Plantain Bread (Plantain Cake)

Content… Banana Bread vs. Plantain Bread  Recipe Ingredients How to Make It Recipe Variations Tips and Tricks Make-Ahead Instructions Serving and Storage Instructions What to Serve More Delightful Plantain Recipes to Try Watch How to Make It

Banana Bread vs. Plantain Bread 

If you love banana bread, I promise you’ll love plantain bread. Plantain bread is similar to banana bread with a few minor differences. The bread itself is a little denser.

Flavor-wise, plantain bread is still sweet, but the actual plantain flavor is less intense than bananas. And while riper plantains have a stronger flavor, it’s never overpowering.

Recipe Ingredients

1. Plantains – Two large plantains are all you need for this recipe. If you have more overripe plantains around you need to use up, feel free to make a double batch.
2. Flour – I used cake flour, but all-purpose flour works. Baking soda and powder act as leavening agents for a good rise.
3. Sugar – Since plantains are already fairly sweet, you won’t need to add much sugar. But a little does improve the overall texture and flavor, IMO.
4. Dairy – Milk and butter add richness and flavor while sour cream (or yogurt) keeps the cake moist and not overly dense. 
5. Eggs – Classic cake-binding ingredients; you’ll need two large eggs for this recipe.
6. Spices – Grated lime zest and nutmeg are my spices of choice for this cake.

How to Make Plantain Bread

Prepare the Batter

• Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease a loaf or cake pan generously with cooking spray and set aside.
• Peel the plantains, slice them, and then puree them in a food processor or blender until thoroughly mashed. Set aside.
• Dry Ingredients – Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
• Cream butter and sugar on high in a stand mixture until fluffy and looking white. It takes 3-4 minutes. Then add the yogurt and mix for a minute more.
• Stir in the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Then add the plantain puree and mix until combined.
• Mix Wet and Dry Ingredients – Sift the dry ingredients into the batter, a little at a time. Then add the grated lime zest, nutmeg, and milk.
• Stir well until everything is fully combined, scraping the sides of the mixing bowl as you go.

Bake the Plantain Bread

• Pour the cake batter into the greased loaf pan (or cake pan). 
• Bake at 325℉ (160℃) until a tester inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean, 45–50 minutes. Transfer it to a wire rack, and allow it to cool.

Recipe Variations

1. Customize the spices. Feel free to use orange zest, omit the nutmeg, add cinnamon, cloves, and cardamon, or customize the spices any way you see fit. 
2. Plantain banana bread. Can’t decide what kind of bread to make? Use one large banana and one large plantain and bake as per recipe instructions. Yum! 
3. Make plantain muffins. Bake this cake in a muffin tin instead for personal portions of plantain bread. They won’t take quite as long to bake, so keep an eye on them.
4. Add-ins. Add chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc.), dried fruit, or chocolate chips if you please. 😉
5. Switch recipes. Can you use plantains in banana bread? I get that question a lot. And as long as the plantains are super ripe, go for it.

Tips and Tricks

1. Use super-ripe plantains! This bread tastes best with the sweetest, ripest plantains you’ve got. Definitely don’t try making it with plantains that are still green or even fully yellow. The blacker the better.
2. A potato masher or a fork will mash your plantains just fine instead of a blender. Just make sure you mash them until they are creamy and have no chunks. 
3. Right before you put your bread batter in the oven to bake, tap the pan on your work surface a few times. That will eliminate any large air bubbles that might have formed and promote even cooking.

Make-Ahead Instructions

Plantain bread fresh out of the oven is amazing, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make this ahead of time. In fact, it’s even better the next day.

Bake it a day or two ahead of time and wrap it in plastic after it’s completely cooled. Then store it in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Serving and Storage Instructions 

Let plantain cake cool for about 15 minutes before you slice it, slather it with butter, and dig in.

Keep leftover plantain bread at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days or in your fridge for 3-5 days. You can reheat single slices in your toaster oven for that fresh-out-of-the-oven taste. Or zap it in the microwave for a few seconds.

What Goes With Plantain Bread

Indulge in plantain bread with a cozy cup of ginger tea or a specialty coffee like a pumpkin spice latte. You can always dress it up and turn it into a more cake-like experience by topping it with some cream cheese frosting or a dollop of homemade whipped cream. Go ahead and add some of that to your coffee, too. 😜  

More Delightful Plantain Recipes to Try

1. Fried Sweet Plantains
2. Stuffed Baked Plantains
3. Plantain Frittata
4. Klako (Plantain Fritters)
5. Crunchy Plantain Chips

Watch How to Make It

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”KaB5erKH” upload-date=”Tue Aug 07 2018 11:38:08 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)” name=”Plantain Cake” description=”Plantain Cake – easy, light and delicious plantain cake or bread that serves as a great breakfast or afternoon snack. You could eat the whole thing without realizing you have gone overboard!”]

This blog post was originally published in April 2015 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video