This vegan banana cake is one of the easiest I’ve baked, and let me tell you, it’s a keeper recipe.
I worked off a recipe I found in a newspaper, but I changed it quite a bit to veganize it. To replace the egg, I added an extra banana which gave the cake more yummy banana-ey flavor without the yucky eggy smell. I also substituted for the buttermilk in the recipe with a mixture of soy milk and balsamic vinegar which worked beautifully.
You don’t need a fancy topping on this cake: a simple sprinkling of confectioners powdered sugar does the trick.
So here is the recipe for my absolutely divine vegan banana cake. Enjoy, everyone!
Vegan Banana Cake
A whole wheat and vegan banana cake that's easy to make and absolutely delicious.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time50 mins
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
- 1/4 cup canola or other vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 small , very ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/4 cup soymilk + 1/4 tsp balsamic vinegar (set aside five minutes to curdle)
- 1 tbsp confectioners' sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
- Beat together the oil and sugar with a handheld mixer for about two minutes.
- Add the soymilk mixture and beat until just mixed.
- Add the mashed bananas and beat in. Make sure there are no big lumps remaining.
- Add the flour to the banana-soymilk-oil mixture in 2 batches, beating in after each addition until the mixture is smooth. Do not overbeat, though.
- Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment or wax paper. Oil the paper.
- Pour in the batter and bake 25-30 minutes in a 350-degree oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Place the cake on a rack to cool.
- After about 10 minutes, lift out the cake by the parchment paper and place it on the rack to cool thoroughly.
- Dust the confectioners' sugar over the cake. Cut into squares and devour!
(C) All recipes and photographs copyright of Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes.
Indhu says
January 29, 2009 atdelicious cake… I have some bananas at home and I was wondering how to use them.. thank you ๐
Mahimaa's kitchen says
January 29, 2009 atcake looks super soft.. can u suggest something instead of soy milk and vinegar? i am looking for recipes to use up wheat pastry flour.. i dont know what to do with it.
anudivya says
January 29, 2009 atI remember seeing something like this earlier on your blog too… I guess that was a carrot cake. This looks just as tempting.
Madhu says
January 29, 2009 atThat cake looks super moist..Very clever of you to use soymilk + blasamic vineger.I would love to try this recipe.
Emily Barton says
January 30, 2009 atI just discovered your blog looking for a mushroom curry recipe, and all I can say is “Holy Cow!” is right. Looks like you’re cooking up some amazing stuff. I’m just beginning to experiment with vegan recipes, and I can see this is going to be a #1 resource. Thanks!
Rajani says
January 30, 2009 ati was just hanging around your blog and caught your latest post fresh out of the oven ๐ nice, this soy milk addition to cakes is new to me… does it make wholewheat bakes more moist? or spongy?? I have a wholewheat banana loaf recipe make often its there somewhere on my blog – its almost vegan – there are 2 eggs in it that need to exit :p
RAKS KITCHEN says
January 30, 2009 atI am first time here I think, and you have a cool space here…
The Banana cake is looking too gud,love the fact that its vegan!
Regarding your doubt in my post,yes you can try the legume what ever you want….:)
LG says
January 30, 2009 atCake looks tempting…
Curry Leaf says
January 30, 2009 atLovely Vaishali.I rarely try bananas.This is too tempting me to go for it.lovely cake.yes,just a sprinkling of icing sugar is the only thing it needs
Pavithra Kodical says
January 30, 2009 atVegan!!Wow sounds great to me..Looks perfect and yummy..
sowmya says
January 30, 2009 at..looks so gorgeousand spongy..can soya milk be addded as egg substitute?
Kitchen Flavours says
January 30, 2009 atWheat pastry flour is new to me. Cake looks soft and yum.
DJ Karma says
January 30, 2009 atGotta love cake! Thanks for the veganized recipe, Vaishali!
Happy cook says
January 30, 2009 atI love cakes with banana.
Looks so yumm
Cham says
January 30, 2009 atSoy milk and Balsamic vineg in cake, the substitute sounds good! The cake came out moist and perfect!
