Banana Sour Cream Cake

Puréed prunes do the job of butter in this lighter banana cake, adding moisture and richness without the fat. Combined with light margarine, nonfat vanilla yogurt standing in for sour cream, and mostly egg whites instead of whole eggs, this is a sheet cake that’s genuinely lower in fat but doesn’t taste like a sacrifice.

The prune purée is invisible in the finished cake. It disappears into the banana flavor and adds a subtle depth and sticky moistness that low-fat cakes usually lack. You won’t taste prune. You’ll just notice the cake stays moist longer than expected.

Mashed ripe bananas provide natural sweetness and keep the crumb soft. Three bananas is generous, and the banana flavor comes through clearly.

The yogurt adds tang and works with the baking soda to create lift. It’s doing the same job sour cream would in the original version, just without the fat.

Kitchen Tips

• Use very ripe bananas for the strongest flavor and smoothest mash. Brown-spotted is ideal.
• Make prune purée by blending pitted prunes with a splash of hot water until smooth. Or use store-bought baby food prune purée as a shortcut.
• Beat the egg and egg whites into the creamed mixture until fully incorporated before adding dry ingredients.
• Test at 40 minutes. Every oven is different, and this cake can go from done to dry quickly since there’s less fat to retain moisture.

Variations

• Chocolate banana: Add cocoa powder to the dry ingredients for a lower-fat chocolate banana cake.
• Walnut topping: Sprinkle chopped walnuts over the batter before baking for crunch.