By 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
Say hello to plantain cake! Imagine banana bread but with an exotic twist. It’s moist, flavorful, and irresistibly comforting.
Made with overripe plantains, this delightful cake transforms simple ingredients into a tropical indulgence. Perfect with coffee or tea, it’s a little slice of sunshine anytime.
Plantain bread is an easy recipe that uses normal ingredients, is quick to prepare, and turns out great every time.
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.
This plantain cake is perfect with tea or coffee. For another simple cake that works beautifully as a snack, dessert, or teatime treat, try my Semolina Yogurt Cake. It’s light, fluffy, and full of fresh lemon flavor, with a lovely texture from the semolina.
Baking Plantain Cake
When I first tried making plantain cake, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Plantains were common in my kitchen, but baking with them was new territory. My first batch was tasty but slightly dense, which encouraged me to experiment further. After a few tweaks, adding yogurt for moistness, and adjusting baking times, I found the sweet spot!
Now, this cake turns out soft, fluffy, and moist every time. The lesson learned? Don’t rush the creaming step; that fluffy butter and sugar mixture makes all the difference!
What Makes Plantain Cake Special?
Plantain cake holds a special charm for me. Growing up, plantains were a staple at our family table, usually fried or grilled (boli). Discovering that these humble plantains could create an irresistible cake was a delightful surprise!
I have added my own twist to the classic recipe. I included creamy yogurt and vanilla, which enhance the flavors and textures. For an extra layer of texture and crunchiness, you can add nuts.
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 enjoyed 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), plantain bread is quite different from 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.
Watch how to make plantain cake here:
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.
HOW DO YOU KEEP PLANTAIN CAKE MOIST?
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 very ripe /overripe 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.
Handy Baking Tip
- Overmixing your batter can lead to a tougher cake. Fold ingredients gently for the best texture.
Delicious Variations
- Add Nuts: Stir in chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds for texture.
- Spiced Goodness: Add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, or allspice to complement the tropical flavors.
Is your Kitchen overstocked with overripe Plantains? Don’t trash them, make this cake, you will be glad you did. Have fun and enjoy!
PLANTAIN CAKE/PLANTAIN BREAD (VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 Tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 8 tbsp butter or 1 stick butter
- 2 plantains overripe
- 1/4 cup Yogurt
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
- The riper the plantain, the sweeter it is, so you may need to adjust the quantity of your sugar based on the ripeness of the plantain
- Don’t over mix the batter otherwise, the cake will come out tough.
Nutrition
Some of our other favorite cake recipes:
- Chocolate Marble Cake
- Plantain Cake
- Classic Pound Cake
- Easy Moist Carrot Cake
- Easy Vanilla Cupcake
- Lemon Yogurt Cake
- Red Velvet Cake
Thanks for stopping by. Let’s connect!
You can find me on Facebook, and Instagram. I love keeping in touch with all of you!
If you make this Plantain Cake, I’d love to see pictures of your creations on Instagram and Facebook. #cheflolaskitchen
Can I use a hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar? Can I use it to mash the plantains?
Yes, you can Vickie.
Excuse me Lola Osinkolu, After making this cake, what kind of desserts can I make with it. I was thinking of serving it with some greek yogurt and fruit but what else can I do with the loaf. Let me know whenever you get a chance.Thank you.
Hello Ginner! Plantain bread is incredibly versatile. You can serve it with nut butters (like almond, peanut, or cashew), cream cheese, yogurt, or even a scoop of ice cream. For drinks, it pairs perfectly with coffee, tea, or a cold glass of milk. It works well with almost anything you would typically pair with banana bread! I hope that helps.
Just making this now. However I’ve just put it in the oven and realised I didnt add the milk🤣. Well it’s a good excuse to make it again.
We’ve all been there😅 that’s definitely the perfect excuse to bake another batch, Can’t wait to hear how it turns out ❤️
@Susan, I just pulled my leaf out of the oven. While reading the comments I came across yours and reading it made me realize that I also left the milk out. SMH!!! How did yours turn out? Should I expect something terrible?
