Vegan Banana Walnut Cake

This easy one-bowl Vegan Banana Walnut Cake is the perfect recipe to use up your overripe bananas. This cake comes out perfectly moist and sweet every time while using just a few basic pantry ingredients.

This banana cake is also super easy to customize. Add vegan chocolate chips or a scoop of peanut butter to change up the flavor. The options are endless!

For more delicious vegan cakes, try this Vegan Carrot Cake.

If you love banana recipes, these are for you:

• Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal
• 3-ingredient Banana Oat Pancakes
• Banana Oat Protein Smoothie
• Easy Vegan Banana Pancakes
• Best Vegan Banana Bread Recipe
• Grain Free Banana Muffins

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• One bowl – This cake is made in one bowl with minimal mixing which means less mess and less cleanup! Win-win!
• Simple ingredients – No hard-to-find ingredients are required to make this cake. Everything you need should already be in your pantry.
• Customizable – Need this cake to be nut-free? Just eliminate the walnuts or swap them with pumpkin seeds to keep a unique texture. Add different spices or mix-ins like raisins or blueberries to mix it up and make this cake your own.
• Allergy-friendly – This recipe is vegan and free of most major allergens. With quick and easy swaps you can make nut-free and gluten-free options, too!

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• Flour – I use all-purpose flour for most of my baking, but you could easily swap with a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour replacement to make this cake gluten-free.
• Sugar* – I used cane sugar for most of my baking, but you could swap for white sugar or brown sugar if you prefer, just make sure to select a vegan version (see notes). Swap for coconut sugar or maple syrup for a less refined option.
• Walnuts – These are optional but add awesome flavor and texture. Swap with pumpkin seeds for nut-free.
• Baking essentials – Baking powder, baking soda, a pinch of salt, vanilla extract, and cinnamon round out the rest of this recipe.

Wet Ingredients

• Bananas – Over-ripe bananas give this cake it’s unique sweetness, but you can use bananas in any stage of ripeness. I love to use fresh bananas for a brighter flavor.
• Vegetable oil – Choosing a neutral oil is key to reducing added flavors. Canola oil, vegetable oil, sunflower oil, and avocado oil all work well. If you don’t mind the flavor, you can also use melted coconut oil.
• Unsweetened Applesauce – If all you have is sweetened applesauce, just reduce the granulated sugar by 1/4 cup.
• Optional: Vegan cream cheese frosting – If you choose to frost this cake (it is totally delicious even if you don’t), there are tons of accidentally-vegan store-bought frostings to choose from.

Helpful Equipment

In addition to measuring cups and spoons, the following equipment is helpful for this recipe:

• 8″ x 10″ baking dish – This is the size I used to produce a medium-sized sheet cake, but you can use any shape mold you like. Try a loaf pan or a smaller cake pan if you want to make this into a layer cake.
• Large bowl
• Optional: Parchment paper – You can line your baking pan with parchment paper for easy removal of the cake if you will be decorating it and placing it on a cake stand. I usually serve this cake right from the baking pan, so I skip this step. 

How to Make Vegan Banana Cake

​This is a detailed step-by-step guide on how to make this recipe including photographs. For the quick version, skip ahead to the recipe card below!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, use a fork or potato masher to mash the bananas. Add the cane sugar, neutral oil, unsweetened applesauce, and pure vanilla extract to the mashed banana. Mix everything until evenly combined. I prefer to leave a few chunks of banana, but if you want the mixture perfectly smooth, you can mix this portion in a food processor.

Next, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and chopped walnuts to the bowl with the wet ingredients. For best results, mix ONLY until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix during this step or you may lose the fluffy texture and be left with a dense and chewy cake.

Pour the banana cake batter into a large baking dish or cake mold and level the top of the cake with a spatula.

Bake the cake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool slightly before serving.

If you are frosting the cake, let it cool fully before frosting and sprinkling the top of the cake with crushed walnuts if desired.

That’s it! Enjoy!

How to Store

• Fridge: If you frosted the cake, you should store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days. If you left the cake unfrosted, you can store it at room temperature for 5-7 days.
• Freezer: Freeze the unfrosted cake whole or in slices for up to 3 months. Frost the cake after it has fully thawed and you are ready to eat it.

More Tips

• Not Vegan? You can swap the oil for melted butter or replace 1/3 cup of the unsweetened applesauce with 1 egg.
• Nut-free? Swap the walnuts for pumpkin seeds or omit entirely and the cake is just as delicious.
• Oil-Free? Replace the oil with more unsweetened applesauce or non-dairy milk like soy milk or almond milk.
• Gluten-free? Swap a 1:1 gluten-free flour replacement and you’re all set!

FAQ: Vegan Banana Cake