After seeing what a hit my single serving banana bread was, I decided to create a similar recipe that bakes up right in the toaster oven (or microwave!) perfect for a delicious breakfast, snack or dessert for two! This ultra moist banana bread is enhanced with warm cinnamon spice and topped with a buttery brown sugar streusel topping to finish it off.
The best part is, you can indulge without all the guilt, knowing that they are perfectly portioned out and can be made with low fat and gluten free options, to make them a little healthier! The ripe bananas give a natural sweetness allowing you to use less sugar in this recipe and you can even cut the fat by replacing it with natural fruit purees!
The ripeness of your bananas will determine how naturally sweet your cakes are, so make sure your bananas are extra ripe, and I mean R-I-P-E! Think, covered in brown spots, too ripe to eat, about to throw it away, ripe. That means it is at the peak of sweetness, the riper the better! This will ensure the banana is ultra sweet, soft, and packed with a more intense banana flavor, than a regular yellow banana, making them perfect for this recipe!
If you're anything like me, you forget to plan ahead and buy the bananas in advance so they can ripen to the perfect level. Watch my video below for my trick to get you perfectly ripe, super sweet and soft bananas for the recipe, by releasing the natural sugars in the oven at a low temperature.
Then, just pour the batter into two ramekins. I lined mine with paper cupcake liners for easy removal, but you can skip this step if you just want to eat straight from the dish!
Add your streusel topping (the BEST part)!
Ready for baking...
I baked mine in a toaster oven for convenience since there were only 2, but a regular oven works just as well... these even bake up in the microwave in minutes (see instructions below).
Baked perfection!
Dig in and enjoy.
Individual Mini Banana Crumb Cakes For Two
Yield: 2 mini cakes or 3 muffins (2/3 cup batter)
Yield: 2 mini cakes or 3 muffins (2/3 cup batter)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons chocolate chips or chopped nuts, optional
- 1/4 cup very ripe banana, mashed
- 1 egg yolk*
- 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil**
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
*May omit egg yolk and use a total of 1/3 cup very ripe banana, mashed
**May sub half of the oil with equal parts apple sauce or extra banana, for a low fat alternative.
**May sub half of the oil with equal parts apple sauce or extra banana, for a low fat alternative.
Crumb Topping:
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tablespoons softened butter
Directions
Spray two 7-8oz. ramekins with nonstick spray (mine were 3 1/4" wide and 2" tall) or line with 2 paper cupcake liners (you can skip this step if you want to eat your cakes straight form the dish). In a small bowl combine flour cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combine. Add chocolate chips or chopped nuts if desired. Stir in mashed banana, sugar, oil and vanilla. Pour batter between the two prepared ramekins.
For crumb topping, mix together all ingredients and sprinkle on top of batter.
Bake 15-20 minutes in a toaster (or regular) oven
OR
Microwave on 50% power, 1 minute at a time, for 3-4 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Do not over bake.
