Healthy Banana Cake
This Healthy Banana Cake is ultra moist, dense, and perfectly sweet! This cake is free of refined sugars, dairy, gluten, and flour—but trust me, you won’t be missing anything in this delectable cake. Plus, I include a recipe for cream cheese frosting!
Servings: 16 slices
Cost: $6.50
Equipment
- High-powered blender see note 1, like Blend-tec/Vitamix
- Hand mixer for optional frosting
Ingredients
Banana Cake
- 1 cup dry roasted and lightly salted almonds
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats see note 2
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas see note 3
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch see note 4
Optional Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese reduced-fat or regular, softened to room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
- banana chips optional, for topping
- Coarsely chopped almonds optional, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray. Set aside. Mash bananas: remove skin and add banana to a bowl. Mash with a fork until you get a smooth consistency. Spoon the mash into the measuring cup. Be sure to fill the measuring cup all the way to the top and level off for the perfect measurement.
- Add the almonds, oats, coconut oil (measure when melted), honey, and measured, mashed bananas to a large, powerful blender (Blend-tec/Vitamix) and pulse until fairly smooth—60 seconds. Add the rest of the cake ingredients. Blend until smooth and creamy, about 60–120 seconds. Stop and scrape down edges as needed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, using a spatula to scrape every bit into the pan.
- Smooth the top with the spatula and bake for 33–38 minutes or until cake is lightly browned at the edges and set in the middle (toothpick when inserted in the center should come out clean). 35 mins is perfect in my oven!
- Optional Frosting: Meanwhile, place softened cream cheese in a large bowl with room-temperature butter. Using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese with the butter until smooth. Add in vanilla, cinnamon, and salt; mix until smooth. Slowly add in powdered sugar (beating between additions) until smooth and creamy and to your desired consistency.
- Frost the completely cooled cake with as much frosting as you’d like (the batch of frosting makes a lot; you can certainly use it all, but if you want a less frosted cake, you will likely have about 1/4 up to 1/2 cup extra frosting—save and add to your favorite pancakes or waffles!). If desired, top the frosting with coarsely chopped almonds and top each slice with a banana chip (optional).
Video
Notes
Note 1: You’ll need a good, powerful blender (think Blendtec® or Vitamix®) to break down the almonds without overheating the machine.
Note 2: Although it would make sense that any oats would work since they’re getting blended anyway, it’s important to use old-fashioned to ensure you get the right measurement. Both quick and steel-cut oats are smaller, denser, and more compact, so measurements would be off and the cake would end up dry.
Note 3: This is about 2–3 large bananas. The riper the bananas, the sweeter the cake (and overall more flavorful it is)! I wait until the banana skins are very spotty and speckled all over before using.
Note 4: Cornstarch is an important ingredient since we aren’t using flour and need some additional support and thickness.
Nutrition Note: Nutrition does not include the frosting; with frosting it is 221 calories per serving.
Storage: Store leftover banana cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If frosted, keep layers of parchment between slices to prevent sticking.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 67kcal | Carbohydrates: 16.2g | Protein: 0.8g | Sodium: 0.7mg | Fiber: 0.9g | Sugar: 10.4g