5 overripe bananas & 5 wild boys

After a road trip, we recently discovered five ripe bananas in the depths of our minivan trunk. With five boys at home looking for their next kitchen adventure, the decision was made: we were baking banana bread. 

Our dynamic duo, Levi and Malachi (ages 5 & 3), lined up ingredients with the efficiency of an assembly line: five very ripe bananas (peeled by Judah, age 3), two “chicken” eggs, carefully protected by Ephraim and 1 cup of chocolate chips (“measured” by Asher, age 1.5, “a bucket load!” exclaimed Ephraim, age 3). Everyone started chiming in with ideas of what else to add to the banana bread-sprinkles, peanut butter, raisins, goldfish, popcorn, and the idea that made them all lose their minds-protein powder. That was Levi’s idea. Why do kindergartners know about protein powder? 

Thanks to four overactive imaginations, the bread soon leaped from the pan, now a hulking, rippling beast. All attempts to restrain it were in vain. This was no mere banana bread but a gigantic appetite and strength creature. Our monster loaf wreaked havoc in the kitchen, smashing cabinets and sending brothers fleeing and screaming. All remnants of bananas, cake mix, and eggs had vanished into its massive, undulating form. After a lengthy battle for survival, the beast let out a mighty roar and collapsed, snoring ginormous, sonic rumbles. We had survived to tell the tale of five boy bakers and their accidental creation: a monster loaf of muscle bread. 

The lessons here are clear: with excellent baking power comes great responsibility. And the belief that cooking is an ordinary superpower that can create chaos on a good (or bad) day. But at least the clean-up was exciting! 

Our adventure doesn’t end here. The question remained, will our bread-beast rise again? After 45 minutes of baking and 15 agonizing minutes of waiting for the bread to cool, we soon learned that we might be raising some baking monkeys here. Moist, tender, and surprisingly not too chocolaty. And we made it with one try!

Ingredients

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix 

2 Large Eggs 

3-4 Large Ripe Bananas And any surprises you’d like (chocolate chips, walnuts, protein powder, blueberries, etc.) 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat two loaf pans (I used 8×4 inch) with cooking spray. Alternatively, you can use one large loaf pan.
2. Smash the bananas in a large bowl. 
3. Add in the cake mix, eggs (and any surprises you’d like). Stir until well mixed and pour into baking pan(s). 
4. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. If making one large loaf, you may need to bake it longer.
5. Remove from oven and allow pans to cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes. Then remove the bread from the pans and continue to cool on cooling racks.