This Banana Cake is a delicious, one-bowl vegan recipe made from mashed ripe bananas, walnuts and whole wheat flour. Tasty and a bit healthier than traditional Cakes, this quick and easy eggless Banana Cake recipe is refreshingly light, pillowy soft and incredibly moist.
Table of Contents
More on This Eggless Banana Cake
Everyone in my family enjoys this delicious, moist banana cake – especially my brother-in-law, who compares it to those he had at the well-known Vienna Bakery in Mumbai.
So if you have some ripe bananas laying around at home, then get mashing and make this quick and easy cake.
This banana cake recipe has been adapted from my very popular, tried and tested Banana Bread.
By increasing the amount of oil and bananas in that recipe, I was able to make a light and soft cake. I also reduced the amount of baking soda and added in chopped walnuts for an extra crunch.
Ingredients You Need
- Bananas: The star of the cake, you’ll need approximately 4 ripe or overripe bananas.
- Flour: Though my recipe is made with whole wheat flour, you can use all-purpose flour or pastry flour or whole wheat pastry flour.
- Leavening ingredients: The recipe has both baking powder and baking soda. For best results, I suggest to use both. Make sure that they are fresh and active.
- Oil: A neutral tasting oil works great. But you can use olive oil and coconut oil. You can also use melted butter. I have made the cake with sunflower oil.
- Nuts: While walnuts are traditionally mixed into the batter, any halved or crushed nuts can be used. Feel free to use almonds, pecans or cashews.
- Dry Fruits: Raisins, cherries, or other dried fruits add extra sweetness to the cake.
- Flavorings: My recipes simply has vanilla extract as the key flavoring ingredient. You can add ground spices for warming flavors. Ground cinnamon, cloves, allspice or pumpkin spice make the cake have a lovely aroma.
- Optional Ingredients: Coconut flakes, chocolate and other ingredients can be delicious additions to this cake recipe; however, make sure not to overload your banana bread with too many extras.
How to Make Banana Cake Recipe
Make Banana Puree
1. Mash 4 medium to large ripe or over-ripe bananas with a fork to a smooth consistency. I have used over-ripe bananas for this recipe.
TIP: The consistency should be smooth without any chunks, so if needed you can also use a blender to mash the bananas.
2. Add ½ cup of sugar, ⅔ cup of any neutral flavored oil and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the mashed bananas.
3. Stir well so the oil mixes with the banana puree and the sugar dissolves completely.
Make Batter
4. Sieve 1½ cups of whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of baking soda and a pinch of salt directly in the bowl.
TIP: If you do not have a sieve, you can use a fine mesh strainer or whisk.
5. Fold the dry ingredients thoroughly into the wet ingredients. Fold using the cut and fold method.
Check my video above or in the recipe card below to see how to form the batter with the cut and fold method.
TIP: Do not mix! If the batter looks too thick, add some water, almond milk or lite coconut milk.
The amount of water to be added depends on the quality and texture of the whole wheat flour and the consistency of the batter. Only add in the extra liquids if the batter looks very thick.
6. Add 10 halved walnuts that have been finely chopped and fold again. Prep and chop the walnuts before to add to the batter.
Tip: In addition to walnuts, you can also add raisins, pistachios or any nuts and dry fruits of your choice.
Bake Eggless Banana Cake
7. Pour the batter into a greased or lined loaf pan ( 7.5 x 4 x 2.5 inches) or round cake pan (7.5 x 2 inches).
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. The timing varies from oven to oven, so keep a note of this.
Tip: If the top of the cake starts browning too much, cover the top with aluminum foil or parchment paper while baking.
Suggestion: If you do not have an oven, then bake the cake in a stove-top pressure cooker. Follow the method listed in this detailed post of Pressure Cooker Cake to make this banana cake.
Note: The orange-yellowish color in the image is due to incandescent lighting in my kitchen.
9. When warm or cooled, slice and serve Eggless Banana Cake plain with your tea or coffee.
Serving Suggestions
- Delicious all on its own with an evening cup of tea or coffee or as a sweet dessert.
- Top with homemade whipped cream
- Frost the cake with butter or cream icing, or even chocolate icing.
Storage
At room temperature, the cake stays well for 2 to 3 days. Wrap the cake in a cling film or store in an air-tight box and refrigerate. It keeps well for about 2 weeks when refrigerated. The cake also freezes well for a couple of months.
Expert Tips for Best Banana Cake
- Batter: This eggless banana cake batter has a medium-thick consistency. Depending on the quality or texture of whole wheat flour, you may require to add liquids like water or almond milk or lite coconut milk if the batter looks very thick.
- Flour: Though whole wheat flour forms the base of this cake, you can sub it with all-purpose flour in the same proportion as of whole wheat flour. Both atta (that is whole wheat flour used to make roti) as well as the whole wheat flour available in the US, Europe and other countries work well in the recipe.
