Easy Vegan Banana Cake

5 from 36 votes

This vegan banana cake is moist, tender, light, fluffy, and loaded with mashed banana, complete with decadent frosting! Plus, it’s 100% egg-free & dairy-free, not that you’d be able to tell!

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Total Time1 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan

Servings: cake

Calories: 3401kcal

Author: Toni Okamoto

Equipment

Ingredients

2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
2 cups of plant-based milk (soy works best for the vegan buttermilk)
3 cups of all purpose flour
½ cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of baking soda
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 cups of mashed ripe bananas (~5 small bananas), mashed + 1 banana for topping
⅔ cup of oil
Homemade or storebought vegan buttercream, optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom of a deep 8 inch round cake pan with oil and set aside.
In a small bowl, add the apple cider and plant-based milk. Mix well and set aside for 5 minutes until it becomes vegan buttermilk.
In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and mix well. Add the vegan buttermilk, vanilla, banana, and oil. Mix until fully incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
Thinly slice one peeled banana lengthwise (see photo for reference), and gently place them on top of the batter.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes or until a knife or toothpick comes out just clean and the top is golden.
When ready, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 30 minutes on a cooling rack. Carefully remove it from the pan and place it back on a cooling rack.
Optionally frost with vegan buttercream.

Video

Notes

Make it easier by using a springform pan.

Measure the flour correctly: Spoon it into the measuring cup and level it with a knife rather than scooping it directly from the flour bag. Too much flour leads to denser bakes.

Don’t over-mix the batter: Overworking the gluten in the flour can lead to a dense, dry, vegan banana bread. A few small lumps in the batter are fine.

Experiment with add-ins: With so many options, have fun experimenting to find your favorite combinations.

Nutrition