A great family favorite cake recipe, using ripe bananas, pineapple, cherries, nuts and chocolate chips to give you a lovely soft bread, perfect for breakfast or a snack.
This is a lovely easy recipe full of delicious ingredients which make this cake moist, and full of lovely colors too!

For this simple loaf cake recipe, we've used a mixture of pineapples, cherries, bananas, chocolate chips and nuts, and when all combined, you really do get a delicious cake!
It's a cross between a fruit cake and a banana bread, and much quicker and easier to make.
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The fruits add texture, moistness, and flavor, and what better than to make a cake using overripe bananas too!
The colors are just wonderful.
There are lots of delicious pantry ingredients in this cake and it is certainly a keeper recipe, and an old family favorite, perfect for any time of the year, and great for breakfast, brunch, or just to have as a snack.
Recipe by Lisa Hiibner
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
1 Hour
Yield
20 servings or 2 Loaves
Ingredients you'll need
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Flour - All purpose or Plain Flour is needed
- Ripe bananas - Ripened bananas give the bread a sweeter flavor as the bananas will be naturally sweeter when over ripened
- Pineapple - use canned crushed pineapple.
- Chocolate chips - we've used milk chocolate but feel free to swap for dark or a mix of chocolate
- Red maraschino cherries - this adds a lovely color to the cake. You can also add a mixture of red and green cherries if you wanted to make the cake over the Christmas holidays.
- Walnuts or nuts of your choice
See the recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions
1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Slowly add the eggs.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt then add to the creamed mix, alternating with the pineapples and bananas until everything is combined.
4. Gently fold in the chocolate chips, cherries and walnuts.
5. Pour into two greased 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 60-65 minutes.
Allow to cool for 5 - 10 minutes before turning out of pans.
If you've got any crushed pineapple left over, this Hawaiian Dream Cake is a good way of using it up!
We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our post. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!