Sunshinemom says
January 30, 2009 atLovely cake! I will try the balsamic vinegar next time – got a whole bottle unopened!
Vaishali says
January 31, 2009 atIndhu, Thanks, and hope you try it!
Mahimaa, I have lots of recipes using whole wheat pastry flour on the blog, including many that do not use soy milk and vinegar. Check under the “baking” and “sweets” labels. Let me know if you’re looking for a substitute in any specific recipe ๐
Divya, Madhu, Thanks!
Emily, Welcome, and I appreciate your kind words. If you have questions as you explore vegan cooking, feel free to write in.
Rajani, Welcome! The soymilk-vinegar combination is a substitute for buttermilk which is supposed to make the cake tender. I find the soymilk-vinegar substitute actually works better than the original.
In banana bread, I substitute flax meal, or ground flax seeds, for the eggs. Use 1 tbsp of flax seeds + 3 tbsp water in place of one egg. Flax is packed with Omega-3s, so it’s also a very healthy substitute, and it’s nutty and delicious as well.
Rak, LG, Curry, Pavithra: Thanks!
Sowmya, soy milk being liquid is not a good egg substitute. In baked goods, eggs play the role of binding together the ingredients. The yolks help give the cake moistness, while the whites help it rise and make it light and airy.
I find tofu a great egg substitute in recipes for moist cakes. For tender ones, like pound cake, I’d use cornflour or egg replacer powder as an egg substitute. And in hearty sweet breads, like banana bread or mango bread or pumpkin bread, I’d use flax meal. Hope that helps, but feel free to write if you have other questions ๐
Kitchen Flavors, Karma, Happy, Cham, Sunshinemom, Thanks, ladies!
Anonymous says
February 28, 2009 atCan we use white vinegar? Thank you for wonderful vegan recipes.
Vaishali says
February 28, 2009 atAnonymous, yes you can use regular white vinegar instead of balsamic. Use the same amount. Cheers.
Proud to be Vegetarian says
March 3, 2009 atVaishali
How much oil did you use?
Vaishali says
March 10, 2009 atDear Proud to be Vegetarian, my apologies, again, for the delay in replying. The recipe needs 1/4 cup of canola oil. Thanks for pointing it out– I’ve added it to the post.
Anonymous says
March 12, 2009 atThis cake is delicious! I am not a vegan but I decided to give your cake recipe a try because I was intrigued by how moist it looked without containing either eggs or butter. Thanks so much for the recipe, it’s definitely a keeper!
Vaishali says
March 16, 2009 atAnonymous, glad you liked it and thanks very much for the feedback!
เคชเฅเคฐเคฟเคฏเคพ says
September 20, 2009 atHi Vaishali, I tried your Banana Cake on Minoti’s recommendation today and it turned out lovely! I wanted to comment on your blog since sometime (especially after reading your post about Pune – I belong to there ๐ ), but never got to doing it. I tried something from your blog for the first time today, so credit was due immediately!:)
Variations I made:
1.I did not have pastry flour, so I used 3/4 cup plain whole wheat flour + 1/4 cup all purpose flour.
2.I used regular fatfree milk instead of soy milk and white vinegar for curdling, in the same proportions suggested by you.
3.I used a 9×4 bread loaf shaped baking pan. No parchment or wax paper lining… just greased and dusted the pan.
Still the cake came out clean from the pan and tasted so good that it vanished within minutes, over a cup of chai ๐ Kudos to you!
เคชเฅเคฐเคฟเคฏเคพ says
September 21, 2009 atVaishali, two questions:
1. I told this simple recipe to my mom who lives in India, and she said she doesn’t stock vinegar in her pantry coz she never uses it. Will regular buttermilk/thinned curd work instead of the soymilk+vinegar mixture?
2. Can this recipe be multiplied to make a larger quantity? I made it to eat as a snack during the week, but the monsters in my house gobbled it up in one evening ๐ Now I have been ordered to make another one because I told them “It’s so easy and quick!” ๐
Vaishali says
April 9, 2012 atPriya, yes, this can certainly be multiplied. Just double or triple all the quanitities except, of course, baking time.
