• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
    • Contact
    • Photo Use Policy

Connoisseurus Veg logo

SUBSCRIBE

Sign up for email updates and receive a free copy of my veggie burger e-book!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Free Veggie Burger Book
  • About
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    You are here: Home / Dessert / Vegan Banana Cake

    LAST UPDATED: April 8, 2022 • FIRST PUBLISHED: April 8, 2022

    Vegan Banana Cake

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This vegan banana cake is perfectly moist, sweet, and lightly spiced. Easy to make and perfect whether you're looking for a special dessert, or just need to use up some ripe bananas!

    Slice of Vegan Banana Cake on a plate with a bite on the end of a fork.

    This vegan banana cake is one of those recipes that tuned out way better than I'd ever expected. I don't know why, I mean, I LOVE my banana bread, banana muffins, and banana pancakes, so banana cake should be pretty good, right?

    Well it was way better than good. This cake blew my mind! It had absolutely the perfect texture and amazing flavor.

    It was also so easy! We're talking about a one-bowl deal here. I also made it into a sheet cake for ease of preparation because I figured it might be a good spur of the moment dessert you kind of throw together on a whim, like when you've got a bunch of bananas that are threatening to go bad.

    Have I sold you on how amazing this cake is? Great! Let's talk about how it's made!

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients You'll Need
    • How It's Made
    • Leftovers & Storage
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • More Vegan Cake Recipes
    • Vegan Banana Cake

    Ingredients You'll Need

    • Non-dairy milk. Just about any variety that's unsweetened and unflavored will work. Try soy milk, almond milk or cashew milk.
    • White vinegar. Apple cider vinegar works as a substitute.
    • Overripe bananas. Your bananas absolutely need to be overripe, or the cake will turn out dry, chewy, dense, and not sweet enough. You want LOTS of brown spots on the peel. I shoot for bananas that are brown on almost half of the peel.
    • Sugar. Use organic sugar to keep the recipe vegan.
    • Brown sugar. This needs to be organic too.
    • Vegan butter. You should be able to find this near the regular butter at the supermarket. Look for brands like Miyoko's and Earth Balance.
    • Vanilla extract.
    • Flour. We're using regular old all-purpose wheat flour. I'm not sure if the recipe will work with anything else.
    • Baking soda.
    • Cinnamon.
    • Salt.
    • Frosting. I like to top this cake with my vegan vanilla buttercream frosting. You could also use vegan chocolate frosting, or your favorite variety. The cake would also be delicious without frosting or with just a sprinkle of organic powdered sugar.
    • Chopped walnuts. These are optional or can be replaced with another variety of nut, such as pecans.

    Tip: I like to keep a stash of peeled overripe bananas in the freezer for recipes like this. Simply thaw them out on the counter before mashing, and be sure to include all of the liquid that seeps out of the banana as it comes to temperature.

    How It's Made

    The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!

    • Start by stirring your milk and vinegar together in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. This is your vegan buttermilk. It might curdle — this is fine!
    • In a large mixing bowl, blend together mashed banana, softened butter, the sugars, and vanilla extract until creamy. You can use a hand mixer or stand mixer for this.

    Tip: Make sure your butter is at room temperature before getting started. Ideally you'll want to take it out of the fridge a few hours in advance. Try this butter softening trick if you forget.

    Hand beating bananas, butter, and sugar together with an electric mixer.
    • Stir in the milk mixture by hand. Don't beat it in with the mixer or you'll risk taking a vegan buttermilk shower.
    • Begin beating in the flour, a cup at a time. When you add the last cup, sprinkle the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon on top before beating it in. This trick works for lots of baked good recipes that would otherwise require multiple bowls!
    Hand Mixing Vegan Banana Cake batter with an electric mixer.
    • Spread the batter into a prepared baking pan, then pop it into the oven and bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
    Hand smoothing Vegan Banana Cake batter in a pan with a spatula.
    • Let your vegan banana cake cool completely, then frost, top it with chopped walnuts, slice and enjoy!
    Slice of Vegan Banana Cake with bowl of strawberries and coffee cup in the background.