Recipe Card

Banana Split Bread
A great family favorite cake recipe, using ripe bananas, pineapple, cherries, nuts and chocolate chips to give you a lovely soft bread, perfect for breakfast or a snack
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup butter
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 medium mashed ripe bananas
- 2 x 8 oz cans crushed pineapple, drained
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 x 10 oz jar red maraschino cherries, chopped and well drained
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or nuts of your choice. I don't use walnuts but it is common for this cake to have them in.
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Slowly add the eggs.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt then add to the creamed mix, alternating with the pineapples and bananas until everything is combined.
- Gently fold in the chocolate chips, cherries and walnuts.
- Pour into two greased 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 60-65 minutes.
- Allow to cool for 5 - 10 minutes before turning out of pans.
Recommended Products
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Walfos Nonstick Silicone Bread and Loaf Pan Set of 2, BPA Free ! Without Chemical Coating,Just Pop Out! Easy release and baking mold for Homemade Cakes, Breads, Meatloaf and quiche.
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Honey-Can-Do 2592 Paper Loaf Pan, 25-Pack, 8-Inches x 2.5-Inches x 2-Inches
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Oggibox Q-26 12-Cavity Slim Rectangle silicone mold for Soap, Bread, Loaf, Muffin, Brownie, Cornbread, Cheesecake, Pudding, and More
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Wilton Perfect Results Non-Stick Mini Loaf Pan, 8-Cavity
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Plastic Rectangular Bread Box with Portable Handle 13inch Translucent Cake Container Box for Dry or Fresh Foods Loaf Cake Keeper (Pink)
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White Disposable Loaf Bread Baking Liners (Pack of 2, 24 Liners Total) Rectangle, Non-Stick Paper Liners For Baking, Kitchen Tools For Baking Cake & Bread
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 427Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 257mgCarbohydrates: 66gFiber: 4gSugar: 42gProtein: 6g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate
Delicious Recipes using Bananas
Here's a selection of our very best recipes using bananas.
These Muffins Are Moist, Fruity, And Extremely Delicious. They Are The Perfect Treat For Breakfast, Brunch, Or Afternoon Tea. Packed With Banana And Drizzled With Honey, A Perfect Snack
Banana Drop Cookies. Theses are a light fluffy cookie and great for using up those overripe bananas! Easy recipe too!
Banana Fritters. These are a lovely crispy treat, serve warm as they are or with some syrup drizzled over or a blob of ice cream! A great way to use up spare or leftover bananas too! Really quick and easy to make dessert.
White Chocolate and Cranberry Banana Drop Cookies.
These are a light, soft, fluffy cookie, loaded with white chocolate and cranberries. Great for using up those overripe bananas!
Banana Bread Cookies. Yep... banana bread in a cookie! Easy and flexible recipe. Great for snacks, breakfast, lunch boxes or anytime!
Easy Banana Cream Cake Trifle is amazing! Delicious layers of creamy custard, bananas and homemade banana bread, topped off with freshly whipped cream and a sprinkling of white chocolate. Simply delicious!
The BEST Banana Loaf Pound Cake, super moist, made from scratch recipe with mashed bananas. Great for breakfast, brunch, or dessert. Excellent, easy banana cake
Pecan and Banana Mini Cakes are wonderful soft, moist and full flavored with a great streusel topping. Also nice as a regular loaf size.
Chocolate Banana Muffins With a Caramel Drizzle Topping. Fluffy, soft and packed with bananas and chocolate. Perfect for breakfast, brunch or snack time.
Moist Caramel Banana Bread. Add nuts like I did or leave them out. Either way it's delicious!
No Bake Peanut Butter Banana Cheesecake. Oh boy! Super easy recipe, no bake and a chocolate chip cookie base!
Caramel Pecan Banana Pie. A delicious pecan pie crust, filled with bananas and topped with caramel sauce. Perfect for the holidays or to take to parties!
Banana Cream Pie, made from scratch, VERY easy and oh so delicious! Perfect for Easter, Thanksgiving, potlucks and BBQ's too!
Banana Cream Pie Trifle Cups. A delicious no bake dessert and easy too!
The BEST Banana Walnut Loaf Pound Cake is a super moist, made from scratch recipe with mashed bananas and nuts. Great for breakfast, brunch or dessert. An excellent, easy banana cake
Creamy Strawberry Banana Smoothie. Quick and Easy to make and taste just like milkshake but without the cream or ice cream!
Chocolate Banana Boats are easy chocolate filled bananas, wrapped in foil and grilled. Perfect for camping and BBQ's. Easy recipe with just 2 ingredients
Sour Cream Banana Bread. A soft and delicious cake using sour cream and bananas makes for a lovely easy recipe. Instructions for mini loaves or regular loaf pan!
Nanny's BEST Banana Bread is a lovely soft, moist cake and absolutely delicious with the glaze poured over! A nice, easy recipe and freezer friendly too!
Butter Pecan Banana Bread - These are mini loaves,made for gifts, and will also work using regular loaf pans... mini ones are so cute!
Nutella Banana Loaf. Delicious, soft pound cake with banana and Nutella chocolate. Easy recipe and very popular. Great tasting cake
Refreshing Blueberry and Banana Smoothie is a perfect start to your day. Quick & easy recipe using fresh ingredients. Takes minutes to make and seconds to blitz
Barbara Veal
says:2 oz x 8 cans crushed pineapple, drained
1 oz x 10 jar red maraschino cherries, chopped and well drained
I’m an old hand at baking, but I’ve never seen a recipe with ingredients listed like this. How many ounces of pineapple and cherries do you use?
Barbara Veal
says:On the Banana Split Brea recipe, I usually have no problem with the ingredients, but I couldn’t figure out how much pineapple and cherries to use.
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Barbara, if you scroll down to the bottom, there’s a printable recipe card with the exact ingredient quantities for you.
Hope that helps!
Mike Crosby
says:This Recipe looks like something we’d like to try,but i can’t figure out what the &frac23 for the Butter at the top of the Ingredients means.Nowhere can i find that Measurement .
Please help me understand this one.,lol
Thanks
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Mike, the 2/3 cup of butter equates to 5 &1/2 ounces or 150g if you prefer to use scales. Hope that helps!
Lynn S.
says:Excellent! This bread has everything you could want in a loaf of sweet dessert bread. It’s moist, sweet and loaded with goodness. I think my loaf pans must be a bit smaller because I ended up with three beautiful loaves. I drizzled each with a glaze and then froze them. Such a lovely recipe.
loids
says:Hi Jo! I would like to clarify the amount of the following ingredients:
2 oz x 8 cans crushed pineapple drained, it means that 2 ounces (roughly 60 grams) of crushed pineapples from an 8 oz can, right?
1 oz x 10 jar red maraschino cherries chopped and well drained, roughly 30 g of cherries from a 10 oz jar of cherries, correct?
Thanks much for the attention to this communication.
Lynn S
says:It means 2 – 8 0z cans or 16 oz.
MEGAN A
says:This is my favorite banana bread recipe but I use frozen strawberries instead of cherries!
Tammy
says:I have added a cup of roasted coconut and roasted the nuts. But this is the best banana bread recipe I have found yet. Not afraid it is better than my own recipe.