This Vegan Banana Cake is topped with a Cookie Butter Frosting for a truly epic dessert. With a soft & moist banana cake base and a sweet Biscoff frosting, you will love this eggless & dairy-free snacking cake!
This is the second recipe in my snacking cake series. We started with a classic vegan vanilla cake and I knew banana had to be the next flavor.
Unlike my Tahini Banana Bread, this banana cake is a lot fluffier and not quite as dense. However, it still has the same banana flavor you know and love with the added bonus of a sweet cookie butter frosting on top!
Cake & Frosting Ingredients:
Ingredient & substitution notes:
- Bananas: There is no substitution here- it is banana cake after all!
- it's important to note that spotty bananas truly work best for this recipe. They are sweet without being overly mushy like dark brown/black bananas.
- Ground flaxseed: I ended up adding this in to help the cake hold together better. It's not a "flax egg", just a Tablespoon of ground flaxseed.
- If you can't find it you could try adding 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch to the batter instead, though it will change the end texture.
- Oil: I used olive oil in this banana cake as it's my favorite oil to bake with, but it can be substituted for any neutral vegetable oil.
- Oat milk: can be substituted 1:1 for any plant-based milk such as almond or soy milk.
- Apple cider vinegar: Can be substituted 1:1 with lemon juice. It is a necessary acidic ingredient used to interact with the baking soda and help the cake rise.
- Cookie butter: You can use Biscoff cookie butter or speculoos cookie butter for this.
- If you can't find any, you could try substituting another nut or seed butter such as almond butter or peanut butter. However, most of the time these are not sweetened, so you will likely need to add a bit more powdered sugar to the frosting.
- You could also substitute with a vanilla buttercream frosting as I used in my vegan vanilla cake.
Steps to make vegan banana cake
Mash the bananas
First thing first- mash the bananas. You can leave some small chunks if you like them or mash them until completely smooth. The most important thing is to use spotty or brown bananas for the best sweetness & texture.
Mix the wet ingredients
Next, whisk in the oat milk, sugar, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, oil, ground flaxseed, and vanilla and mix together.
Add dry ingredients
Then, add in the pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and gently whisk into a thick batter.
It's important not to overmix the batter, so I recommend using a whisk or spatula to mix just until all streaks of flour are gone.
Add batter to pan & bake
Pour the banana cake batter into a lightly greased or parchment-lined 8 by 8-inch pan. Use a spatula to spread it out evenly in the pan.
Then, add to the oven to bake for 30 minutes until cooked through.
How to make cookie butter frosting
First, whip the butter with an electric mixer until fluffy.
Then, add in the cookie butter, coconut cream, and vanilla. Mix together until incorporated.
Next, gradually add the powdered sugar. Once the powdered sugar is incorporated continue whipping the Biscoff buttercream for another minute or two to make it extra fluffy.
Assembling the banana snacking cake
Once the vegan banana cake has cooled completely, add the Biscoff frosting to the banana cake and use a cake-decorating spatula to swoop it evenly over the cake.
As a final step, add optional toppings. I like to crush up a few Biscoff cookies and scatter them on top with a few slices of banana. However, this eggless banana cake is just as delicious without these extra toppings!
FAQ & Tips:
Can I make this banana cake gluten-free?
Yes! However, you will need to swap pastry flour for a gluten-free 1:1 flour mix. Other flour alternatives like almond flour, oat flour, or coconut flour will not work in this recipe as it's not a 1:1 substitution.
Can I bake this cake in a different pan?
You can bake this banana cake in a circular 9-inch pan for similar results.
This recipe can also be doubled and baked in a 9 by 13-inch pan if you want to make more cake. Please keep in mind, baking time may vary slightly in a different pan so I recommend checking on your cake at the 25-minute mark.
How do I store vegan banana cake?
If unfrosted, the cooled cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 24 hours.
If frosted, you can cover the cake and store it in the fridge for 2-3 days. It does tend to dry up a bit in the fridge- so keep this in mind.