Great recipe! I used half butter half olive oil and it came out great!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe😊 Thanks for giving it a try and sharing your feedback. I’m happy to hear it turned out great😊
I’ve made this cake twice now and it’s absolutely delicious! Every time I used to make banana bread I’d end up dissatisfied with it because it had a weird aftertaste, and this cake has exactly the flavor I’ve always been looking for in a banana bread/cake
I’m glad this works for you Tam! So happy it solved your banana bread dilemma. Thanks for sharing!
Hi lola, thank you so much for this recipe
Can I please know what kind of yogurt to use or possible substitutes? Thank you.
Plain whole milk yogurt, you can also use canned coconut milk.
Hello from the French West Indies (Martinique). I don’t know if I should thank you or curse you :). This cake is so delicious and very, very addictive. I added some 70% dark chocolate chips (20gr) to it. I made it yesterday evening and am ashamed of what’s left of it less than 24 hours later. There are only two of us at home.
So delicious 😋😋😋. Well done, Geraldine.
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 )
That’s great, Tatiana. Glad that you enjoyed and preferred this recipe. Keep enjoying it.👍👍
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.
This is great, Deborah. I am happy you customize the recipe to suit your taste. Great Job.
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.
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.
Recipe looks simple. I will try it. Love the instructions, it’s very clear to follow.
Thank you, Restitua.
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.
How did it turn out, Linda?
@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!
How was it, Linda?
@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.
That’s really creative, Linda. It is good you made the recipe to suit you.
Delicious!!! I followed your recipe and added 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and this cake is now a favorite in my family. Being raised in Miami Beach – I used to pan fry plantains topped with sugar – thank you for this amazing recipe. Moist – beautiful fragrance and a delicious baked bread. I am so happy to add this to my favorites.
I love plantains, they are so versatile. I was glad when I found your recipe for making a cake with them which I’ve never tried before. It turned out brilliant. Will definitely be making more in the futre. Delicious and easy recipe too. Thank you Lola
Came out good
very delicious plantian bread
What can I substitute for the yogurt? Don’t have any.
Sour cream will work.
@Danica, sour cream
Can the yoghurt be replaced with plain kefir? Do you think it’ll change the texture in any way?
Hi Celyn, Kefir is way lighter than yogurt in consistency so it may not be the best replacement. That being said, I haven’t tried using kefir so I really don’t know what the outcome will be.
@Lola Osinkolu, Ah alright, thank you. I will try it with the Kefir and see how it turns out.
I would love to know how it works 😊
Deeelicious! Used margarine+butter, coconut sugar and sour cream for the yogurt; turned out great. Eating it with choco chips amd salted caramel. I think the extra starch from the plaintain gives it more structure. Thank you
Great idea Jennifer and good use of what you have 🙂
Had some overripe plantains lyiing around, so glad I found this recipe. Very easy to follow and very delicious as well. My plantains were smaller in size than the one in the video so I added more, and also used sour cream instead of yoghurt. Thank you!
So glad it worked out with the sub. Thanks for sharing your feedback!
hi! i’m excited to try this recipe. i have three plantains over ripe, how should i adjust the other ingredients to use all my plaintains?
Hi Lola,
This recipe was delicious!
I made some slight adjustments for my dietary needs – I used Alpro Almond Milk instead of cow’s milk and Alpro vanilla yoghurt instead of plain yoghurt (so I didn’t need to add too much vanilla extract).
Due to the sugar content in the plantain, almond milk and vanilla yoghurt, I didn’t need too much sugar.
This is a good recipe for beginner bakers.
Can I substitute butter for margarine
Yes you can.
Chef Lola can I substitute butter for margarine?
Yes, you can.
Just finished this cake and woooow.. you really are a queen chef. It is decadently delicious to say the least. Thanks again for another wonderful dessert!
