Ripe Banana Loaves
This is my absolute favorite recipe for banana bread. It’s incredibly light and moist. I found the recipe in a cookbook called the Cake Mix Doctor.
– Kathy
Ingredients
- 1 package (18.25 oz) plain yellow cake mix
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 very ripe medium bananas, peeled and mashed (about 1 cup)
- ¾ cup buttermilk (I use low-fat milk)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°.
- Lightly grease two 9-inch or 10-inch loaf pans with shortening, and then dust with flour. Shake out the extra flour. Set the pans aside.
- Place the cake mix, brown sugar, mashed bananas, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look well blended, and the bananas should be well pureed.
- Divide the batter between the prepared pans and place them in the oven side by side.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of each loaf comes out clean.
- Remove the pans from the oven and place on wire racks to cool for 20 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each pan and invert each loaf onto a rack to cool on its side for 30 minutes more. Slice and serve.
- Store the loaves, covered in aluminum foil, at room temperature for up to 1 week. Or freeze them, wrapped in foil, for up to 6 months. Thaw the loaves overnight on the counter before serving.
