In our home, we call this cake the Elvis Cake, for obvious reasons. And it really is all that.
The rock ‘n’ roll legend’s love for food was well-known, and the infamous peanut butter and banana sandwich he adored, dubbed the “Elvis,” is the stuff of food excess lore. But there’s nothing unhealthy about this cake. In fact, it is probably as healthy as cake can get, because it’s made with all whole wheat and naturally sweetened with coconut sugar or turbinado sugar.
Besides you already know that bananas, packed with potassium, magnesium, fiber and many more nutrients, are really good for you. And who doesn’t have overripe bananas sitting in their kitchen during these dog days? Put them to good use.
The cake has a very moist, airy crumb and every bite bursts with startling banana flavor. I made just enough peanut butter frosting to get a nice, satisfying layer between the two tiers and on top, but if you are the sort who likes gobs and gobs of frosting on their cake, double the recipe. Do keep in mind that peanut butter– although healthy– is high in fat.
The first time I made this cake eight years back and shared it with you, I struggled with a personal food quirk — a big one. I absolutely love peanut butter and can eat it out of the jar by the spoonful (I do.). But I hate it vigorously and vehemently when it’s combined with anything sweet. I cannot stand peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches, I don’t dare go near a peanut butter cup, and if you’re my friend you would know better than to buy me peanut-butter candy
But in this recipe, the peanut butter is absolutely amazing. So much so that this is one of the cakes I bake the most, and it is also a cake many of you have written to tell me how much you love. In fact, one of the reasons I wanted to bring it back to the front of the blog, and update with new photos and text, is because a couple of people recently wrote to say they couldn’t find the recipe anymore and wanted to know where it was. Although I don’t usually take old recipes down, some can get lost amidst all of the nearly 1,000 posts that are now on the blog.
On to the cake, then. I hope you love it as much as we do, and if you make it, be sure to come back and tell me about it.
Ingredients for the Vegan Banana Cake and the Peanut Butter Frosting:
- Whole wheat pastry flour. You can sub half unbleached all purpose and half whole wheat flour if you prefer.
- Bananas. These should be as ripe as possible. Sweeter is better.
- Peanut butter. Use smooth preferably, I think this makes the nicest frosting.
- Vegetable oil
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Sugar. I use either coconut sugar or turbinado. Any other kind is fine, but unrefined sugars like these are better for you than white sugar.
- Powdered sugar or confectioners’ sugar
- Nondairy milk (I use almond)
- Vegan Butter
- Pure Vanilla Extract
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Looking for more vegan cake recipes?
Vegan Mango Cheesecake
Vegan Blueberry Buttermilk Bundt Cake
Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake with a Lemon Glaze
Vegan Orange Cake with Orange Marmalade Buttercream
Vegan Zucchini Cake with Orange Marmalade Glaze
Vegan Chai-Spiced Pumpkin Bundt Cake
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Vegan Banana Cake With Peanut Butter Frosting
Whole-wheat | Soy-free
Vegan Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
Ingredients
For the cake (makes two tiers):
- 3 cups whole-wheat pastry flour (all-purpose flour is a good substitute-- it makes for an even more tender cake. Or you can use half whole wheat and half all purpose)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 4 large bananas (very ripe, mashed)
- 3/4 cup nondairy milk
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
For the peanut butter frosting:
- 1 cup peanut butter (smooth)
- 8 tbsp vegan butter
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
Instructions
Make the vegan banana cake:
- Mix the nondairy milk with the apple cider vinegar and set aside for a minute.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
- Beat together the oil and sugar with a handheld mixer or in a stand mixer or with a whisk for about two minutes.
- Add the nondairy milk and beat until just mixed.
- Add the mashed bananas and beat in. Make sure there are no big lumps.
- Add the flour to the sugar-banana mixture in two batches, mixing well after each addition until the mixture is smooth. Don't overdo it.
- Line the bottom of two 9-inch cake pans with parchment or wax paper. Oil and flour the pans.
- Divide the batter equally between the two pans and bake 25-30 minutes in a 350-degree oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean.
