If you are wondering what to do with overripe plantains on your kitchen counter, this Easy Plantain Cake/Plantain Bread Recipe is your answer. It is very moist, flavorful, and melts in your mouth, perfect for breakfast, dessert, or a snack.
If you love banana bread, you are going to love this. I always like making homemade cakes or breads, especially when I have overripe bananas. I used them for this yogurt banana bread, banana crepes, and banana puff puffs. Baking with ripe plantains or bananas is the best thing ever in my home.
I also used ripe plantains for plantain puff puff and plantain frittatas, which are perfect breakfast options, and I have never regretted it. Something heavy for dinner? This Cameroonian ripe plantain and chicken will be your favorite.
Sometimes, for a twist, I use oranges for a sweet and zesty orange cake or lemons for a lemon cake. If you want a taste of the Caribbean, this rum cake will be your go-to when served with homemade yogurt or pineapple juice.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
No wasting of plantains. Turn those over-plantains into something golden, sweet, and irresistible—the darker the peel, the sweeter the plantain.
Very easy to make, with no mixer, no complicated steps, and easy-to-find pantry ingredients. It’s the easy plantain cake recipe you can make even on a busy weeknight.
It's customizable. You can make it vegan, sugar-free, or add nuts and dried fruits to level it up.
Ingredients Used
- Overripe Plantains are the star of the show! They are sweet and will give the bread or cake a rich texture and moisture.
- Eggs: To bind the ingredients together and give structure. It must be at room temperature.
- All-purpose flour: Balances the moisture from the plantains.
- Baking powder and Baking soda: Leavening agents that help the cake rise slightly.
- Sugar to sweeten, but it is optional.
- Spices: Nutmeg and cinnamon for deep flavors.
See the recipe card below for all the ingredients and detailed measurements.
How to Make Plantain Cake/Plantain Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and grease a 9-inch loaf pan. Set aside. Whisk together the flour, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.
- Blend or process the ripe plantains.
- Transfer the mashed plantains to a mixing bowl. Add the melted butter, sugar, eggs, milk, and yogurt. Whisk till well combined.
- Gently fold in the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.
- Transfer the batter to the greased pan, and bake at 350°F till a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in the baking pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. When cool, cut into slices and serve.
Substitutions and Variations
- For vegan options, replace eggs with two tablespoons of flaxseed and six tablespoons of water, and use vegetable oil instead of butter.
- To sweeten, use maple syrup or honey.
- For gluten-free options, use almond, oat flour, or a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend. However, the cake will be dense.
- Add cardamom, allspice, or cloves to spice it up.
- Flavor add-ins like chocolate chips, crushed nuts, dried fruits, or shredded coconut will take this plantain cake to the next level.
- It is best served with yogurt, tea or coffee, and juice. Have you tried it with butter? Go for it!
Recipe Tips
- The darker the plantains, the riper and the better. Plantains with black skins are the best for this recipe. Hard, ripe plantains will not work for this recipe. You need ripe and soft to give the cake a sweet, smooth, and caramel flavor.
- Eggs should be at room temperature.
- Do not overmix the batter. Fold in the flour gently with the wet ingredients.
- Add any extras like nuts or dried fruits last and fold in at the very end.
- Use the correct pan size; 9x5 works well for this recipe. Do not overfill the pan; it will overflow, and the middle might not bake well.
- Bake at the right temperature. 350F is the ideal baking temperature. High heat will cause burnt edges.
- Let it cool before slicing and serving.
- Flavors deepen over time and taste best the next day.
Serving Suggestions
Pair it with a warm cup of tea, such as this lemon ginger tea, coffee, hot cocoa, or even cold juice, like this orange pomegranate juice.
Lightly toast it and spread some butter, or skip the toasting. Sprinkle with some sugar and cinnamon.
With yogurt and some fresh fruits
Yes, but the result will be different. Bananas are softer and sweeter than plantains. If you use bananas, the texture will be more like classic banana bread. For this recipe, ripe plantains give the best texture and flavor.
Yes! Swap out the all-purpose flour for almond flour, oat flour, or a gluten-free flour blend. Just note: the texture may be a bit more dense depending on what you use.
Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
Yes! You can, but the baking time might reduce or increase depending on how wide the pan is.
Nuts, raisins, chocolate chips, shredded coconut, spices like nutmeg, cardamom, all spice, and cloves.
Easy Plantain Cake/Plantain Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Over ripe Plantains
- 2 cups All purpose flour
- ½ cup Melted butter unsalted
- ¼ cup Yogurt
- ¼ cup Milk
- ¼ cup Sugar
- 2 large Eggs at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon optional
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and grease a 9 inch loaf pan. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.2 cups All purpose flour, ½ teaspoon Ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon Baking soda, ½ teaspoon Baking powder, ½ teaspoon Salt
- Peel and chop plantains. Transfer to a food processor or blender and process till slightly smooth. You can also use a fork to mash it if its really soft.2 Over ripe Plantains
- Transfer the mashed plantains to a mixing bowl. Add the melted butter, sugar, eggs, milk and yogurt. Whisk till well combined.½ cup Melted butter, ¼ cup Yogurt, ¼ cup Milk, ¼ cup Sugar, 2 large Eggs
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan spreading it evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 350℉ for 50 minutes until a toothpick or tester comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the baking pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- When cool, cut into slices and serve.
Video
Notes
-
- The darker the plantains, the riper and the better. Plantains with black skins are the best for this recipe. Hard, ripe plantains will not work for this recipe. You need ripe and soft to give the cake a sweet, smooth, and caramel flavor.
- Eggs should be at room temperature.
- Do not overmix the batter. Fold in the flour gently with the wet ingredients.
- Add any extras like nuts or dried fruits last and fold in at the very end.
- Use the correct pan size; 9x5 works well for this recipe. Do not overfill the pan; it will overflow, and the middle might not bake well.
- Bake at the right temperature. 350F is the ideal baking temperature. High heat will cause burnt edges.
- Let it cool before slicing and serving.
- Flavors deepen over time and taste best the next day.
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Bilikis says
Thanks for the recipe ma
Claudy says
Wondering what to do with those black skin overripe plantains? This recipe is for you. I made this and I never regretted it. Try it and drop a comment. Thanks
Claudy