EASY VEGAN BANANA CAKE

Vegan Banana Cake – Deliciously moist, tender and topped with a luscious coconut cashew cream frosting this banana cake recipe is healthy and easy to make from scratch!

I love making banana breads and that’s why I’ve made this Vegan Banana Bread, Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Blueberry Banana Oat Bread and Vegan Carrot Banana Bread.

So when I ran across a recipe for banana cake with delicious cream cheese frosting from Sally’s Baking Addiction I couldn’t resist and set in motion to make a vegan banana cake with a luscious cashew buttercream frosting!

The first time I made this vegan banana cake was for my grand daughter’s 1st birthday. I made a layered smash cake using pure maple syrup in place of cane sugar. And for the frosting I added beet juice to make it pink. It was adorable! (See below for layer cake instructions.)

Ever since, this easy banana cake has become a family favorite and is loved by both kids and adults. It’s the perfect snack cake and you’ll want to eat it all day long.

Our favorite way to enjoy this cake is chilled, straight from the refrigerator. It’s what I call perfect snacking for hot summer days!

How To Make Vegan Banana Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan with oil.
• Flax eggs. Make your flax eggs in a small bowl, let set for at least 10 minutes to thicken, stirring occasionally, while the oven in heating.
• Mix dry ingredients. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in large mixing bowl.
• Mix wet ingredients. Combine the almond milk, oil and vanilla in a 2 cup measuring cup or small bowl (or measure them separately as shown above).
• Mash bananas. Mash 2 – 3 overripe bananas in a medium bowl using the back of a slotted spoon or fork. Tip: The spottier and riper the bananas the better for sweetness and full banana flavor
• Combine ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the flour and mix until just combined. Don’t overmix the batter. Stir in the mashed bananas.

• Pour & spread. Pour the batter into greased baking dish and spread the batter evenly using a spatula or back of a spoon.

• Bake. Place in the oven for 45 – 55 minutes. If top starts to brown, top with foil. When done, top should be springy to the touch and tooth pick inserted into the middle should come out clean.
• Let cool. When done, let cool completely.

How To Make Cashew Buttercream Frosting

The frosting can be made while the cake is baking and placed in the refrigerator to chill and thicken. It can also be made a day ahead for convenience.

• Using a high speed blender, add the cashews, maple syrup, coconut cream, lemon juice and pinch of salt to the blender cup and process until creamy smooth. Add a tad more liquid for a thinner frosting. Taste for flavor.

For variation you may also like this Cashew Sweet Cream which uses dates to sweeten. It’s delicious too!

How To Assemble The Cake

• Once the cake is completely cooled, spread the cashew frosting over top (shown above), slice and enjoy often!

And there you have it! The best vegan banana cake recipe ever made easy!

How To Store Leftovers

• Refrigerator: I prefer my banana cake chilled and keep it stored in the refrigerator, but you can keep it on the counter and serve at room temperature as well. It will keep for 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator, and 3 days on the counter.
• Freezer: This vegan banana cake is freezer friendly and can be kept in the freezer for up to 2 – 3 months. To freeze banana cake, cut the cake into single servings and let thaw in the fridge or on the counter before eating.

Adjusting For Dietary Restrictions

• Oil-Free: To make oil-free, substitute the olive oil for unsweetened applesauce. Cake may be a little denser but it will still be delicious!
• Gluten-Free: Use your favorite gluten free flour blend to make this recipe gluten free.
• Nut-Allergies: In place of the cashews in the buttercream frosting, try using try Tofutti sour cream instead.

Commonly Asked Questions

Can I use Maple Syrup in Place of Cane Sugar? Absolutely! Replace pure cane sugar with pure maple syrup using anywhere from 1/2 to 1 cup.

How To Make A Layer Cake: To make this into a layer cake, simply divide the batter between two round cake pans and bake according to directions. I’ve used two 6 inch cake pans with great results, each cake was about 1 1/2 – 2 inches high. If using 8 inch cake pans, cakes will be a little thinner, about 1 inch in height.

If you try this banana cake recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

VEGAN BANANA CAKE

Print Recipe

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5 from 3 reviews

Moist, tender, and perfectly sweet, with just the right amount of banana flavor and topped with a dreamy coconut cashew buttercream frosting, this vegan banana cake is perfect for snacking and sharing!

• Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 55 min
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: Serves 8 - 10 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: bake
• Cuisine: Vegan

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 flax eggs (3 tablespoons flaxmeal + 6 tablespoons water)
• 3 cups flour (spelt, white whole wheat or all-purpose)
• 1 cup organic pure cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of mineral salt
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup light flavored olive oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 bananas, mashed

Cashew Frosting

• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews, pref. soaked (see notes)
• 1/2 cup coconut cream
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 lemon, juice of

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Instructions

Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make your flax eggs in a small bowl, let set for at least 10 minutes to thicken while oven in heating, stir occasionally. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan with oil.

Measure: In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a medium bowl, mash the bananas. Measure the milk, oil and vanilla, you can easily combine these in a 2 cup measuring cup.

Combine: Add the plant milk, oil, vanilla, and flax eggs to the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Stir in the mashed bananas.

Pour: Once mixed, pour batter into a 9 x 13 baking dish. If needed, spread the batter evenly using a spatula or back of a spoon.

Bake: Bake for 45 – 55 minutes. If top starts to brown, top with foil.

Cool: Once done, let cool completely. If you’d like to cool it faster, after 30 minutes of cooling on the counter, you can put the dish in the refrigerator to finish cooling.

Frosting: While the cake is baking, make the frosting. Add the soaked cashews, maple syrup, coconut cream, lemon juice and pinch of salt to a high speed blender. Blend until creamy smooth.

Assemble: Once completely cooled, spread the cashew buttercream frosting over top and enjoy often!

Store covered in the refrigerator if you prefer it chilled, or keep it on the counter and serve at room temperature.

Notes

Feel free to substitute organic pure cane sugar with pure maple syrup, using anywhere from 1/2 to 1 cup.

To make oil-free, substitute the olive oil for unsweetened applesauce. Cake may be a little denser but it will still be delicious!

Frosting notes:

Quick soak cashews: To soak your cashews quickly, cover them with 1 inch of hot water (not boiling) and let set for 5 – 10 minutes. Drain cashews and use accordingly.

Regular soak for cashews: Cover with an inch of cool water, let soak for 2 – 3 hours. Cashews don’t need any longer than 3 hours, but will be ok if soaked longer.

You may also like to replace the frosting in the recipe with this Cashew Sweet Cream, which uses dates, for variation – it’s delicious too!

Feel free to use almond milk or water, in place of coconut cream to keep the fat content down.

If you can’t find raw cashews, replace them with an 8-ounce tub of vegan cream cheese. I recommend Miyoko’s brand, just know it’s very tangy! For a less tangy cream cheese try Tofutti or Kite Hill.

RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT: I love my NutriBullet (affiliate link) for making the cashew frosting and this Rectangular Baker.

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