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
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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.
Could Greek yogurt be used instead?
Yes though I usually add a splash of milk to ensure the batter isn’t too thick. Enjoy
I made this with chocolate chips and topped with fresh strawberries. Soo yummy!! You’re recipes are great and soo easy to make 🙂
I am planning to make this for my moms group tomorrow morning, but I don’t have any ripe bananas. Could I sub applesauce?
It should work very similarly with applesauce that’s on the thicker side. It might not be as sweet, but otherwise it should be good!
Excellent and super easy! I did think the batter was thicker than I expected and I was worried.. but it came out great and super moist!
Am I setting my oven to bake or convection bake for this recipe, thanks!
Regular bake. That is always the case unless otherwise noted. Enjoy!
Delicious and healthy! I subbed coconut yogurt. Thanks for the great recipe!
I have been making this 2 cakes at a time and putting slices in the freezer because my kids love them. Easy, quick and without refined sugar. I also love the use of yogurt and frozen fruit. This recipe is also perfect for my son who is allergic to eggs, but tolerates baked eggs. He’ll eat 1/6 of this 8” cake easily. I bake it for 30 minutes in an 8” cake pan to meet the baked egg tolerance time.
Mine turned out sooo pretty! My 5 year old nephew loved it and wanted to keep eating it throughout the day. He was glad it was ‘healthy’ compared to regular cake. My 1 year old also enjoyed it. I wish I included a little bit more fruit so that each bite was a little bit sweeter. But I enjoyed it. Overall easy to make as well. My only note is the instructions vary from the detailed instructions to the actual recipe. “Whisk” vs “stir” and in one spot you say to get it to a smooth batter, but this isn’t mentioned in the other spot so I was a bit confused if my batter was correct. Luckily the texture turned out lovely.
And like to make this in a 9 x 13 for a bigger crowd. Do you know what the ingredient amounts would be and the cook time?
I haven’t made it that way so I can’t say for sure, but my best guess is that you’d double it (there’s a 2x option in the recipe to scale it up) and then bake for 32-34 minutes, testing the center for doneness with a toothpick or cake tester since that’s the area that will take the longest to cook through. Enjoy!
If I wanted to make this a chocolate cake, how much cocoa powder should I add?
I would try replacing 1/4 cup of the flour with 1/4 cup of sifted cocoa powder. Enjoy!
Really delicious! I used a combination of raspberries, blackberries and strawberries and topped it with lightly sweetened whipped cream. We enjoyed slices from the fridge for days after they were “refreshed” in the toaster oven for a couple minutes. Oh, and I didn’t have bananas, so I used unsweetened applesauce and it worked great!
This is so good! I just made it as an after school snack. The top has a really nice texture too. It will be a staple recipe in our home.
Absolutely delicious!!
Do you think whole wheat flour would work well?
I use wholewheat flour & it’s still delicious!!
Omg this is the best. I am sadly gluten-free, and many times cakes subbed with GF flour turn out really dense and crumbly. This is one of the BEST GF cakes I’ve ever made, and it was SO EASY! I didn’t do 1.5 cups GF flour, but 1 cup GF flour (Krusteaz) and 0.5 cup almond flour. It turned out seriously great. I am 100% going to use this with chocolate chips for my kid’s bday party coming up! Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear that!
I know dumb question. I’m wanting to make with but— i don’t have the baking powder, only baking soda. Can i still make this without baking soda ?
You could try with 1 teaspoon baking soda, but I haven’t tried it so I can’t say if it would be exactly the same
Took way longer to cook- the middle was still gooey- not sure if it’s because I used frozen blueberries? Still tasted good!
This was so delicious… It honestly didn’t need any whipped cream or frosting. It had so much flavor while being airy and light. Also, it was the perfect cake to surprise my little one for his birthday in the morning. It was special but didn’t feel so decadent or rich to serve. This is definitely going in the rotation. Thank you for sharing!!
Made it gluten free, egg free and dairy free as per the notes and it turned out beautifully. Thank you Amy.
Oh yay! I am going to try make this for my office which has a few vegans so glad it works!