I made this last night for my friends, and they really liked it.
Thanks for the recipe 😊
Hi I’m gluten free no butter no egg and no yogurt can i replace all with gluten free apple sauce.
Hi Viviene, sorry I haven’t tried using this recipe with any gluten alternative so I can’t say if that is going to work or not.
@Viviene, Maybe look up regular vegan banana bread and just use the plaintains instead
Hi Lola,thank you for this scrumptious recipe. No yoghurt in frig used sour cream as substitute and added walnuts. Sooo yummy I spread a little cream cheese on my slice …. to die for.😊
Hi Margie, I’m so glad it worked out with the sub…actually why haven’t I thought about using cream cheese for this recipe? I need to try it when next I’m baking this bread. Thanks for the feedback ❤❤❤
At which point do u add the milk and vanilla?? After the yogurt?
Please check instruction number 4 for vanilla and 6 for milk.
Hi! I made this recipe twice so far and it is fabulously delicious. The second time I put rum instead of vanilla 🙂 and 1/2 cup of maple syrup instead of sugar.
Hi chef!
I don’t have any measuring equipments to measure my ingredients but I really want to do this cake. Because now plantain is out of season and I have 11of it that is over riped and I don’t want it to go waste at all. ( But is not bigger in size).
Please any idea on how to go about it??
Hello chef Lola
I found your recipe on the 21st and make it on the 22rd and i congratulate you because this cake is fabulous. The next time i will use less sugar because my plantains are very sweetened.
Hi about the banana bread is it optional to put the yogurt
Thank you ma’am. Pls we need more ma
Tried making one to text, and it was so good today I’m making three, one with almonds, one with dark chocolate and one with pumpkin seeds.
That’s so good to hear Gloria, I’m so glad you love it! I love the idea of Almonds, chocolate and pumpkin seeds! ❤️❤️❤️
You left out the details of when to add the milk and vanilla. They’re listed in the ingredients but not the directions. I just realized it after I put mine in the oven.
It does say “combine all wet ingredients”. I agree would be helpful to specify, I almost missed it myself
Can I put walnuts, blueberries or dry cranberries in it?
Yes, Lusita!.
Hi Lola,
It looks delicious. Is there any substitute for the yogurt in the recipe?
I used apple sauce and it turned out great.
Good evening, please can I get your email address.
Made this for the first time yesterday to bring to our friends’ and we all really enjoyed it! It tastes like banana bread – yummy! Thanks so much for a simple, healthy recipe!
You are welcome Neli. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
This plantain cake is very delicious and everyone loved it. It was easy to make and I will definitely make it again. Thank you
That’s great! Thank you, Mary, for coming back with such a good feedback.
This looks so delicious and tempting. Love the Golden Glaze to it. Have to try this for the family.
Thanks Veena, I will be happy to know the outcome whenever you get the chance to try it. Happy New Year!
Looks delicious! I could eat this for breakfast every day.
Of course, Andrea, pairing this with a Cup of coffee or Tea is a good way to start the morning.
This looks delicious! I love having cake for breakfast and still being healthy!
Great idea Jillian. Thanks for stopping by.
Waw, so simple and yet it looks so yummy. Great idea I’ve never tried it before
Thanks for the nice compliment Miam sister. Happy new year.
@Lola Osinkolu, this is really great.
I think I have to try this for my friends
So glad that you liked the recipe, Saint Olu! Your comment is reminding me that I need to make this again soon. 🙂
I love plantain cake! This sounds like a really great way to eat it too!
I love them too!
Lol u are great. Pls keep it up. I shall try the plantain cake soon. Doe I hv problem with my oven but I will find a repairer to fix it up ✌️
Thks.
Thanks Prince. I will be happy to know the outcome whenever you are able to make it. Happy baking!
awesome i like its looking forward to seeing more of your post thanks
Thank you Opeyemi. I’m glad to have you around.
Yumola! Great recipe!
Thanks!