Banana Cake with Granola and Oat Bran: A Simple, Moist Recipe

This banana cake with granola is a practical way to use up very ripe bananas and have a homemade snack ready for the week. It contains oat bran, cinnamon and cardamom, has less sugar than a traditional cake and stays moist without any butter.

Ingredients (loaf tin of about 25 cm, 10 to 12 slices)

• 3 small, very ripe bananas (about 300 g peeled)
• 2 eggs (medium)
• 90 g light brown sugar
• 50 ml unflavoured coconut oil, melted (or another mild vegetable oil)
• 100 g low-sugar granola
• 90 g oat bran
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (about 3 g)
• ½ level teaspoon ground cardamom (about 1 g)
• 1 level tablespoon baking powder (about 10 g)
• To decorate (optional): 1 banana halved lengthways and 20 g granola

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and grease the tin with a little oil, or line it with baking paper.
2. In a bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until you have a purée with a few small lumps.
3. Add the eggs and sugar and whisk for about 1 minute, until the sugar has dissolved well.
4. Add the melted coconut oil and mix until the batter is smooth.
5. Stir in the oat bran, granola, cinnamon and cardamom with a spatula.
6. Finally, sprinkle the baking powder over the batter and fold it in gently, without beating.
7. If decorating, place the banana halves at the bottom of the tin or on top of the batter, cut side up, and scatter over the remaining granola.
8. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. The cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
9. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out and slicing.

Tips for a good result

• Ripe bananas: the more dark spots on the skin, the sweeter and more aromatic the cake. Underripe bananas give a more neutral flavour and a drier texture.
• Don't overmix: once the baking powder is in, simply fold. Mixing too much makes the cake denser.
• Crunchy granola: to keep some texture, set aside half of the granola and add it only on top, just before baking.
• Oven: every oven is different. If the top is browning too quickly, cover it with foil for the last 10 minutes.
• Sugar: with very ripe bananas, you can reduce the sugar to 60 g without greatly affecting the result.

Variations

• With nuts: add 40 g chopped walnuts or almonds to the batter.
• With chocolate: add 40 g dark chocolate chips (70% cocoa or more).
• With rolled oats: replace the oat bran with the same amount of fine rolled oats; the texture will be slightly more rustic.
• As muffins: divide the batter between 10 to 12 muffin cases and bake for 18 to 22 minutes.
• Without granola: replace the granola with an extra 50 g oat bran and 50 g seeds, such as sunflower or pumpkin seeds.

Storage and serving

Once cool, the cake keeps well wrapped or in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days at room temperature, or up to 5 days in the fridge. It can also be frozen in slices, separated with baking paper, for about 2 months; simply thaw at room temperature or warm for a few seconds in the microwave.

A slice goes well with a coffee, a plant-based drink or a plain yogurt, and works as an afternoon snack or before a light workout, as it provides easily used carbohydrates. Even so, it is still a cake: it contains sugar and fat and should be eaten in moderation as part of a varied diet. The spices add aroma and flavour, but have no meaningful effect on burning calories.

In summary

Banana cake with granola is a simple, one-bowl recipe that makes good use of ripe bananas and includes oats and spices. With around 35 minutes in the oven, it yields 10 to 12 slices that keep well for several days. Adjusting the sugar to the sweetness of the bananas and trying the suggested variations lets you adapt the cake to your household's taste.