Vegan Banana Cake

Name: Vegan Banana Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 16 tablespoon vegan butter (room temperature); 1 ripe banana; 1 ½ cups sugar; 5 tablespoons aquafaba, whipped (See Note); 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional); 3 cups cake flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 ½ cup unsweetened plant-based milk (See Note); ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut, optional (do not toast this portion); 1 cup of toasted unsweetened shredded coconut (optional); 3 cups confectioner's sugar; 12 tablespoon vegan butter; 1 teaspoon almond extract; 1 to 2 tablespoon plant-based milk (see note)

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This vegan banana cake recipe is easy to make, fluffy and moist, smothered with vegan frosting, and it's dairy-free and eggless. It's perfect for birthdays, the holidays, pot lucks, or anytime you need a delicious vegan cake.

A slice of banana cake on a white plate with a forkful of the cake on the plate.

This is the best vegan banana cake recipe ever! It's the most delicious way to use those overripe bananas sitting on your counter top.

Sure, you can always make a Vegan Chunky Monkey Chocolate Smoothie or our Healthy Vegan & Gluten-Free Banana Muffins, but if you're craving something extra special, you need to make this cake.

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Ingredients
How to Make It
Substitutions and Variants
Tips on How to Bake the Perfect Cake
Recipe FAQs
More Vegan Banana Recipes
Vegan Banana Cake

Ingredients

This is a visual ingredient list with some notes to help you make the most delicious cake.

Flour - cake flour makes the fluffiest banana cake with the best crumb. If you don't have cake flour, use all-purpose flour.
Aquafaba - this is the liquid in a can of chickpeas. It's an excellent egg replacer for baking. It's best when it's whipped before adding to the cake.
Coconut - we love adding toasted shredded coconut to this cake recipe, but it's completely optional.
Bananas - The bananas should be overripe with brown spots on the peel. This will ensure the best cake with the sweetest flavor.
Sugar - we only recommend using granulated white sugar for this recipe. Raw sugar or any large crystal sugar will make the cake bake unevenly.

How to Make It

Here are step by step instructions with visual cues.

A silver mixing bowl with a yellow and red spatula stirring yellow cake batter. — **1. Beat the butter, sugar, and banana until smooth and creamy, then add the egg replacer , vanilla and almond extract and beat until it's fully combined.**

A silver bowl with cake batter and a red spatula with cake batter on it being held over the bowl. — 2. Add half of the flour to the butter mixture and beat on a slow setting until almost combined, then add half of the plant-based milk, then the rest of the flour and then the remaining milk and beat until just combined.

2 black round cake pans filled with yellow cake batter. — **3. Grease the 9-inch round cake pans and pour half of the cake batter into each pan. Lightly tap the pans on a flat surface to remove air bubbles from the batter.**

Two round yellow layer cakes on a wire cooling rack with a wooden bowl of coconut next to the cake. — 4. Bake the cake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the cake springs back when gently pressed on and a wooden toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then carefully invert onto a wire cooling rack until completely cooled.

A 2 layer cake with white frosting and toasted coconut sprinkled over it.

5. When the cake is completely cooled, place a layer on a cake stand and frost the top and sides.

Put the second layer on top of the first layer and frost the top and sides. Sprinkle toasted coconut on top if desired.

HINT: If the cake needs to be transported, you can bake in a 9 x 13-inch sheet pan.

Substitutions and Variants

Gluten-Free - although the texture won't be as fluffy, you can use King Arthur all-purpose gluten-free flour or Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten-free flour.
Coconut - We love coconut with banana, so we add it to the batter and on top of the frosting.
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting - for this recipe, we made buttercream frosting. If you want cream cheese frosting, get the recipe in our Vegan Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Tips on How to Bake the Perfect Cake

Measure precisely. Baking is a science, therefore you should always follow the instructions and measure exactly as the recipe reads. Don't guess or add more or less of anything unless the instructions tell you to. For best results use a scale and go by the grams instead of cups or spoons.
Use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. Cake flour will give you a better crumb.
Don't over mix the flour. Mix or stir well, but don't over do it.
Grease the pans evenly on the bottom and the sides. This is a must or the cake will stick to the pan.
Adjust the baking times accordingly if you live in a high altitude.
Bake the cakes in the correct size pans.
Use aluminum pans. Aluminum or metal pans conduct heat better than glass or ceramic pans. Lighter metal is better for baking a lightly browned cake, the darker the metal pan the darker it will brown.
Make sure the oven is completely preheated before putting the cake in the oven and bake in the center of the oven.
The cake is done baking when it pulls slightly away from the pan, springs back when touched, and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake.

A white table with a layer cake with vanilla frosting and white plates with slices of the cake and rose wine in glasses.

Recipe FAQs

What is the difference between banana cake and banana loaf?

Banana cake is a lighter and fluffier version of banana loaf, which is a quick bread that's denser.

Why is my vegan cake so dense?

Generally dense cake is a result of using the wrong egg replacer. The whipped aquafaba in this recipe helps the cake bake to a light and fluffy texture.

Can I make cupcakes out of this batter?

Yes. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cupcake.

Storage

Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Can I freeze the cake?

Yes. Freeze the cake unfrosted in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before frosting.

More Vegan Banana Recipes

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