I doubled the recipe and made the berry version and the other with chocolate chips and walnuts. Both excellent!
Can I use a loaf pan instead for this recipe?
You might be able to but I haven’t tested it that way so I can’t say for sure what the timing would be.
Can you prep the night before?
It’s best to make the batter and bake it, rather than storing uncooked batter in the fridge because you don’t want it going into the oven cold as it won’t rise properly.
Like all your recipes, this was a hit! Thank you!
Hello, I’ve made this twice and twice it’s come out flat…any ideas? Thank you
Maybe check that your baking soda is fresh?
Made this egg free and dairy free and it was pretty thick and dry-but still tasted good-any tips for getting it fluffier?
Delicious! We’re gluten free so I used a 1-1 but I wanted more protein so I did 3/4 c almond flour and 3/4c 1to1. The structure was stable and it tastes amazing. Lovely recipe.
Can you make this with vanilla yogurt instead of plain?
Sure, just omit the vanilla extract.
Can I use a loaf pan instead for this recipe?
I only got Greek yogurt vanilla, can I use this?
Yes, just omit the vanilla extract. Enjoy!
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?
Made this today, both adults and kids (age 7 and 9) loved it!
It was just sweet enough and also super easy and fast to make, so will for sure be making it again. Thank you!
This looks great! Can you bake as muffins instead?
Sure, if you’d like. I usually do 375 F, 1/4 cup batter in each standard muffin cup, about 16 minutes
This was very yummy! It had a great texture and a mild sweetness. I didn’t have maple syrup, so I subbed honey and it worked well. I also made the batter last night and baked it this morning. Thank you! I will make again for our family!
Can I use 50/50 APF and white whole wheat or whole wheat flour?? thank you
Yes, though check for doneness starting two minutes before my shorter time as it might be done a little sooner.
Hi! Trying this recipe now but egg free, it looks so yummy. But the notes don’t quite make sense. It says reduce the yogurt to ¾ cup and ¼ cup milk, but the yogurt was only 1/2 cup in the original recipe so it can’t be reduced to 3/4. Can you please clarify the yogurt and milk amounts for the egg free option? Thank you!
Ah apologies, should have said reduce the yogurt to 1/4 cup. It’s fixed now.
What can I use if I don’t have bananas?
You could use applesauce if you have that.
Would love to try the egg free version, you mention reducing the yoghurt to 3/4 C but the recipe says 1/2 C just checking which one is a possible error?
Thanks
What a fantastic recipe! I just made this to have for my kiddos’ breakfast before school, and it’s so tasty and moist. I know they’re going to love it – it’s absolutely delicious! Thank you!
This turned out really good! Tasty and just sweet enough! I used mixed frozen berries.
Hi! I can’t wait to try this cake! Can I replace the flour with oats/oat flour or whole wheat flour? TIA! 🙂
I haven’t tested this with whole wheat flour, but I would use 1 1/4 cups (so down a little) and check for doneness 2 minutes sooner. I’d love to hear how it is if you try it!
Can you use flavoured yogurt and also leave out the sweetener?
I haven’t tried it that way but I think it would be fine. I would replace the volume of the maple syrup with milk though. Enjoy!
This recipe sounds and looks so delicious!
2 follow-up questions: do you think these would work as muffins? And do you think I could use almond flour, instead of all-purpose flour?
Yes to muffins though you’d bake a little less time. And no to almond flour, or at least not without tinkering a lot since you can’t sub almond flour for wheat flour and have them turn out (they will be mushy).
Made this today with the help of my 2-year-old and 4-year-old, and it is absolutely delicious. We’ve already eaten half of it but the rest will be perfect for quick breakfasts or snacks this week. Thank you!!
I’m so glad to hear this!
No one in our family could get enough of this. So delicious and worked for breakfasts and snacktime. Thank you!
I’m so glad!
Can you use Greek yogurt in place of the regular yogurt?
Yes, but I would add 2 tbsp milk too to ensure the batter will be easy to stir. Enjoy!
Ah- I did an even substitute for Greek yogurt, it was a little thick but worked out fine!