Olive oil doesn’t belong only in salads and savories—it makes great cakes too. This dense, moist bread is intensely banana-y. For the best results, use very ripe bananas. Their sugars will add to the cake’s overall sweetness, not to mention its taste.

Servings: 12

Ingredients: 9

Prep: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

¾ cup dark brown sugar

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup olive oil

2 large eggs, lightly beaten 

2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 4 large bananas)

¼ cup plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and set it aside.
  2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
  3. In a separate medium bowl, mix the olive oil, eggs, mashed banana, Greek yogurt and vanilla until well blended.
  4. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the banana mixture. Stir together with a wooden spoon.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a rack for 20 minutes, and then remove from the pan to finish cooling.

Chef Tips

When bananas get too ripe, peel and freeze them. Frozen bananas may be used straight from the freezer to thicken and sweeten smoothies or slowly thawed in the fridge to use in baking and desserts.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Calories: 204; fat: 23 g; saturated fat: 1 g; polyunsaturated fat: 1 g; monounsaturated fat: 5 g; carbohydrates: 33 g; sugar: 14 g; fiber: 4 g; protein: 4 g; sodium: 194 mg

©2024 Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Used with permission.

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