    Leftovers & Storage

    The best way to store vegan banana cake is to keep it in the original baking dish and cover it tightly with plastic wrap, or, if you're freezing it, place it in a freezer bag.

    The cake will keep for about 2 days at room temperature, about 5 days in the refrigerator, or up to 3 months in the freezer.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can this cake be made gluten-free?

    I haven't tested a gluten-free version of this recipe, so I can't say for sure. I'd recommend substituting an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend if you'd like to give it a try.

    Why is my banana cake so dense/dry?

    Usually this is because your bananas aren't ripe enough. Using bananas with lots of brown spots is essential, as they contain more sugar and less starch, which can dry out your batter.

    Why didn't my cake rise?

    This is often due to old baking soda. Test yours by sprinkling a bit in a glass of vinegar. If it doesn't fizz, it's time to replace it.

    Hand scooping a bite of Vegan Banana Cake from a slice sitting on a plate.

    More Vegan Cake Recipes

    • Vegan Chocolate Cake
    • Vegan Spice Cake
    • Vegan Coconut Cake
    • Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake
    • Vegan Lemon Cake
    • Vegan Carrot Cake

    Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!

    Close up of a slice of Vegan Banana Cake on a plate.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print

    Vegan Banana Cake

    This vegan banana cake is perfectly moist, sweet, and lightly spiced. Easy to make and perfect whether you're looking for a special dessert, or just need to use up some ripe bananas!

    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 30 minutes
    Total Time 45 minutes
    Servings 12
    Calories 335 kcal
    Author Alissa Saenz

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ cups unflavored non-dairy milk
    • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
    • 1 ½ cups mashed overripe banana1 (about 3 to 4 medium bananas)
    • ¾ cup organic granulated sugar
    • ½ cup organic brown sugar, packed
    • 10 tablespoons vegan butter, at room temperature
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 3 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • Vegan buttercream frosting2, or frosting of choice
    • ½ cup chopped walnuts
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly oil the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

    2. Stir the milk and vinegar together in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup.

    3. Using an electric mixer at high-speed, beat the mashed banana, sugar, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla together in a large mixing bowl. Beat until creamy, about 1 minute.

    4. Stir in the milk mixture by hand.

    5. Begin beating in the flour, 1 cup at a time. After adding the last cup, sprinkle the baking soda, cinnamon and salt on top before beating it it. Beat the ingredients just until combined.

    6. Transfer the batter to the baking pan and smooth out the top with a spatula.

    7. Bake the cake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

    8. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and let it cool completely before frosting and sprinkling with the walnuts.

    9. Slice and serve.

    Recipe Notes

    1. Simply mash your bananas in your mixing bowl using a fork or potato masher. Get them relatively smooth — a few small chunks are okay though!
    2. Nutrition information does not include frosting, since it will vary considerably depending on how much and what variety you use.

     

    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan Banana Cake
    Amount Per Serving (1 slice (1/12 of recipe))
    Calories 335 Calories from Fat 117
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 13g20%
    Saturated Fat 3.2g16%
    Sodium 378mg16%
    Potassium 198mg6%
    Carbohydrates 50.9g17%
    Fiber 2.3g9%
    Sugar 22.8g25%
    Protein 5g10%
    Calcium 72mg7%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    « Udon Noodle Soup with Miso Broth
    Lentil Bolognese »

    Sharing is caring!

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Email

    About Alissa Saenz

    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors! You can read more about me here.

    I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

    Subscribe

    Subscribe for email updates and receive a free copy of my veggie burger e-book!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Deborah says

      April 08, 2022 at 7:31 pm

      Have you tried with any gluten free flours ?

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        April 09, 2022 at 10:58 am

        I haven't. I'd love to hear how it turns out if you do!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Alissa Holding a Coffee Cup

    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • The Best Vegan Banana Bread
    • Crispy Baked Teriyaki Tofu
    • Creamy Vegan Rice Pudding
    • Classic Lentil Soup

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up for emails and updates

    Contact

    • About
    • Contact
    • Photo Use Policy

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more here.

    Copyright © 2013-2022 Tofu Press LLC & Alissa Saenz

    98 shares
    • 7