If you’ve never had plantain bread before, your first bite will be a pleasant surprise. This Plantain cake is really tasty, inexpensive and so easy to make.
PLANTAIN CAKE
I just love this wonderful recipe! I always make this bread for breakfast, especially when I have some overripe plantains at home. It is easy to bake.
Plantain bread is an easy recipe that uses normal ingredients, is quick to prepare, and turns out great every time. For an extra layer of texture and crunchiness, you can add walnuts.
Plantain cake is well balanced in flavor and texture with a light and moist consistency, and it’s completely different from banana bread. However, care should be taken because, this bread, unlike the banana bread, tends to harden up fast but the Yogurt in this recipe helps to keep it moist for a longer period of time.
This cake is one of my favorite plantain recipes because of how easy it is to put together. It’s great as breakfast, snack for kids, or enjoy with friends over a cup of coffee or juice.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PLANTAIN BREAD AND BANANA BREAD
Though plantains and Bananas share some resemblance (you can read here to learn more) but Plantain bread is quite different from the banana bread. Banana bread has a softer texture with more banana integrity. However, the plantain bread is a little denser with a sweet but not so intense plantain flavor.
The best plantains to use for this recipe are the over-ripe plantains. This is when the flavor of your cake will really shine through.
CAN YOU FREEZE PLANTAIN BREAD?
Yes! Allow the bread to cool down to completely room temperature. Once cool, wrap it as explained above and freeze. It should stay fresh for up to 2 months in the freezer.
When you are ready to eat your bread, simply remove it from the freezer and allow it to come to room temperature.
CAN YOU FREEZE PLANTAIN BREAD?
Yes! Allow the bread to cool down to completely room temperature. Once cool, wrap it as explained above and freeze. It should stay fresh for up to 2 months in the freezer.
When you are ready to eat your bread, simply remove it from the freezer and allow it to come to room temperature.
The best way to keep plantain bread moist for days is to wrap it tightly with a plastic wrap! Allow the bread to cool down completely before wrapping it. Then put the wrapped loaf in a large zip lock freezer bag or a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid. This will last on the countertop for up to 3 days and in the fridge for up to 6 days.
ONLY USE THE RIPEST PLANTAINS
One essential requirement for making plantain bread is to use ripe plantains. Once the skin gets darker, and the plantain begins to get too soft for frying or baking, then it’s time to make plantain bread.
Letting your plantains ripen even longer until they become so soft and the skins are almost totally black will make your bread even sweeter, more flavored, and richer.
Preheat the oven to 350°F, then grease and flour the baking pan and set aside.
Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder.
Whisk, mash or blend the plantains till fairly smooth.
Use a hand whisk to cream the butter and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and cream together until just combined. Add the Yogurt and vanilla and whisk together.
Mix the mashed plantains with the creamed butter and add the mixture to the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking powder). Fold a couple of times until well mixed. (don't over mix).
Stir in the milk and mix till combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth out the surface of the batter and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hr or till a tester or toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Thank you so much for the recipe! I've been cooking banana bread for long, but this time had over-ripe plantains and found your recipe. No way I am going back to my old one, cause this loaf disappeared in a couple of hours ) Cooking it again right now )
Chef Lola's Kitchen
Wednesday 19th of October 2022
That's great, Tatiana. Glad that you enjoyed and preferred this recipe. Keep enjoying it.👍👍
Deborah
Saturday 8th of October 2022
Delicious, much better than banana bread. This is a keeper recipe. Thank you Lola!!!!
Substitutions and changes:
vegan yogurt (Harmless Harvest plain)
Reduced sugar to 1/2 cup (1/4 cup each light brown and white)
Doubled the recipe, using 1 cup of almond flour, 3 cups of AP flour.
Added 1/2 cup of poppy seeds.
Used olive oil to make up for the reduced butter I had on hand.
Used 2 hen eggs and 2 flax eggs.
Baked for 95 minutes in 2 loaf pans prepared with parchment paper, no greasing of pan or paper.
Chef Lola's Kitchen
Sunday 16th of October 2022
This is great, Deborah. I am happy you customize the recipe to suit your taste. Great Job.
Victoria Idowu
Saturday 8th of October 2022
Hi Lola, I just made mine and it came out so nice. The recipe is so simple and the ingredients easily available. I tweeked the recipe a bit, used brown sugar instead of white, also used oat flour for half of the flour requirement.
I baked two added raisins in one and chocolate chips in the other.
It's so lovely.
I will try to upload the pictures on Instagram.
Chef Lola's Kitchen
Sunday 16th of October 2022
Great, Victoria. I am happy you made the bread to your taste, and came out well. Feel free to tag me on Instagram when you upload the picture.
Restituta Cadungog
Monday 15th of August 2022
Recipe looks simple. I will try it. Love the instructions, it’s very clear to follow.