- Place on a rack to cool, about 10 minutes. Unmold, peel off the parchment paper, and leave on the rack to cool thoroughly before frosting.
Make the vegan peanut butter frosting:
- Have the peanut butter and vegan butter at room temperature. Place them in a bowl and mix with a handheld or stand mixer or whisk until everything's combined and smooth.
- Add the sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating in well after each addition. Confectioner's sugar can lump up sometimes, in that case pass the sugar through a sieve. If the frosting feels stiff, add in some nondairy milk, a tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition, until you have a smooth, frosting-like consistency
Assemble the cake:
- Place one cake on a cake stand or flat dish. Put about 1/3rd of the frosting (recipe follows) in the center of the cake and using a spatula spread it evenly across the surface.
- Carefully place the second cake on top of the first one. Put the remaining icing in the center of the cake and evenly frost the top and sides.
- Garnish with chopped, roasted peanuts.
Nutrition
PJ says
September 8, 2011 atI have been to your blog many times ,silent mostly,but today’s post made me comment.I love bananas and peanut butter and the cake looks gorgeous.I have started baking just recently, so this is going to be the next in my to-do list. One small doubt-What can I use as a substitute for soya milk?
Vaishali says
September 8, 2011 atPJ, welcome! 🙂 Use any nut milk– almond, cashew or even pumpkin seed milk would be great. In fact, I’ll add that suggestion to the post.
TheCooker says
September 8, 2011 atSuch a lovely looking cake.
A PB+banana sandwich is an all time favourite of ours.
I’m definitely going to bake this cake soon.
Thanks!
Mihl says
September 8, 2011 atYou are a brave person! My boyfriend hates peanut buter combined with sweet things, too. I will better not show him this post and tell him about the fact that you made this cake although you have the same “peanut issues”. I think the cake looks and sounds delicious.
alpana says
September 8, 2011 atVery beautiful looking cake……Bookmarked
divya says
September 8, 2011 atLooks very tempting.
Nupur says
September 8, 2011 atI’ll take peanut butter in any form, and this is particularly fetching with the addition of bananas!
Sharmilee! :) says
September 9, 2011 atWow very tempting layered banana cake
Solaripedia says
September 9, 2011 atReminds me of the excellent, if not disconcerting, documentary movie, “The Burger and the King.” It is about Elvis’ food habits that ultimately led to his unseemly death in the W/C. In this true black comedy, his cook is shown shakin’ that PB&B in a whole lotta butter. Definitely a must-see for any foodie, especially for the vegan-at-heart.
Mel says
September 9, 2011 atI must be of the quirkiest people around when it comes to peanuts. I love them on their own and mixed into some savoury recipes but have never liked peanut butter and don’t enjoy recipes where peanuts are the dominant flavour (eg. satay). This means your cake is somewhat conflicting for me, the banana part sounds delicious but not so much the frosting.
Sum says
September 9, 2011 atThe cake looks noce! Peanut and banana combination is something i’ve not tried yet…
Priya says
September 9, 2011 atGorgeous cake,love especially the frosting,super like..
Vaishali says
September 9, 2011 atThe Cooker, Hope you try it. 🙂
Mihl, It did take some courage. And glad to know I’m not the only “weird” one. 🙂
Alpana, Thanks!
Nupur, I look at Opie and Lucy (my first two rescues) and wonder if I’d ever be able to deal with their passing…it’s tough, but it’s the deal we make when we adopt them. All they want is lots of treats, a safe home, lots of walks, and lots of hugs.
Divya, Thanks!
DF, I’ll look up the recipe– thanks for the link. And yes, playing around with different flours is a good idea. I like using stuff I have on hand too, rather than rushing to the store for the perfect ingredient…at least most of the times.
Mel, your quirk sounds a lot like mine. 🙂 And your comment about Jasper and the cat’s butt made me smile, because that’s the main thing– I’m sure– my dogs miss about having Pubm around. I hope Jasper’s doing well.
Sharmilee, Thanks!
