This vegan banana cake recipe is moist and fluffy with intense banana, cinnamon and brown sugar flavors. Topped with luscious vanilla frosting, it's made with pantry staple ingredients and so easy to make!
Preheat your oven to 175°C (347°F). Lightly grease a 10.5" rectangular pan with some oil or vegan butter and a sheet of parchment paper.
Prepare the ingredients: To make the vegan "buttermilk" add the soy milk and apple cider vinegar to a medium bowl or jug, stir and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Add the bananas to a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt, and set aside.
Make the cake batter: Add the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to a stand mixer or large mixing bowl and cream them together with an electric mixer for 4-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add in yogurt and vanilla and mix again to combine.Whisk in the mashed banana in 2 increments, until just mixed in. Don't worry if the batter appears to be slightly split.Add the buttermilk and dry ingredients in 2 increments. Whisk to combine between each one, but be careful not to overmix the batter.
Assemble and bake: Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth out the top of it with a spatula (expect the batter to be pretty thick). Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top of the cake is golden brown. Check the cake is done by piercing it with a toothpick or a knife, the knife should come out clean.Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 15-20 minutes. Then carefully remove the tin, and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely for another 10-15 minutes.
Serving: Make a batch of easy vegan buttercream or cream cheese frosting and frost the cooled cake using an offset spatula. Top with sliced fresh banana or dried banana coins, just before serving. And dust with sugar and cinnamon.
Storage: This cake is best served at room temperature to ensure it keeps its fluffy consistency. If you don't plan on eating it on the day it's baked, seal it in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Then remove the cake from the fridge about 1-2 hours before serving to bring it back to room temperature.
Notes
Using a kitchen scale and measuring in grams will always give you the best results.
Vegan butter: Take this out of the fridge to sit at room temperature for 30 mins to 1 hour. Make sure you use vegan block butter NOT spreadable butter from a tub. I use flora plant butter which is nut-free, coconut-free, and gluten-free.
Some white sugar in the US is not vegan, if in doubt use organic sugar.