Buying a bunch of bananas, I've found, is just a bit tricky, because they all ripen at the exact same time. What if I want a banana for each day of the week? I have yet to figure out the best strategy.
In reality, though, it's not all bad. Once a few bananas begin to brown, I can stick 'em in the freezer to use in smoothies, or whip them into a banana bread like this one (or this one, or this one). I'd apologize for the overload of banana bread recipes if they weren't all so darn delicious. And easy to make! This one in particular is great because it only requires one banana. Because sometimes it's that last straggler that really stumps ya.
This recipe is also fun because it's more of a "cake." In fact, this is cake-for-breakfast at its finest, and at its healthiest. Made with whole wheat flour, nonfat yogurt, and protein-packed almond butter, this is a feel-good recipe that'll keep you full until lunch. What's not to love?
Banana Breakfast Cake with Almond Butter Swirl
8-12 servings, depending on slice size
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour (or sub all-purpose)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 medium banana, mashed
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons unsalted almond butter, plus more for drizzle
- Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in the center of the mixture.
Combine yogurt, banana, oil, vanilla, and lightly beaten egg in a small bowl and stir until blended. Add the yogurt mixture to the well in the flour mixture, then fold everything together until just moist. The batter will be very thick. Add the almond butter and gently fold into the batter.
Pour the batter into a 9-inch cake pan coated with cooking spray (alternatively, you can use a 9-inch square pan and cut the cake into squares). Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not over-bake! Cool cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely before slicing.
Serve each slice with a dollop of plain or vanilla yogurt and a drizzle of almond butter.
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light.