I love banana bread and cake so why not combine my love for both? That's exactly what I did here with this gluten free banana cake recipe.
I've been wanting to make a banana cake recipe for sometime now and finally gathered up the ingredients (which is minimal since most of these are pantry staples).
There are some recipes that I like to have more of a dense texture. That's usually the case with baked goods that happen to be gluten free. I set out to make not only a gluten free banana cake but one with a chocolate and peanut butter frosting that is out of this world delicious! Plus, it's so simple to make! The frosting tastes exactly like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Trust me when I say you're going to want to make this frosting!
Ingredients
Below, is the list of ingredients that you'll need for the cake recipe itself. I've added the ingredient list for the chocolate peanut butter frosting just below that.
- Gluten free flour (1:1 ratio)
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Milk of choice (I used almond milk)
- Ripe bananas
See recipe card for quantities.
Ingredients for chocolate peanut butter frosting
- Butter
- Peanut Butter
- Vanilla extract
- Cocoa powder
- Confectioners sugar
- Heavy cream
- Salt
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make gluten free banana cake
Here, you will find process shots, and step by step instructions on how to make your cake.
In a large bowl, whisk together all your dry ingredients.
In a medium bowl, smash your ripened bananas with a fork or pastry blender.
In the same bowl as your bananas, whisk in milk, oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and sugars. Pour bowl of wet ingredients into your bowl of dry ingredients. Combine well with a spatula.
Pour cake batter into your greased, parchment lined baking dish. Bake at 350°F for 60 minutes. Make frosting while cake is cooling.
Hint: try to use the most ripened bananas as possible. This will really unlock that classic and delicious banana flavor!
Substitutions
Below, I've included a few different substitutions that you can incorporate throughout this recipe.
- Peanut butter - instead of peanut butter for your frosting, you can use almond butter or other nut butter of your choice. Keep in mind that that texture may not be as smooth.
- Heavy cream - for the frosting, you can use any other milk alternative. I recommend starting with a teaspoon at a time since milk is runnier than heavy cream. Add until you achieve desired texture and smoothness of your frosting.
- Cocoa powder - if you'd like to make your frosting even more chocolatey, add in an extra ¼ cup of cocoa powder to your mixture.
Banana cake add-ins
Here are a few, delicious ideas for add-ins!
- Nuts
- Coconut flakes
- Dried fruits
- Chocolate chips
- Orange zest
- Other warm spices
Equipment
Storage
Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days. Keep cake in a cake carrier or on a dish with a cake cover.
Top tip
When baking with gluten free flour, I recommend sifting it before incorporating with your other dry ingredients. Gluten free flour tends to be on the clumpier side so the sifting will give it a clump-free texture.
FAQ
Usually by adding in an oil like vegetable oil when baking. You can also add in extra liquids like milk and yogurt or sour cream.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Don't forget to check out our granola cups recipe that was just added to the blog!
Gluten Free Banana Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free flour 1:1 ratio or cup for cup
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 3 ripe bananas
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup milk of choice I used almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
- 8 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line your 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all your dry ingredients (GF flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a medium size bowl, smash your 3 ripened bananas. Add in milk, eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, granulated and brown sugars. Whisk these wet ingredients together. Pour into bowl of dry ingredients and combine well with a spatula.
- Pour cake batter into your prepared baking dish. Bake at 350°F for an hour. Toothpick inserted will come out clean or mostly clean. Let cake cool completely before adding frosting. Make frosting while cake is cooling down.
Frosting
- Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer, combine softened butter with peanut butter, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract, confectioners sugar, and tablespoon of heavy cream.
- With a small spatula, spread frosting over cake that has been completely cooled. Store cake covered at room temperature for up to 5 days. Enjoy!
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