Banana Oat Loaf Cake

Soft fluffy banana oat cake made with the perfect overripe bananas, whole oats and chia seeds. This cake is so delicious and a great way to get some healthy oats into your baking. The cake is not overly sweet so it is perfect for breakfast or a small treat after dinner.

Two things I love to bake with are bananas and oats and I love this recipe as it combines the two perfectly.  My daughter loves bananas so every time we go shopping, I buy a bunch. For some reason there are always 2 or 3 bananas left from the bunch that are left until they become overripe. This is when I love to bake this recipe. If there is only 1 banana left then I tend to bake my small banana loaf recipe which is baked in a smaller 1lb tin.

This loaf cake is super soft with a nutty oaty flavour. The nuttiness in the cake comes from adding chia seeds which is only a small quantity but enough to give a hint of flavour. It is one of the easiest recipes to make and wont require much time to prepare though it requires 1 hour baking time. You will appreciate the beautiful banana smell it creates while baking.

Ingredients for Banana Oat Loaf Cake

• 150g self-raising flour – or plain flour with ½ teaspoon of baking powder.
• 85g whole oats – try to use rolled whole oats and avoid instant oats.
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds – just a small amount to give a slight nutty flavour.
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon – I only use a small amount but if you want a stronger cinnamon flavour then use 1 tsp.
• ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate soda – also known as baking soda.
• 2 large bananas – use overripe bananas where the skin is mostly brown or black for better flavour. If your bananas are small then use 3 instead.
• 65g unsalted butter – soft room temperature.
• 60ml vegetable oil – you can also use canola or rapeseed oil.
• 180g caster sugar – you can use any sugar you prefer.
• 2 medium eggs – room temperature eggs are best.
• 100ml sour cream – bring to room temperature
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract – use good quality vanilla extract.

How to Make Banana Oat Loaf Cake

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/350°F/180°C and line a 9 x 5 inch (2lb) loaf with parchment paper. To a large bowl, add and combine the self-raising flour, oats, chia seeds, cinnamon and bicarbonate soda then set aside. Remove the bananas from their skin and mash them with a fork. Set the mashed bananas aside.

2. To a mixing bowl, add the butter, sugar and vegetable oil then cream them together until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla extract and ensure they are combined well. Pour the dry ingredients set aside earlier into the wet ingredients and combine well.

3. Pour the batter into the baking tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the banana loaf to cool in tin on the cooling rack for 20 minutes then remove from the tin and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before enjoying.

Recipe Tips

• This recipe can be easily prepared by hand or using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
• The 2lb loaf tin I use for this recipe measures around 9 x  5 inches.

Nutrition

Nutrition based on 1 serving - Calories: 255kcal | Fat: 12.4g | Saturates: 4.5g | Carbs: 32.4g | Sugar: 18.9g | Fibre: 1.6g | Protein: 3.7g | Salt 0.14g

Storage

Store this cake loaf at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze this loaf cake for up to 3 months. To freeze, slice the cake into slices and place a piece of parchment paper between each slice. Place in a freezer friendly container or wrap in clingfilm then place in the freezer.

More Loaf Cake Recipes

• Banana Loaf (1lb loaf tin recipe)
• Peanut Butter Banana and Chocolate Blondie Bars
• Golden Syrup Cake (1lb Tin)