This Vegan Chocolate Banana Cake is an easy, moist, fudgy chocolate cake with a delicious banana flavors and a rich chocolate ganache. If you are after a delicious banana cake that can use all your over-ripe bananas, this is the chocolate cake you need.
This vegan chocolate banana cake is inspired by my chocolate peanut butter banana bread. That bread is hugely popular, and since I had many ripe bananas I needed to use and a birthday coming up, this cake was perfect for it.
It’s a baked alternative to my super easy 2-Ingredient No-Bake Chocolate Cake (which I highly recommend trying).
Cakes are my passion, and making healthy versions of classic cakes has been my mission for more than 10 years so that everyone can enjoy Earth-conscious recipes for special occasions.
Ingredients and Substitutions
All you need to start baking this chocolate banana cake recipe are:
- Ripe Banana – With black spots on the skin.
- All-Purpose Flour or plain flour – This cake won’t work with healthier flours like almond flour or coconut flour.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda to rise the bread.
- Avocado Oil – Or any neutral oil like canola oil, melted coconut oil, or light olive oil.
- Coconut Sugar – You can also use unrefined cane sugar or soft brown sugar. Any crystal sweetener you have at home will work well.
- Vanilla Extract – for flavor.
- Almond Milk or any plant-based milk of choice.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – for a perfect chocolate taste.
- Dark Chocolate Chips – Or semi-sweet dairy-free chocolate chips. The less cocoa your chocolate chips contain, the sweeter the cake will be. I use 70% cocoa vegan chocolate chips.
For the vegan chocolate ganache you will need:
- Vegan Cream – You can use vegan soy cream or canned coconut cream – the top thick part of the cane.
- Dark Chocolate Chips – or normal vegan chocolate chips.
How To Make Vegan Chocolate Banana Cake
This chocolate cake is the most easy banana cake ever, made with just a few simple ingredients and takes under 10 minutes to whip up.
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper at the bottom. Use cooking oil spray to grease the sides and bottom of the pan. Set it aside.
First, peel and mash the banana into a puree. It’s fine if there are still bits and pieces of banana showing. You can use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, a fork, and mash on a chopping board, or blend the bananas in a food processor.
What matters is to measure the amount required by the recipe by packing the mashed banana in a measuring cup. Set it aside.
Preparing The Batter
- In a large mixing bowl, sift in flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk to combine (photo 1).
- Set it aside when it’s well combined (photo 2).
- In another bowl, stir the mashed banana, oil, almond milk, vanilla extract, and coconut sugar (photo 3).
- Finally, stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk in dark chocolate chips halfway (photo 4).
- Whisk until the batter is consistent and smooth but don’t overwork the batter to keep the cake crumb light and not packed or dense (photo 5).
- Transfer the cake batter to the prepared cake pan (photo 6).
- Bake in the center rack of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes at 350°F (180°C) or until the top is set and dry and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake is coming out clean. If the top of the cake turns brown too fast, foil the top of the pan and keep baking.
- Let it cool down for 10 minutes in the cake pan, then release it on a cooling rack and fully cool down at room temperature.
Vegan Chocolate Ganache
To decorate the cake, make sure you wait until the chocolate cake has cooled completely to room temperature or the vegan chocolate ganache is going to melt in the cake.
- To make the ganache, add vegan dark chocolate chips, and vegan cream in a non-stick saucepan (photo 7).
- Bring to low eat, stir, and cook until the chocolate chips are melted and the texture is creamy, and shiny and glossy (photo 8).
- Pour the ganache over the vegan chocolate banana cake and spread it all over. The cake ganache will stay soft, and lightly firm up after 24 hours in the fridge
Storage Instructions
Store the cake in an airtight cake box in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freeze the vegan chocolate cake whole, or in slices, for up to one month. Thaw the day before in the fridge.
Allergy Swaps
Below are some ingredient substitution ideas if you need them.
- Gluten-Free – The recipe will probably work with an all-purpose 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Note that gluten-free flour blends always change a vegan cake’s texture into a more dense gummy cake.
- Nut-Free – Swap the almond milk for soy milk, coconut milk, or oat milk.
- Oil-Free – I haven’t tried an oil-free version of this cake yet. Some readers report success using peanut butter or vegan yogurt.
Frequently Asked Questions
A vegan cake is made with no eggs, no dairy, no butter, and no honey. However, vegan cakes taste exactly the same as regular cake recipes.
Vegan cakes can be chewy or gummy if you over-stir the cake batter or you add too much liquid to the recipe.
More Vegan Cake Recipes
If you like this cake, you’ll love these other vegan cake recipes:
Did You Like This Recipe?
Leave a comment below or head to our Facebook page for tips, our Instagram page for inspiration, our Pinterest for saving recipes, and Flipboard to get all the new ones!
Vegan Chocolate Banana Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup Mashed Banana - equivalent to 4 large ripe bananas with black spots on the skin
- ½ cup Light Olive Oil - or avocado oil or any vegetable oil you like
- ½ cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
- ½ cup Coconut Sugar - or any granulated sugar you like
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ¼ cup All-Purpose Flour - or white wholewheat flour
- ½ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
- ½ cup Vegan Dark Chocolate Chips
Chocolate Ganache
- ½ cup Vegan Dark Chocolate Chips
- ½ cup Coconut Cream - top thick part of the can or soy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 9-inch x 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Slightly oil the paper and pan with oil spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a potato masher or the paddle attachment of your stand mixer. Measure 1 cup + 1/4 cup of mashed bananas, and keep in the bowl.
- In the same bowl, whisk in oil, milk, coconut sugar, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- In another bowl, stir flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.
- Fold in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until the batter is consistent.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan.
- Bake in the center rack for 45 to 55 minutes or until a pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. If the top of the cake browns too fast, add a piece of foil on top of the pan after 30 minutes of baking.
- Cool down in the pan for 10 minutes, then release on a wire rack and completely cool down at room temperature before frosting.
Vegan Chocolate Ganache
- To make the ganache, add vegan chocolate chips and vegan cream in a non-stick saucepan.
- Bring over low heat, stir, and cook until melted and shiny.
- Remove from heat and spread all over the cooled banana chocolate cake.
Storage
- Store in a airtight cake box in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freeze the leftover cake in airtight boxes, whole or sliced, and thaw the day before at room temperature.
Leave a comment