Solaripedia, thanks for telling me about this movie– I love black comedies and I love Elvis despite his very non-vegan lifestyle (I don’t think I’ll ever get over the sight of his fur-covered bed in Graceland), so I gotta see this!
Sum, Thanks!
Nisha, I am sorry about your father, and I understand because after all these years I still miss my mom who died when I was seven. I don’t think animals lack the sensibility to love and miss the ones they love– in fact they love with all their hearts. It’s just that because they don’t think of the future or dwell in the past, they don’t react to death the way we do.
Swati Sapna, Priya, Thanks! 🙂
Swati Sapna says
September 9, 2011 atI absolutely love peanut butter!! But I do agree with you – why combine its inherent salty-sweet nuttiness with something cloyingly sweet?? However, ur cake does sound fantastic i must confess!
notyet100 says
September 10, 2011 atCake looks gorgeous 🙂
Renu says
September 10, 2011 athmmm..this is definitely a new frosting for me and I am tempted to try it once 🙂
Smoothieblocker says
November 30, 2012 atThis recipe is amazing! I’ve made it three times so far. Everyone who has tried it (vegans and non-vegans alike) love it. It even made one of my friends dance for joy. The only alteration I made was the addition of 1/8 of a cup of soy milk in the frosting. It made the frosting a little easier to mix. Thank you for posting this. Your website is fabulous.
Siya Rao says
January 25, 2013 atBanana cake is my fav and peanut butter i can have anytime.. I couldn’t resist looking at your great clicks..they were just heaven on earth..oh nice!I did not add cream cheese to icing still it was amazing..
Vaishali says
November 27, 2013 atSmoothieblocker, glad you tried it!
Helen Bradbury says
March 1, 2014 atBrilliant. I’m having a vegan month (normally a lactose-intolerant vegetarian). I love your taste combinations and I’m a big fan of spice.
Vaishali says
March 1, 2014 atThanks, Helen!
Vidhya says
October 10, 2014 atHi vaishali,
Hope you ve been well. Your website looks great as usual and I do come back every few weeks to check out some of your recipes 🙂
This cake looks amazing. I have sadly not been baking much since I turned vegan but this is inspiring and I definitely want to give it a try. I live in Singapore , where we can get vegan butter ( earth balance) but am not so sure abt the vegan cream cheese. Any substitutes? Or can I just omit it?
Vaishali Honawar says
October 11, 2014 atHi Vidhya, you can use shortening, make sure it’s free of trans fats, instead of the cream cheese. Or use more of the earth balance. Hope you try the cake– vegan baking is a lot of fun! 🙂 Cheers!
Trish says
November 1, 2014 atI made this cake yesterday. The cake part was so deliciously moist and flavorful, however, my peanut butter icing did not turn out at all. It was more like fudge so I heated it up slightly to make it spreadable but even that didn’t help much. Perhaps my peanut butter was at fault? I had an organic, no sugar-added type. I’ve made frosting/icings many times before so I’m not new to vegan baking. Still a great cake and I won’t give up on the frosting just yet 😉
Vaishali Honawar says
November 10, 2014 atHi Trish, I find that the organic, no-sugar butter tends to be too oily at the top and no matter how much you mix it, it becomes rather dry at the end. If that was the case, your peanut butter could be at fault. I used the regular supermarket kind for this one. Glad you liked the cake! 🙂
Derek says
February 20, 2015 atThis was very, very good. Prep time actually took me about 30 mins. I checked the cake at exactly 1 hour and it was still pure batter in the middle, I ended up baking it for 1 hr 20 mins and it was perfect. I too used the freezer trick and the cake was so moist! I spread a thick layer of the frosting on and still had quite a bit left, but that wasn’t a problem as my DH ate the rest from the bowl! Again, this was a VERY good cake. I think I will turn it into our regular birthday cake!
Dia says
August 1, 2016 atThis cake is AWESOME! Quick and easy to make and tastes DIVINE! It only needs just the slightest of frostings. Adding the crunch of the peanuts is a great way to go. Will make this again! 🙂