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.
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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.
Hi, tried this recipe and it turned out very good…it was so easy to make. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes! How long does banana cake stay good at room temperature or does it have to be refrigerated ?
thanks for this lovely feedback. in a cool or cold climate, banana cake will stay good for a couple of days at room temperature. but in a hot or warm climate, i would suggest to refrigerate the cake.
Excellent recepie. Have previously tried many other recepie for egglees banana cake. But this one had better texture, taste, color, flavour. I really appreciate your sharing this recepie. Thanks
thanks for this awesome review on banana cake. so glad to know. most welcome and happy baking.
Hi… My banana cake taste was good… I added jaggery instead of sugar… While cutting cake it’s breaking…. I added chocos also
the cake is breaking due to two reasons. either it is hot or warm when it is sliced or too much moisture in the cake. jaggery add more moisture in the batter as compared to sugar, so the cake needs to be baked for some more time. it can also be that due to the addition of chocos the cake is breaking. hope this helps.
Hai. Can I use all purpose flour for this receipe and does the measurement change?
you can use all-purpose flour. in cup measurement, it will be the same – that is 1.5 cups and in weight measurement, it will be about 188 grams.
can i use honey, desi ghee instead of sugar and oil? i just hope it would not taste bad and honey measurement would be equal to sugar’s. can i use oven safe glass bowl in cooker cake recipe?
you can use ghee instead of oil, but avoid honey as it becomes poisonous when heated. instead of honey, you can use jaggery. avoid using an oven-safe glass bowl in cooker cake. in an OTG or electric oven, you can use, but do not use in cooker. it can be risky. instead, use a steel pan. you can even use the steel pan which we stack and cook rice, dal, vegetables together in the cooker. a heavy steel bowl can also be used.
Have tried many times and yummy outcome….how much kg this measurements results in?
thanks. the banana cake will be approx 600 to 700 grams in weight.
Thank you for the “perfect” cake recipe, especially for novices. I’m a first-time baker; tried this one out, and it turned out just awesome. Can’t wait to try out the other recipes. Thanks again!!
thank you. glad that the recipe worked for you. yes, do try the other recipes as well. welcome and happy baking.
Hi Dassana
I tried this cake today with a few adjustments- used 3 ripe bananas ( did not have 4), reduced sugar to about 80 grams and used my microwave. The cake tastes good but is still too sweet for my taste – can you suggest how much sugar I should add at the minimum? Also this cake in comparison to your chocolate and orange cake has a lot of oil, is there any way to reduce that too?
The cake texture was crumbly but I guess that was because I did not use the recipe proportions or a oven. Do let me know of a less sweet version / and possibly with less oil content. Loving your site, am gonna try the mango pickle tomorrow:)
hi tara if you use four bananas, then you can add ¼ cup of sugar. for the oil, you can reduce the oil to ¼ cup. but if the batter looks dry, then add some water or any vegan milk (almond or coconut) to get the cake batter like consistency. hope this helps.
This is my favourite recipe. I’ve used molasses or liquid jaggery instead of sugar.. cinnamon very well complements the flavour of banana.. thanks for the recipe.
thank you bhavana. definitely jaggery or liquid jaggery works well as i have also used these. welcome.
Hi,
I tried this cake and came out really yummy. Thanks for the recipe.
welcome mohana and thanks for the review and rating on the recipe.
Delicious have tried couple of times.
Hi Dassana, The cake turned out to be very tasty and yummy with easily available ingredients at home. Thank You Very much.
Could you please post a recipe of how to make homemade maida at home. I have been searching this all over internet for a simple way to do it at home.
nice to know sailaja and thanks for the rating and feedback. i have noted down the recipe request and will see if i can add the method of making maida.
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. I made it hundreds of times and I gave it to all my family and friends to make it as well because it’s always a big Blast.
I added a pinch of cinnamon and chocolate chips and it turned out to be a big success. I don’t add any sugar to it just depending on the bananas’ sweetness and it’s just enough for whoever doesn’t like sugary cake.
I recommend this recipe for everyone as it’s too easy and will never ever let you down.
Thank you again and again..
By the way, I tried many other recipes for cakes and they are wonderful..
Hello mam the cake tastes amazing!!! M a great follower of ur recipies but baking i suppose is never my cup of tea, i tried my hands on this banana cake it tastes very well but i need to know that when i cooked banana cake the side cooked crisp and the bottom too but the cake wasn’t well cooked from mid …. what could be the mistake???
I m using morphy richards otg 28rss
thank you neetu for the feedback on this recipe as well as the other recipes. for the banana cake, the center needs to be baked more. so the cake has to baked for some more time. usually, the sides bake first and then the center. depending on the oven type, the temperature inside the oven, baking can take less or more time. checking with a toothpick or wooden skewer or fork will determine if the cake needs to be cooked more or not. it the top gets browned more than cover the top of the pan with an aluminium foil or an oven-safe metal lid. hope this helps.
Hello, I’d like to first thank you for this wonderful recipe, it has made me quiet the popular baker at home. I live with my aunt and she can’t have dairy products or eggs so this recipes is her favorite. I would to ask if I were to use a 11” loaf bread pan and were to double the recipe, how long will it take and at what temperate should I bake it? Thank you.
that’s great to know ali. thank you for this lovely review on banana bread. if the recipe is doubled, the time will increase. so it can take about 1 hour or 1:15 minutes or even more. timing depends on the oven type, make and temperature inside the oven. the cake should be browned or golden from top and a toothpick should be clean when the cake is checked. it should have crumbs and not sticky batter on it. the temperature will be the same as mentioned in the recipe. no change in the temperature.
welcome and happy baking.
For 1 kg of whole wheat banana walnut cake eggless what would be the proportion of the ingredients
just increase the proportions of all the ingredients accordingly. in the recipe card in the servings section, add 30 banana cake slices instead of 12 and you will get the recipe proportions increased accordingly for 1 kg of banana cake.
This is my go to banana bread recipe. I just love it. One quick question, is there any way to reduce the oil in it. For example, can I use ⅓ cup oil and ⅓ cup milk in place of ⅔ cup oil?
thanks garima. yes you can use ⅓ cup oil and add ⅓ cup milk instead.