I am not sure if buttermilk or curd would work as a substitute. She could try lemon juice.
Mints! says
September 22, 2009 atHi Vaishali,
I think there is some confusion about Priya and me ๐
Priya is a good friend of mine and I told her to try this recipe and after reading my post about Banana cakes, she did try and posted a comment here ๐
Adynne says
August 30, 2010 atthis cake is sooo good.
i make a simple faux butter cream frosting to fancy it up a little. it was wonderful!
actually! at the moment i’m making a batch of muffins using this recipe but i substituted half of the oil for peanut butter. mmm. peanut butter and banana.
thanks for the great recipe!
Anonymous says
June 10, 2011 atMy banana cake is cooling, it smells great! Friends are bringing vegan ice cream later on to serve with it.
Anonymous says
June 11, 2011 atThis cake came out just plain lovely. I know it only needed the dusting of powdered sugar but for my guests I topped it with candied walnuts. Sauteed the chopped nuts with maple syrup and vegan butter with a pinch of cinnamon and salt. I can’t make banana cake or even banana bread ever again with my old eggs/milk recipe! Whole wheat pasty flour will be a new staple in my kitchen. Thank you.
Charmaine
Purvi Shah says
September 12, 2011 atHii Vaishali,
Your blog is awesome and impressive :), I am using it to bake goodies for my busy toddler who is allergic to milk, hence the vegan recipes work wonders for me.
I got all the stuff to make your applesauce muffins but then my husband reminded me that as he is allergic to nuts too it would not be safe to try flax seeds rightn ow. Could you kindly tell me how to sustitue flax seeds in this banaana cake recipe as well as your muffin recipe. Thanks a ton in advance for all the help.
You are doing a great job on this blog, Keep it up.
Vaishali says
September 12, 2011 atPurvi, thanks for your kind words. The banana cake recipe does not use flax– the fruit acts as a binder. For the applesauce muffin recipe, try adding 1/2 cup more of applesauce and 1 tsp baking powder, instead of the flax seed. Be sure to do the toothpick test before taking the muffins out of the oven! ๐
Kyra says
April 8, 2012 atI made this cake before work, had a small piece and left it on the counter. It was gone before I got back with the dish soaking in the sink. ;)… Damn good cake…
alka c singh says
December 20, 2012 atI just HAD to comment…. The cake was LOVELIIIIII….. and, yes! it is a KEEPER!! ๐
Changes I made – regular toned milk instead of soy-milk (so it isnt vegan n I dont mind!); Regular whole wheat flour, walnuts chopped 1/2 a cup…bananas and walnut are a SUPER combo; dark brown sugar instead of white and a little less oil, may be 60% of what was in the recipe, and replaced it with equal amount of banana puree. AWESOME!!! Thank u ๐
Anonymous says
January 18, 2013 atI just made your Banana Cake recipe and have to say that it was hard not to just stop and eat the batter alone since it was so delicious! But, alas, I refrained and kept going. There are some yummy smells coming out of the kitchen right now… only it’s not a “cake” that I am baking. Because there was not enough batter to adequately fill a 9″ pan, I opted to make 6 medium-sized cupcakes, instead. I think I would have had to double the recipe to get enough batter to make a cake of standard height. (I hope my boyfriend doesn’t mind that he’s getting birthday cupcakes tomorrow!) Hope they turn out well!
MMS says
March 21, 2013 atMade this today for an afternoon snack. Great banana flavor and moist texture!
leah says
April 17, 2014 atI tried and cooked it just now. eating it and gave a piece to my neighbor who’s celebrating her birthday today. I must say… this recipe is so delicious!!!
I added walnut and minichoco and dust it with confectioner. WOW!
Vaishali says
April 17, 2014 atLeah, great additions. So happy you liked the cake.
Leah says
April 17, 2014 atMy kids are real picky but they liked it ๐