Chef Lola's Kitchen
Sunday 4th of September 2022
Thank you, Restitua.
linda ehikhamen
Wednesday 27th of July 2022
I’ve tried this recipe several times now, love it every time. Most of the time, though, I only have 1 or 2 plantains and lots of bananas, and I always make double recipe, so I used more bananas and I love it WAY better than banana bread made with just bananas. I also use half coconut oil, half butter. Right now my recipe is in the oven and I only had milk, no yogurt. I’ll let you know if it turned out.
linda ehikhamen
Thursday 27th of October 2022
@Chef Lola's Kitchen,
This is the conclusion of my previous post….the recipes turned out awesomely with the bananas and rye flour. Not gooey at all. I think I forgot to mention that I also substituted coconut oil for the butter, as I was short on butter.
Thanks again for the recipe.
linda ehikhamen
Thursday 27th of October 2022
@Chef Lola's Kitchen,
Hi, I just went back here to make your recipe AGAIN and saw your message! It turned out great! Thanks so much! And today I have no plantains at all, but my husband requested banana bread, so I’m tweaking again, because I love your recipe, hopefully turns out near as well as with plantains. I really don’t like the way banana bread gets gooey, and the plans-tainted bread never does. Double recipe again, 5 bananas, 3 cups of white flour, 1 cup of rye, 1 cup white sugar, so I reduced it a bit. Will try and post the results in 1 hour!
Tatiana
Tuesday 18th of October 2022
Thank you so much for the recipe! I've been cooking banana bread for long, but this time had over-ripe plantains and found your recipe. No way I am going back to my old one, cause this loaf disappeared in a couple of hours ) Cooking it again right now )
Chef Lola's Kitchen
Wednesday 19th of October 2022
That's great, Tatiana. Glad that you enjoyed and preferred this recipe. Keep enjoying it.👍👍
Deborah
Saturday 8th of October 2022
Delicious, much better than banana bread. This is a keeper recipe. Thank you Lola!!!!
Substitutions and changes: vegan yogurt (Harmless Harvest plain) Reduced sugar to 1/2 cup (1/4 cup each light brown and white) Doubled the recipe, using 1 cup of almond flour, 3 cups of AP flour. Added 1/2 cup of poppy seeds. Used olive oil to make up for the reduced butter I had on hand. Used 2 hen eggs and 2 flax eggs. Baked for 95 minutes in 2 loaf pans prepared with parchment paper, no greasing of pan or paper.
Chef Lola's Kitchen
Sunday 16th of October 2022
This is great, Deborah. I am happy you customize the recipe to suit your taste. Great Job.
Victoria Idowu
Saturday 8th of October 2022
Hi Lola, I just made mine and it came out so nice. The recipe is so simple and the ingredients easily available. I tweeked the recipe a bit, used brown sugar instead of white, also used oat flour for half of the flour requirement.
I baked two added raisins in one and chocolate chips in the other. It's so lovely.
I will try to upload the pictures on Instagram.
Chef Lola's Kitchen
Sunday 16th of October 2022
Great, Victoria. I am happy you made the bread to your taste, and came out well. Feel free to tag me on Instagram when you upload the picture.
Restituta Cadungog
Monday 15th of August 2022
Recipe looks simple. I will try it. Love the instructions, it’s very clear to follow.
Chef Lola's Kitchen
Sunday 4th of September 2022
Thank you, Restitua.
linda ehikhamen
Wednesday 27th of July 2022
I’ve tried this recipe several times now, love it every time. Most of the time, though, I only have 1 or 2 plantains and lots of bananas, and I always make double recipe, so I used more bananas and I love it WAY better than banana bread made with just bananas. I also use half coconut oil, half butter. Right now my recipe is in the oven and I only had milk, no yogurt. I’ll let you know if it turned out.
linda ehikhamen
Thursday 27th of October 2022
@Chef Lola's Kitchen,
This is the conclusion of my previous post….the recipes turned out awesomely with the bananas and rye flour. Not gooey at all. I think I forgot to mention that I also substituted coconut oil for the butter, as I was short on butter.
Thanks again for the recipe.
linda ehikhamen
Thursday 27th of October 2022
@Chef Lola's Kitchen,
Hi, I just went back here to make your recipe AGAIN and saw your message! It turned out great! Thanks so much! And today I have no plantains at all, but my husband requested banana bread, so I’m tweaking again, because I love your recipe, hopefully turns out near as well as with plantains. I really don’t like the way banana bread gets gooey, and the plans-tainted bread never does. Double recipe again, 5 bananas, 3 cups of white flour, 1 cup of rye, 1 cup white sugar, so I reduced it a bit. Will try and post the results in 1 hour!
Chef Lola's Kitchen
Sunday 16th of October 2022
How did it turn out, Linda?