- Folding: Form the batter using the cut and fold method. Do not use a whisk and mix the ingredients.
- Baking: Depending on the temperature in your oven and the size of your pan, the cake might take less or more time to bake. As the temperature varies from oven to oven so keep a note of this. The benchmark is that a tooth pick or skewer inserted in the vegan banana cake should come out clean.
- Oil: For the oils, a neutral tasting oil works best. So you can add sunflower oil or any neutral tasting oil. You can even make the cake with olive oil or coconut oil.
- Vegetarian option: Instead of oil use butter. Melt butter and use in the same proportion as that of oil.
- Flavorings: Chocolate chips or cocoa powder or cacao nibs can be included. Chopped nuts like pistachios, pecans, pine nuts, almonds and seeds like sunflower seeds, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), flax seeds and sunflower seeds can be added. Lightly toast the seeds in a skillet prior to adding.
- Spices: If you like spiced cakes, then add about ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon or ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg or 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice mix.
FAQs
Because the ingredients for this vegan banana cake recipe are so easy to customize, you can simply withhold adding in sweeter items, such as sweetened coconut flakes, chocolate, or dried fruits.
Instead of oil you can use butter to make this recipe vegetarian. Simply melt the butter and use in the same proportion as that of the oil.
Your banana cake should last 2 to 3 days if properly stored. Wrap your cake in plastic wrap and leave on the counter. If you plan to store in the fridge, then place it an air-tight box or wrap tightly in a cling film so that the cake does not dry out.
Whisking disturbs the the combined ingredients and causes the batter to lose air that helps it to rise. When using the folding method instead, you preserve more of the volume and will have a fuller vegan banana cake.
More Cake Recipes to Try
Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.
Easy Banana Cake Recipe (Eggless, Vegan & Whole Wheat)
Ingredients
- 4 bananas (medium to large ripe or overripe) – 300 grams
- 1.5 cups whole wheat flour or 180 grams whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ cup regular sugar or organic unrefined cane sugar or 100 grams sugar
- ⅔ cup any neutral flavored oil (I used sunflower oil)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 10 halved walnuts – finely chopped or any dry fruits or nuts of your choice (optional)
Instructions
Preparation
- Preheat your oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). If using a regular oven, heat both the top and bottom elements. For a microwave convection oven, just preheat the oven.
Making cake batter
- Peel and chop the bananas. Add them to a bowl and mash them with a fork. You can also use a blender to mash the bananas.
- Add sugar, oil and vanilla extract.
- Mix thoroughly so that the oil mixes evenly with the banana puree and the sugar dissolves.
- Sieve whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt directly in the bowl. You can also sieve these separately and then add them to the wet ingredients.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients very well.
- Add the chopped walnuts and fold again. Apart from walnuts, you can also add raisins, pistachios or any nuts and dry fruits of your choice.
- Pour the batter in a greased or lined loaf pan ( 7.5 x 4 x 2.5 inches) or round cake pan (7.5 x 2 inches).
Baking banana cake
- Gently tap and shake the pan. Place the pan in the center rack if using a regular oven or otg.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 45 to 50 mins or until a wooden skewer or tooth pick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
- If the top of the cake starts browning then cover the top with an aluminium foil or parchment paper while baking.
- When warm or cooled, gently remove the cake from the pan. Slice and serve banana cake as is with tea or coffee.
Video
Notes
- Batter: This banana cake batter has a medium-thick consistency. Depending on the quality or texture of flour, you may require to add liquids like water or almond milk or lite coconut milk if the batter looks very thick.
- Flour: In place of whole wheat flour, you can easily use all-purpose flour in the same quantity as that of whole wheat flour. Both atta (that is whole wheat flour used to make roti) as well as whole wheat flour available in the US and Europe, work well in the recipe.
- Folding: Use the cut and fold method to make the batter. Do not use a whisk and mix the ingredients.
- Baking: Depending on the temperature in your oven and the size of your pan, the cake might take less or more time to bake. As the temperature varies from oven to oven so keep a note of this. The benchmark is that a tooth pick inserted in the banana cake should come out clean.
- Oil: You can add sunflower oil or any neutral tasting oil. You can even add olive oil or coconut oil.
- Vegetarian option: Instead of oil you can use butter. Melt the butter and use in the same proportion as that of the oil.
- Flavorings: Chocolate chips or cocoa powder or cacao nibs can be added. Chopped nuts like pistachios, pecans, pine nuts, almonds and seeds like sunflower seeds, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), flax seeds and sunflower seeds can also be added. Lightly toast the seeds in a pan before adding them to the batter.
- Spices: If you like spiced cakes, you can add about ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon or ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg or 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice mix.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Banana Cake recipe post from the archives first published in May 2014 has been republished and updated on 26 January 2022.
