Almond Flour Banana Breakfast Cake with cottage cheese and very little added sweetener! Made with mindful ingredients, this high protein cake recipe is wholesome enough to enjoy for breakfast.
Don’t tell me. You’ve been dreaming about banana cake for breakfast, too??
Made with wholesome ingredients like almond flour, ripe bananas, cottage cheese, eggs, and a touch of pure maple syrup, this easy breakfast cake includes a nice dose of protein, healthy fats, and mostly fruit based carbohydrates.
Because this recipe contains a decent amount of healthy fats from the almond flour, there is no need to add additional oil.
Similarly, because ripe bananas contain a great deal of natural sweetness, we only need a little added sweetener (and this can be reduced or omitted).
If you enjoy wholesome banana treats, also try my 4-Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Bars! This is currently my most popular banana treat recipe!
Let’s discuss the basic ingredients for banana breakfast cake!
Ingredients for Banana Breakfast Cake:
Almond Flour: Taking the place of all-purpose flour, we use almond flour. This is a naturally gluten-free and grain-free flour that contains healthy fats, fiber, and protein. It also generates light and fluffy texture in baked goods, which I find delightful!
Tapioca Flour: Adding tapioca flour brings some starch to the recipe, which creates a tender crumb. Tapioca flour also helps with leavening for airy treats.
Large Ripe Bananas: Can you even believe we use a whopping 3 ripe bananas? Be sure the bananas are large and have plenty of brown spots.
This signifies they are overripe bananas which means they are nice and sweet and will add moisture and loads of banana flavor to the cake.
Large Eggs: a couple of eggs make the cake batter rise for a beautiful fluffy texture. I haven’t had luck making egg-free almond flour recipes, so I don’t recommend using an egg replacer here unless you are up for experimentation.
Cottage Cheese: The purpose of the cottage cheese is twofold! First, for added protein, and secondly, for moisture and slight tangy flavor. That was threefold.
Pure Maple Syrup: I add just a scant ¼ cup of pure maple syrup to boost the sweetness without making the cake overly sweet. I love that this easy recipe is almost entirely banana sweetened!
Pure Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla brings warm flavor to baked goods.
Baking Powder: The leavening agent here! We need it to help the cake batter rise.
Ground Cinnamon: For me, a banana treat is not a banana treat without its best friend, ground cinnamon to play along. I would even go heavier here and use 1 tablespoon if you’re like me and love cinnamon.
Sea Salt: A sprinkle of sea salt enhances all of the flavors and makes the cake taste sweeter without the need for excess sugar.
Sliced Almonds (optional): I like sprinkling sliced almonds on top of the banana cake batter because they add a lovely crunch! I’m all about a textural element. Skip them if you aren’t into them or replace them with a different nut or seed.
Recipe Customizations:
- Omit the pure maple syrup to keep the banana cake free of added sugar.
- Add ½ to ⅔ cup of any of the following: chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, or chopped pecans.
- Mix in 2 tablespoons of hemp seeds or flax seeds.
- For sweeter cake, add 1 to 3 tablespoons of brown sugar.
- Replace the tapioca flour with arrowroot flour. You can also replace it with gluten-free all-purpose flour, and I recommend adding 2 tablespoons of avocado oil (or fat of choice) if this is the case.
- Greek yogurt or sour cream can be used to replace the cottage cheese.
- Looking for a coffee cake approach with a buttery streusel topping? Make my Paleo Banana Coffee Cake recipe.
Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients, let’s make almond flour banana breakfast cake!
How to Make Banana Breakfast Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9-inch square baking pan or a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
Mash the bananas in a large bowl, then add in the eggs, pure maple syrup, cottage cheese, and vanilla extract.
Mix well until the wet ingredients are combined.
In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, mix together the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and sea salt.
Dump the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well until a thick batter forms. If you’d like, you can add in ½ to ⅔ cup of chocolate chips and/or chopped nuts or seeds at this point.
Pour the breakfast cake batter into the prepared cake pan and spread it into an even layer using a rubber spatula. If desired, sprinkle the top of the batter with sliced almonds (or nut/seed of choice).
Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the cake tests clean.
Insert a digital thermometer into the center of the cake. If it is 190 degrees or higher, the cake is finished!
Allow the cake to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving. I allow the cake to cool all the way to room temperature for clean slices.
The longer the banana cake sits, the more flavorful it becomes! For this reason, consider making it in advance of when you need it.
Listen, if you feel the urge to heat up a slice with melted butter on top, you will always have my full support.
Storage Suggestions:
- Room Temperature: Cover the cake pan with plastic wrap and store on the counter for up to 2 days.
- Refrigerator: Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Cut any remaining cake into individual slices and store in a freezer safe container or a zip lock bag for up to 3 months.
At 320 calories per slice with 13 grams of protein per slice, this delightful treat is a lovely way to start the day.
I recommend enjoying it with an additional protein source, such as Greek yogurt or Cottage cheese in order to increase the protein count on the first meal of the day to 30 grams or higher.
Of course, pair it with your favorite warm beverage like a mug of tea, cup of coffee, or a matcha latte.
If you enjoy wholesome treats like this that are suitable for breakfast, also try out some of my favorite recipes. The next time you’re craving banana bread or a treat for breakfast, enjoy this delicious way of having your cake and eating it too!
More Sweet Breakfast Recipes:
- Grain-Free Cranberry Orange Breakfast Cake
- Cottage Cheese Muffins
- Carrot Cake Breakfast Bars
- Blueberry Lemon Breakfast Bread
Cake for breakfast, let’s go!
Banana Breakfast Cake
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas mashed
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup cottage cheese
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups super fine almond flour
- ½ cup tapioca flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ cup sliced almonds optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9-inch square baking pan or a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
- Mash the bananas in a large bowl, then add in the eggs, pure maple syrup, cottage cheese, and vanilla extract. Mix well until the wet ingredients are combined.
- In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, mix together the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and sea salt. Dump the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well until a thick batter forms. If you’d like, you can add in ½ to ⅔ cup of chocolate chips and/or chopped nuts or seeds at this point.
- Pour the breakfast cake batter into the prepared cake pan and spread it into an even layer using a rubber spatula. If desired, sprinkle the top of the batter with sliced almonds (or nut/seed of choice).
- Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the cake tests clean.
- Insert a digital thermometer into the center of the cake. If it is 190 degrees or higher, the cake is finished!
- Allow the cake to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving. I allow the cake to cool all the way to room temperature for clean slices.
Notes
Nutrition
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I can not eat any kind of dairy, is there a substitute I can use in your yummy bread recipes? Thank you
You had a note about using unflavored or vanilla protein powder, but I don’t see protein powder mentioned in the ingredient list or anywhere else in the recipe. If I want to add it, does it replace any or part of the flours?
What kind of cottage cheese do you use?