Bursting with fresh berry flavor, this easy Breakfast Cake is so tender from a base of yogurt and ripe banana. It’s the most delicious breakfast (or snack—or dessert) to share with the kids. Plus: It’s so easy to make!
Breakfast Cake
There are few things that delight my family more than cake for breakfast and this recipe is a perfect combination of berry-centric flavors and the most amazing texture. Think giant berry muffin, baked more easily as a cake with a nutritious base of yogurt and banana and you have this wonder!
This is a favorite breakfast recipe because it’s easy enough to make for a weekday or a family breakfast on a weekend, but can be special enough to serve for a holiday.
You can serve it as is, or top with whipped cream or yogurt. It’s even great cold out of the fridge, so you can make it ahead of time and serve it up whenever the mood strikes.
(You may also like my Blueberry Yogurt Snack Cake and my Yogurt Muffins.)
Table of Contents
Your toddler won’t eat? Help is here!
Sign up for our email updates to get tips and ideas sent to your inbox.
Ingredients You Need
Here’s a look at the ingredients you need to make this easy cake recipe so you know what to have on hand and ready to go.
- Whole milk plain yogurt: Yogurt forms the base of this cake and adds richness and moisture to create a very tender crumb.
- Banana: I add very ripe banana to the base of the cake to add sweetness and tenderness.
- Maple syrup: The cake gets a little natural sweetness from the banana and also from maple syrup.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter in my baking so I use that here.
- Eggs: I use large eggs in my recipes, so that’s what I use here. See the Notes at the end of the recipe for the allergy substitutions.
- Vanilla extract: Adding vanilla extract to the batter adds a nice flavor note. You can use pure or imitation vanilla here.
- All-purpose flour: Using all-purpose flour in this recipe ensures that the final result is light and tender. You can use a 1:1 style of gluten-free flour if desired, or whole wheat pastry flour. See the Notes for more information.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Using a mix of these two ensures that the batter bakes through properly and the cake rises nicely.
- Blueberries or mixed berries: You can use a mix of berries on top of the cake or just one berry. Either fresh or frozen berries work here.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Below is an overview of how to make this breakfast recipe to share with the kids. Scroll down to the end of this post to get the full recipe, including the amounts and the timing.
- Add the wet ingredients to a medium bowl or large bowl.
- Whisk together to make a smooth batter.
- Add the dry ingredients and whisk or stir to combine gently but thoroughly.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the berries on top and bake.
How to Store
Once cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Warm slightly to serve from the fridge (the squares firm up a bit when they’re cold so warming slightly returns them to their softer texture).
You can also freeze the cut cake in a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in 15 second increments in the microwave.
Best Tips for Success
- I like using whole milk yogurt in this recipe.
- This bakes best in a metal pan, rather than glass. If baking in glass, the middle will take longer to set. Follow the recipe, then cover with foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Dairy-free: Use a nondairy yogurt and a neutral oil like canola in place of the butter.
- Gluten-free: Substitute cup-for-cup gluten-free flour in place of the wheat flours.
- Egg-free: Omit the eggs. Reduce the yogurt to ¼ cup. Add ¼ cup milk. Proceed with the recipe.
- Top with Cream Cheese Frosting if desired, or powdered sugar or a dollop of yogurt or whipped cream.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback on this post, so please rate and comment below!
Berry Breakfast Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup whole milk plain yogurt
- ½ cup mashed very ripe banana (about 1 medium)
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (melted and slightly cooled)
- 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch baking pan (metal is best) with nonstick spray. (I also line with parchment paper so it's easy to lift out and slice without scratching the pan. That is optional.)
- In a large bowl, stir together the yogurt, banana, maple syrup, eggs, butter, and vanilla.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Gently stir the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the berries on top.
- Bake for 24-28 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly.
Notes
- Once cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Warm slightly to serve from the fridge (the squares firm up a bit when they’re cold so warming slightly returns them to their softer texture).
- You can also freeze the cut cake in a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in 15 second increments in the microwave.
- This bakes best in a metal pan, rather than glass. If baking in glass, the middle will take longer to set. Follow the recipe, then cover with foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Dairy-free: Use a nondairy yogurt and a neutral oil like canola in place of the butter.
- Gluten-free: Substitute cup-for-cup gluten-free flour in place of the wheat flours.
- Egg-free: Omit the eggs. Reduce the yogurt to ¼ cup. Add ¼ cup milk. Proceed with the recipe.
- Chocolate Chip: Add ½ cup chocolate chips to the batter. I prefer to chop them up so there’s more small pieces spread throughout, but that’s up to you. Bake as directed.
- Top with Cream Cheese Frosting if desired.
Can you use vanilla greek yogurt in replace of the whole milk plain yogurt?
Thanks!
Chelsea
Yes but I would add 2 tbsp milk too and you might be able to skip the vanilla.
Mine cooked double the time and came out beautifully then as it sat it got flat and when I cut into it it’s not fluffy at all. Not sure what happened flavor is good though.
From that description I wonder if you happened to bake in glass?
Love all your recipes and am excited to try this! I don’t have a pie pan. Could I use a metal 9×9 pan? Thanks!
Yes, that should work similarly. Enjoy!
Delicious. Even though it’s not sweet, it still tastes very good and my kids (and I) gobbled it down.
Bonus, it was easy to make.
It turned out great!!
The recipe is great. Thank you for it! I made it gluten free and it was moist and tasty. But the one thing that bummed me out was – “sprinkling” the blueberries on top like the recipe says does not work! They just sit at the top and don’t blend in. I should’ve blended them in the dough. It since been 10x better if I did.
It’s possible that the density of the gluten-free flour is different and that resulted in the berries sinking. As you’ll see from the photos, it works quite well with the base recipe, so I appreciate the feedback and knowing that happened for you. Thank you!
My son is allergic to bananas, do you think I could try to sub applesauce or maybe an extra egg?
I think applesauce would work well.
My kids loved this! I added a little sugar, used chocolate chips instead of berries, and subbed Greek yogurt. Came out great!
How should I adjust this baking time for a silicone muffin pan? trying to make right now.
For muffins I do 375 F for 14 minutes.
Could I use Greek yogurt instead of whole milk yogurt?
Yes, but I would add 2 tbsp milk too.
Just made these as muffins and they’re delish! Thank you! Love the addition of yogurt to add protein.
Do you think this could work vegan? Thanks!
I followed the recipe, using frozen fruit, and had a delicious cake that everyone enjoyed (except the 2 year old who suddenly doesn’t like bananas, or the blueberries and cherries I put on top). I should have doubled the recipe because it was eaten so quickly and my girls were begging for another! I threw it together this morning at their insistence before realizing we didn’t have enough eggs or bananas..I substituted applesauce for the eggs and bananas and added chocolate chips and strawberries on top and it still turned out great! Adding this to our breakfast rotation!
Loved this. Super easy to make and everyone loved it!
I want to make this for a breakfast party I’m hosting tomorrow. Can I use an 8 inch round pan instead of 9?
Thanks! Love so many of your recipes!
Yes, but the baking time will be a few minutes longer since a smaller pan will make the cake thicker. Enjoy!
The parts where I had fruit the dough is completely raw under it making a good part of it inedible. The center was even baked all the way through unless it was under a piece of fruit so I thought it was done. The parts we can eat taste good! Not sure if it’s because I used frozen fruit?
I’ve made it with frozen fruit. Were the fruit pieces very large, like whole strawberries?