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 and it’s so easy to make!
There are few things that delight my family more than cake as an easy breakfast recipe, and this berry Breakfast Cake is a perfect combination of berry-centric flavors, nutrition, and the most amazing texture.
Quick Look: Berry Breakfast Cake
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 24 minutes
- Total Time: 34 minutes
- Serving: 8-10
- Flavor Profile: Berry flavor with vanilla undertones
- Difficulty: Easy, perfect for everyday baking and special occasions
- Why to Make: It’s a yummy, nutritious, and fun way to start the day
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Table of Contents
Think giant Berry Muffin, baked more easily as a cake with a nutritious base of yogurt and banana, and you have this wonder!
Why This Recipe Works
This is a favorite toddler breakfast idea 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—plain, Lemon Yogurt, or Vanilla 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, Snack Cake, Fruit Pizza, and Yogurt Muffins as more yummy ideas to start the day.)
Ingredients You Need
Here’s a look at the ingredients you need to make this easy Berry Breakfast 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. It helps to cut down on the added sugar, too.
- 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. You can use salted butter if that’s what you have though.
- 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 needed, or whole wheat pastry flour. See the Notes for more information.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Using a mix of these ingredients 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 a single berry. Either fresh or frozen berries work here.
Featured Review⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“We love this cake! It’s so easy to make and delicious. Kids love it, and I love it with my morning coffee too! Definitely on repeat at our house.” —Yelena
How to Make Breakfast Cake
Below is an overview of how to make this Berry Breakfast Cake 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.
Step 1. Add the wet ingredients to a large bowl. Whisk to combine evenly.
Step 2. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and whisk or stir to combine gently.
Step 3. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the berries on top. Bake.
Step 4. Let cool for a few minutes in the pan, then cool fully on a wire rack before slicing.
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Breakfast Cake FAQs
Yes, you can use a gluten-free all purpose flour like the one from King Arthur Baking or Bob’s Red Mill.
This one has low added sugar, plus banana and yogurt as the base for nutrition and delicious flavor. It has fiber, protein, calcium, and vitamin C, too.
Sure, either add them to the mix or sprinkle them on top as you like. You can also do white chocolate chips with the berries for another yummy option.
How to Store
Once cooled, store the cake 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 cake firms up a bit when it’s cold so warming slightly returns it to a 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
- 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 flour.
- Egg-free: Omit the eggs. Reduce the yogurt to ¼ cup. Add ¼ cup milk. Proceed with the recipe.
- Top with Cream Cheese Frosting or Yogurt Frosting if desired, or powdered sugar or a dollop of yogurt or whipped cream.
More Easy Baked Goods
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 or mixed berries (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 the cake without scratching the pan. That is optional.)
- In a large bowl, stir together the yogurt, banana, maple syrup, butter, eggs, and vanilla.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gently stir to combine.
- 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 cake firms up a bit when it’s cold so warming slightly returns it to a 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 flour.
- 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 are more small pieces spread throughout, but that’s up to you. Bake as directed.
- Top with Cream Cheese Frosting if desired.
Nutrition
This post was first published January 2024.
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.
How was the chocolate & walnut version? Were the texture and flavor brownie-like?
How was the chocolate & walnut version? Were the texture and flavor brownie-like?
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!