Hello Madam,
One more query that I missed to ask in my earlier text. In case I want to use butter, do I need to measure butter after melting or before. What will be measurement in grms if before melting. It will be 167 ml if after melting right.
purvi, melt the butter, measure it and then add. but do make sure that the rest of the ingredients are at room temperature. otherwise the butter will start solidifying. yes the measure will be 166 to 167 ml.
Thank you madam for your reply.
welcome purvi.
Hello Madam,
I tried this recipe and cake came out very well..
I was wondering whether we could add flaxseeds here. In that case can we skip baking soda? Your suggestion please..
thanks purvi. you can add flaxseeds. but do not skip the baking soda.
Thank you very much for your reply.
welcome always purvi 🙂
tried this recipe yesterday…it came out so well…thanks for the wonderful recipe…everyone loved it…!!!
pleased to know this sravya 🙂 thankyou for your positive words.
Somebody please tell me ..when 1cup measures 250ml ..how can 1.5 cups measure 180gm!! I used 1.5 cups and made a fool out of myself.. disaster!!
jagruthi, 1 cup is measured in 250 ml in volume. but when you use measure ingredients, their weight changes. so 1 cup of whole wheat flour when measured in a weighing machine is 120 grams. so 1.5 cups is 180 grams. eg 1 cup rice is 200 grams. you can look at this point in this way too. 180 grams of whole wheat flour fills up 1 and 1/2 cups. if you have used 1.5 cups of whole wheat flour, then you should not have an issue.
Well.. when I mixed the wet batter into the dry one.. it was at too tight.. I couldn’t even move the spatula and fold the ingredients properly!! I understand the volume and the weight part you explained…but for baking purposes…gm and ML are considered equal (metric)
okay. if you have used exact 1.5 cups of whole wheat flour, then could be that due to the quality and texture of whole wheat flour, the mixture required more liquids. sometimes it happens, that (but rare) that the whole wheat flour requires more moisture or liquids. more bran and more fibre in the flour would mean more liquid needs to be added. so in this case, some more liquids like water or milk can always be added to get a smooth batter. whenever you use whole wheat flour or multi grain flour for baking (cakes, cookies or breads), always remember that you may need to add more liquids in the batter or dough. it largely depends on the type of flour being used. if you use the same variety or brand of flour, then any recipe that you follow, just add some more liquid ingredient to the batter or dough.
for baking purpose, dry ingredients are given in weight (gram) measurement and liquids in volume (ml) measurement. both cannot be interrelated. i give cup measurement also as many readers use standardized cups and do not have a weighing machine.
Hey.. Can I add maida instead of wheat flour for the same cake?
yes you can add maida.
I made this today it was too good I made in cooker ….. Thank you …. This was the best recipe I found wen I Googled for banana cake
pleased to know this thankyou pavithra 🙂
Hi, I made this & for the first time baking came out perfect, it was amazing. It just tasted like Starbucks Banana bread. Even my husband loved it. Thanks for such a lovely recipe….
thats great to know and thanks for sharing your experience. welcome sowmya.
Hey…i m going to try the recipe today…i hv a Morphy Richards OTG i wanted to know that should baking be done with both heating elements on or just the lower one…and also which wrack should i place cake pan middle or bottom..thanks
for even baking, its always better to use both the top and bottom heating elements and place the pan in the center rack. i always do this for all the bakes. if the pan is too tall and close to the top heating element, then place it in the second lower rack. i do this for the loaf pans when i make breads or loaf cakes.
Thanks for the recipe, I tried this! This was my first time baking and the result was wonderful. I just added some yogurt because I wanted to use less olive oil.
thanks ankita for this review. happy baking.
Awesome…Very yummy cake… Baking for d first time and came out perfect.. I replaced walnuts with pecans,sunflower oil with vegetable oil and sugar with brown sugar.. Thanku for such a lovely recipe.. I love ur blog.. Perfect pictorial presentation.. ❤️??
great to know soumya and glad the substitutions worked well. thank you 🙂
Hi
can i use extra virgin olive oil for this.. or suggest which brand sunflower oil should i use.
don’t add extra virgin olive oil. use any brand of sunflower oil.
Thanks for this recipe.. The cake came out very nice..
I used 50-50 maida & wheat flour. It took 17 mins in microwave convection mode at 180° C.
Apart from cake please also share new recipes of eggless cookies also..
thanks for the review aesha and also thanks for sharing your variation and the time taken in the microwave convection mode. i do plan to add more cookie recipes.
I would love to try your recipe but i dont have baking powder, can i just use baking soda and maybe adjust it to 1 tsp?
overall use just 1 tsp baking soda.
I am loving this recipe and gng to make tis for my m-i-l today ..
Is there anyway i can make this in n microwave nd if so how long to put it in and in wat setting.
Thank u for the recipe
i do not know if the recipe will work in a microwave mode. you will have to give a try.
Can you use all purpose flour instead of the whole wheat?
yes.