The most delicious Fluffy Banana Oat Snack Cake that’s loaded with vanilla, brown sugar, nutmeg and finished with a sprinkling of oats, sugar and chocolate chips. YUM.
This is a super simple cake but with mega jazz hands.
I love baking with bananas! Some of my other favorite banana recipes include these The Best Banana Skillet Cake with Chocolate Chips, Double Chocolate Banana Bread, Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (with streusel, yum), this Banana Espresso Cake that is a reader favorite or my Easy Everyday Banana Bread that will knock your socks off. Really.
Both The Cake Book and The Cookie Book have banana-based recipes such as my Overnight Banana Bread Cookies. Resting the cookie dough overnight really brings out the rich banana flavor.
And I have the yummiest Banana Bread and Banana Rum Bundt Cake in The Cake Book. I hope you’ll check them out!
And don’t forget to try these Iced Oatmeal Cookies or these Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies — you will love them!
What Makes This Banana Snack Cake Recipe Fabulous
- The cake base is light and loaded with cozy flavors
- You will love it’s fluffy texture
- She’s a one-bowl cake and I couldn’t love that about her more!
- Mixed + baked in under an hour — it’s such an easy recipe
- So simple to throw together (I know you’re going to love her)
- This is a great recipe when you want something quick, delicious and heathy-ish
- All basic baking ingredients that come together for something magical 💫
How to Make Oat Flour
You can either buy oat flour at the store (I love Bob’s Red Mill) or you can use regular Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats and blitz them in your blender until they are reduced to fine flour.
Both work great in this recipe. When working with oats, stir the cake batter as little (and as gently) as possible once the oat flour has been added.
If you mix the oat flour too much, it can become gummy and ruin the texture of the cake.
Do not use steel-cut oats in this recipe. In a pinch you can use quick oats, but my preference is old-fashion rolled oats.
*IF* you don’t have oat flour, oats or can’t be bothered with either, you can replace the oat flour with more all-purpose flour 1:1 (in the cake base) and omit the oats sprinkled over the top.
Please leave any questions in the comments section below!
How to Pick Bananas For Baking
I recommend using bananas that are sugar spotted. Those brown spots on your bananas are called ‘sugar spots.’ As your bananas ripen and get more of those spots, your bananas get sweeter (love).
Thus making them perfect for banana bread, muffins and other baked goods.
When your bananas are speckled with sugar spots and yield to the touch (and are no longer firm), that’s when they are perfect for baking.
If they are completely dark (the spots have blended together) and your bananas are mushy, then they are no longer ideal to bake with, in my humble opinion.
Step-by-Step Instructions for this Banana Cake
Below are step-by-step photos (with captions) to make the most delicious Banana-Oat Snack Cake perfect every single time! My biggest tips are:
- Choose the right bananas. You want bananas that have brown spots (sugar spots) all over for the best flavor.
- Don’t over-mix your oat flour. Oat flour can get gummy if it’s over-mixed, so use a light hand when mixing your cake batter.
- Add the garnish in the order listed. Before baking, you’ll add oats, sugar and chocolate chips to the top of the cake. For the prettiest finished cake, add them in exactly this order. I *did not* add them to the cake in the right order in the video, but it still tasted fabulous!
The Baker’s Guide to Measuring Flour
One of the biggest (and most common) mistakes in baking is how we measure flour. If you find yourself without a scale, see my top tips on how to properly measure flour for the perfect amount every time!
My Favorite Tools for Making Fabulous Sheet Cakes
My absolute favorite tools for making this Fluffy Banana Oat Snacking Cake are:
My favorite whisk and heat-safe nesting glass bowls that I really need everyone to own.
My trusty scale for precision.
My favorite spatula meets spoonula for mixing (I love this soft blue). FYI the spatula in the video is no longer being made..RIP.
This is my favorite 8-Inch NordicWare Square Baking Pan to bake this cake in. *IF* you use a glass baking dish, be sure to lower your oven about 25°F (15°C) and add about 10 to 15 minutes to the bake time.
For more fun shopping, check out my Shop (aka my favorite things!).
More Banana Things Please!
