Age group(s) for this recipe:
Preschool and Younger
Elementary School
Middle School
High School & Beyond

Estimated time:
45 min. plus cooling time

Ingredients: (Hit your return key to start a new line)
1 box yellow cake mix

2 ripe medium bananas, mashed

1/2 c. chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:
Prepare the cake mix in a large bowl, according to the directions on the package.

Stir in the mashed bananas. Pour the cake mix into a greased/floured pan, sprinkle with the nuts, if you desire, and then bake according to the instructions on the package. (9"x13" pan works great.) Allow the cake to cool.

The cake is sweet, so may be served plain, but is also good frosted, or "drizzled" with some warm frosting. (Try chocolate, vanilla, buttercream, or cream cheese varieties).

Other suggestions and comments:
The cake does not taste strongly of bananas, but you can taste them. It is a very Moist cake...so I'd not use the biggest bananas; might be a bit too much! If that's what you have on hand, try "one and a half."

I'm betting the "lower fat" recipe, listed on many mixes now, could have worked as well, if not better, and I'm kickin' myself at this moment for not goin' that direction with it, but hey...Ripe Bananas are sort of a fixture 'round here, so I am sure the opportunity will still exist later ;-)

The reason I recommend sprinkling the nuts on is, the batter is slightly thinner than the usual cake mix. I substituted chocolate chips, and 98% of them sank like li'l stones ;-) but were still yummy in there...I am thinkin' mini-chips would be grrrreat! Finely chopped nuts would weigh less. Just be sure people realize they are eating something w/nuts in it; some people have serious allergies.