Cake Mix Banana Bread – Easiest Banana Bread

This Cake Mix Banana Bread is absolutely the easiest banana bread ever! Not only is it easy but it’s also doggone delicious.

It creates a fluffy delicious banana bread that is really hard to resist!

It’s hard to believe it’s so good with such simple ingredients. All you really need is 3-4 ripe bananas, butter, eggs, and a box of cake mix.

Cake Mix Banana Bread

Now I love pecans in banana bread so I always add a cup of those. Plus sometimes I add a little extra vanilla. Things you could certainly leave out if you wanted to.

But that’s a part of the beauty of this Cake Mix Banana Bread, add-ins are welcome.

Use the Ripest Bananas For Cake Mix Banana Bread

Really ripe bananas are about the only requirement for banana bread. When the skins are mostly brown freckles and the fruit is just beyond peel and eat, it’s banana bread time.

If you want a really good banana flavor and richer tasting banana bread let the skins turn totally brown and the fruit just falls apart when you peel it.

How To Make Cake Mix Banana Bread

Making this banana bread couldn’t be easier. That’s why I call it The Easiest Banana Bread Ever.

Simply mash the bananas in a large bowl, then add the remaining ingredients and mix well. If using add-ins add them last and be sure they are well mixed in. I most always add pecans.

Spray 2 small loaf pans or 1 large loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and divide the batter and pour it into two loaf pans. I also sprinkle pecans over the top of the batter.

Put them in the oven and bake for 40 to 55 minutes at 350 degrees. You might need to bake a little longer if using 1 loaf pan.

Unfortunately, when you take it right out of the oven it’s not ready to slice and eat. You need to place the pans on a cooling rack and allow them to cool for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes remove the loaves from the pan and allow it to cool for another hour or so.

If you don’t do the cooling process the bread will be impossible to slice without falling all apart!

Here’s the Cake Mix Banana Bread Recipe:

Cake Mix Banana Bread

Cake Mix Banana Bread is the easiest you'll ever make and it's so good!

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Cake Mix Banana Bread
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Cooling 2 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 25 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 375 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 15.25 oz. box yellow cake mix or pecan cake mix
  • 3 ripe bananas
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup pecans optional
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350º F and lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with butter or non-stick spray.
  2. Place the bananas in a large bowl and mash them until mostly smooth. Stir in the melted butter.
  3. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract. Sprinkle the cake mix on top of the banana mixture and mix until incorporated
  4. If you're using pecans or other nuts add them in now and incorporate well. You want the nuts equally distributed throughout the bread.
  5. Pour the batter into the loaf pan, sprinkle with more pecans if using, and then place in the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  6. Place the pan on a cooling rack and allow to cool about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes remove from the pan and allow the loaf to cool on the rack for at least one hour and preferably two to prevent crumbling when slicing. For easier slicing, store loaf tightly covered 24 hours.
  7. Cut with a serrated knife, using a light sawing motion.

Add-Ins for Banana Bread

I think this banana bread is excellent just the way it is. My mouth always waters in anticipation as I wait for the bananas to move past their prime so I can make some.

As good as this banana bread is there is a way to make it even better. Just adding a little something extra gives it even more texture and flavor. Then you’ve got something really special!

Here are the top add-ins that I enjoy.

Nuts:

Regardless of the flavor of the cake mix you just can’t beat nut add-ins. Nuts are a classic in banana bread. Pecans are my favorite but Walnuts are probably just as popular.

You could also use other types of nuts such as cashews, macadamia, or hazelnuts. You can add extra flavor by roasting the nuts in a dry pan over medium heat.

I never add in the whole nut. I like them in smaller pieces that will distribute throughout the bread. which makes slicing easier.

Now you don’t want them so small that they lose texture and flavor. You want small enough pieces to distribute nicely throughout the bread, but not so small that they blend into the bread, and lose their crunchiness.

You can use pre-chopped nuts or chop your own.

Stir 1/2 cup into the batter just before transferring the batter to the pan.

Dried Fruit:

Dried fruit is a great addition to banana bread and there are lots of them. Just by the addition of a different type of dried fruit, you can make a different cake mix banana bread almost every week of the year!

Raisins are a natural. I like raisins almost as much as I like pecans. Other small dried fruits work just as well. Try cranberries or blueberries. They work well in banana bread. Small fruits can be added without any chopping.

You can also use larger types of dried fruit. However, they should be chopped into about 1/4-inch pieces before adding. Apricots, plums, cherries, and pears are all good.

Regardless of what dried fruit you pick, use about 1/2 to 3/4 cup and stir these in just before pouring the batter into the loaf pan.

These are just my two favorite add-ins for cake mix banana bread. There are others. You could experiment with different spices for added flavor. Cinnamon and nutmeg come to mind right away. Others you might try are cloves, cardamom or allspice.

Just remember when adding spices a little goes a long way.

You can never go wrong by adding chocolate chips. Everybody loves chocolate; especially the kiddies.

There are other types of flavored chips that would make great additions too. Try changing the cake mix flavor to caramel and add in caramel chips.

Whatever your experiments are I hope you’ll leave me a comment below and let me know what you think about Cake Mix Banana Bread.

Enjoy and have a great day!

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Banana Bread Brownies – Quick, Easy & Delicious

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