I love love love baking with bananas! Some of my favorite recipes include these Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, this Easy Everyday Banana Bread (that you’ll love!) and this heavenly Banana Espresso Cake (with espresso buttercream!).
Want more cake tips, ideas & recipes?! Check out my 10 Favorite Easy Tips for Perfect Cakes!
This is such a yummy cake, I hope you enjoy your Fluffy Banana Oat Snacking Cake!
Fluffy Banana Oat Snacking Cake
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (55 g) light brown sugar (packed)
- 8 tablespoons (113 g or 4 oz) unsalted butter (melted and cooled slightly)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup (68 g) oat flour (see note below)
- 1 1/2 cups (350 g) medium ripe bananas (about 3 bananas, peeled and mashed)
- 1 2/3 cups (225 g) all-purpose flour (how to measure flour)
- ¾ cup (177 g) water (room temperature)
- 2/3 cup (113 g) dark chocolate chips
To Garnish
- 1/3 cup (27 g) uncooked old-fashioned oats
- 2 tablespoons (24 g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (57 g) dark chocolate chips
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and place a rack in the center of the oven. Grease a 8-inch (20-cm) square baking dish and line the bottom and two sides of pan with parchment paper.
- In large bowl, add the sugar, brown sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, nutmeg and whisk until lighter in color and thick in consistency, about 2 minutes. Add the baking soda, baking powder, sea salt and oat flour, whisking to combine. Then gently fold in the mashed banana.
- Alternate adding the flour and water in two batches, mixing each until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and pour into the prepared pan.
To Garnish & Bake
- Sprinkle with the uncooked oats, sugar and lastly the chocolate chips. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and puffed up in the middle of the cake. Set on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting into squares and serving.
Notes
A Note About Bananas
When your bananas are speckled with sugar spots and yield to the touch (and are no longer firm), that’s when they are perfect for baking. If they are completely dark (the spots have blended together) and your bananas are mushy, then they are overripe bananas and no longer ideal to bake with, in my humble opinion.A Note About Oat Flour
You can either buy oat flour at the store (I usually use Bob’s Red Mill) or you can use regular Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats and blitz them in your blender until they are reduced to fine flour. Both work great in this recipe. When working with oats, stir the cake batter as little (and as gently) as possible once the oat flour has been added. If you mix the oat flour too much, it can become gummy and ruin the texture of the cake. *IF* you don’t have oat flour, oats or can’t be bothered with either, you can replace the oat flour with regular all-purpose flour 1:1. Please leave any questions in the comments section below.Storing Your Cake
You can store your cake, covered at room temperature, for several days.Freezing Your Cake
You can freeze the cake base, wrapped tightly, for up to several months. Defrost, still wrapped, in the fridge overnight.Want more cake tips, ideas & recipes?! Check out my
10 Favorite Easy Tips for Perfect Cakes! xx
This recipe was originally a collaboration with my friends at C&H® Sugar. :)
This cake is addictive! Hands down a winner in my home!
It’s such an easy, delicious cake! I’m so happy you love it! xo
Just made this today and substituted KAF GF “Measure for Measure” for the AP flour and the result was delicious. Great recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing that the recipe worked with gf flour! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!! xo
Well, first I forgot to fold in the chips, but kind I’d gently got them in. It took me 40 minutes to make. Baked for 45 minutes, edges were brown and cake very puffed. Three hours later when I cut into it, the center had sunk and it definitely wasn’t cooked through, but we ate it anyway and it tasted good.
Hi Janet,
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Sometimes the type of pan you use (stainless vs glass), whether you weighed or measured ingredients and/or if your oven runs hot/cold can all impact how fast/slowly a cake bakes. I have more notes about why cakes can sink in this post here:
https://www.displacedhousewife.com/favorite-cake-tips/ if you’re interested!
Cheers,
R xx
Hi! What brand of chocolate chips are you using in this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Helen!
I’m pretty sure for these photos I used Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Baking Chips…they are my favorite that you can get at the grocery store. They’re so good!! xox
The cake looks amazing, and you make it look so easy.
I promise you it’s SO EASY!! xo
Oh my ——- I’m in. Eat til it hurts, eat right thru the pain!!!
You would love this cake Dad!!! xo