces.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.