You can also slice the banana cake and store it in a closed container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Just defrost at room temperature for about 1 hour before enjoying!
I can't wait for you to try this easy & delicious Vegan Banana Snacking Cake with Cookie Butter Frosting! It's perfectly sweet and a great treat whenever you are craving a slice of cake. Enjoy!
More vegan cake & cupcake recipes you will love:
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Vegan Banana Cake & Cookie Butter Frosting
Ingredients
Banana Cake:
- 2 small bananas, mashed about 1 cup
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup oat milk or any plant-based milk
- ¼ cup oil I used olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed NOT a flax egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups pastry flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Cookie Butter Frosting:
- ½ cup vegan butter
- ¼ cup cookie butter
- 2 Tablespoons coconut cream optional, for an extra fluffy frosting
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar use more or less to adjust sweetness
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line an 8*8 inch square pan with parchment paper or grease the pan lightly. Set aside for later.
Make the banana cake batter:
- Add the bananas to a large mixing bowl and mash together until smooth. It's okay if some small chunks remain!
- Then, add the remaining wet ingredients to the bowl including the sugar, oat milk, oil, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, ground flaxseed, and vanilla bean paste. Whisk together until well mixed.
- Then, add in the dry ingredients starting with the pastry flour and then adding the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda on top. Mix into a thick batter. I recommend starting with a whisk and then switching to a spatula so the batter does not get overmixed.
Bake the cake:
- Pour the batter into the pan and add to the oven. Bake for 30-32 minutes or until cooked through.
- Once cooked through, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then carefully move to a wire rack to finish cooling completely before frosting.
Make the cookie butter frosting & frost the cake:
- Once the cake has cooled completely, make the Biscoff buttercream. Add the butter to a bowl and use a standing mixer or electric mixer to whip for a minute or two until fluffy.
- Next, add in the cookie butter, coconut cream, and vanilla bean paste and whip with the butter for another minute or two until mixed together.
- Gradually mix in the powdered sugar until incorporated. Once all the powdered sugar has been mixed in, I recommend whipping the frosting for a few minutes longer to make it extra fluffy!
- Use a cookie scoop to add the frosting to the banana cake and then spread it out with a cake spatula.
- Enjoy the cake as is or top it with crushed Biscoff cookie crumbles and banana slices. Then, cut into 9 slices, serve, & enjoy!
Notes
- Please see the blog post for substitution ideas and more recipe tips!
- To make this cake with all-purpose flour swap 2 Tablespoons of flour for 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch. Pastry flour still works best, but this helps to make the cake a bit lighter!
- This recipe can also be baked in a 9-inch circular pan or doubled and baked in a 9*13-inch pan.
- If unfrosted, the cooled banana cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 24 hours.
- If frosted, you can cover the cake and store it in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- You can also slice it and store it in a closed container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Just defrost at room temperature for about 1 hour before enjoying!
Melissa says
Do you think this would work as cupcakes?
Megan says
Yes, but I am unsure how many it will make. Also baking time for cupcakes tends to be more around 20-22 minutes but you'll have to experiment a bit and see what works as I haven't personally tested this recipe as cupcakes.
Adrienne says
I made this last night to bring to a friend's house, and everyone loved it, it was so soft and delicious and perfect for the first really fall-feeling day we've had! Their kids loved it, and compared to other cake recipes, it doesn't have as much sugar, so that's nice.
Megan says
So happy you liked it!! 🙂
patricia says
I have to be gluten free. Do you think I could sub a gluten free flour blend for the pastry flour? If so, which one would you recommend
Thank you
Megan says
It should work! I linked my favorite one in the FAQ & Tips section of the blog post from Bob's Red Mill 🙂
Sam says
Beyond delicious! I subbed with whole wheat pastry flour and it turned out beautifully. Will be making this on repeat!
Megan says
Thanks for the review so so happy you enjoyed it!