Posted on Friday, March 14, 2025

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by AMAC, D.J. Wilson

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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.