Banana Walnut Snack Cake

Got overripe bananas and a box of cake mix? That’s most of the work done. Mashed banana and buttermilk stir into the dry mix along with an egg and oil, giving you a tender, moist cake with real banana flavor. Chopped walnuts add crunch in every bite.

The buttermilk is doing more than adding liquid here. Its acidity reacts with the leavening in the cake mix, which means a lighter crumb than you’d get with plain milk or water. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, milk works but buttermilk is better.

No frosting needed. This is a snack cake, meant to be eaten warm from the pan with a cup of coffee or cut into squares for lunchboxes.

Pro Tips

• Use bananas with plenty of brown spots. The riper the banana, the more sugar it brings and the stronger the banana flavor.
• Stir the batter just until combined. Overmixing develops gluten and makes the cake tough instead of tender.
• Test with a toothpick at 30 minutes. Oven temperatures vary and overbaked cake dries out fast.
• Let it cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Hot cake crumbles.

Variations

• Fold in chocolate chips with the walnuts for a banana chocolate version.
• Top with a simple cream cheese glaze for a dressed-up finish.
• Swap walnuts for pecans for a Southern-style twist.