Vegan Buttered Flavored Banana Cake

December is a month full of holidays (at last check, 29 holidays for 7 or more religions), and a time when so many of us are busy getting ready for the holidays. An important part of getting ready is often baking. Whether we are making baked goods to give as gifts or as treats for ourselves and families, homemade baked goods are always appreciated, and a chance for the gift giver to earn bragging rights for giving such a wonderful, tasty gift.

Remember to check out all my other vegan recipes! And if you don’t need vegan, but would like to try out a butter and banana cake, be sure to check out the following recipes: Browned Butter Banana Cake with Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting , Gluten-Free Browned Butter Banana Cake with Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting, Browned Butter Banana Cookies, Gluten-Free Browned Butter Banana Cookies, and Browned Butter Banana Cream Pie with a Browned Butter Crust and a Whipped Cream Topping.

THE INSIDE SCOOP

When both volumetric and weight measures are provided, the volumetric measures should be considered approximations. The standard measure for a cup of flour is 120 grams. By volume, this measure will typically be less than 1 cup. When baking, it is always best to use a food scale to measure dry ingredients, especially flour. However, if you don’t have a food scale, sift the flour three times, then spoon the flour into a measuring cup and use the flat edge of a knife to level it off. This should result in a cup of flour that weighs about 120 grams.

Line the bottom of one or two 9″ round cake pans (for a 1 or 2 layer cake) with parchment paper. To do this, place the cake pan(s) on parchment paper. Use a marker to trace around the outside of the pan(s) to form circles. Cut out the circle(s) by cutting away the paper with the marker ink. (Dispose of the paper with the marker ink on it.) If necessary, trim the paper to fit inside the pan. Place the parchment paper in the bottom of the pan(s); Lightly grease the pan and paper with butter-flavored vegetable shortening, or spray with a non-stick cooking spray.

Bananas vary in size; 3 medium bananas may be the right amount, or may not be enough and then your cake lacks flavor or may be too much and then your cake collapses. Weigh your bananas after peeling them to ensure you have the right amount.

Use a fork to mash your bananas slightly. This will leave you with some small chunks of banana for extra banana flavor.

To create a butter flavor, I used a combination of butter flavored all-vegetable shortening and butter flavored emulsions. Be sure to check that your butter flavoring is, in fact, vegan. (Yes, I checked that “natural flavors” is vegan.)

I use full-fat coconut milk as the substitute for dairy because of the richness of the coconut milk. Most, if not all, other dairy substitutes (e.g., rice milk, soy milk, nut milk, oat milk) do not contain as much fat as do not contribute to creating a rich cake. My preferred brand is Thai Coconut Milk because of its pleasant smell and taste, and it contains only 3 ingredients. There are other coconut milk brands with only 2 or 3 ingredients that can be used, but one brand (I don’t remember which) had an absolutely AWFUL smell! Thus, my reliance on the Thai brand. Use white vinegar, not cider vinegar, to “sour” the coconut milk, as white vinegar does not contribute a taste to your cake.

When shortening and sugar are beaten together, the sugar cuts into the shortening, creating small air bubbles that will expand when the leavening agents are added. However, without eggs, it is easy to incorporate more air than the batter can support, which will cause the cake to collapse. The dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt), are whisked together in a separate bowl to ensure that the baking soda is distributed evenly throughout the flour, and then very gently folded into the butter/sugar mix to avoid incorporating any additional air into the batter.

Now it’s time to pour the batter into the pans…..

….. and bake! Use a metal cake tester to check for doneness, as it is more accurate than a wooden toothpick. Ooh, that looks yummy!

After the cake is finished baking, let the layers cool in the cake pans for 10-15 minutes, then run the flat side of a knife around the edge of the cake pan, and remove the layers, with the parchment paper still attached, and place them on cooling racks. The parchment paper will help prevent the cooling racks from leaving dents from the cooling racks in the bottom of the cake layers.

Of course, once the cake is fully cooled, it is time to make the frosting and begin assembling! I like a noticeable amount of frosting between the layers- no “scrape” of frosting for me! I add 3/4 cup of frosting. Sadly, I have found, the hard way, that adding one full cup of frosting between the layers can cause the cake layers to slide apart. To add to that wonderful banana flavor, top the bottom cake layer that has been frosted, with bananas. Oh, yea.

It’s like a banana and cake sandwich!

Then the top layer goes on, and the rest of the cake is frosted. Leave a little of the frosting for the top so that additional banana slices can be “glued” with frosting to the top of the cake for a banana decoration.

Is it time for dessert, yet?

What are we waiting for? Let’s start baking!

Print Recipe

Vegan Butter Flavored Banana Cake with Butter Flavored Frosting

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By Connie Teunis – Serves: 12-16

Cooking Time: 40-45 minutes

A VEGAN banana cake enhanced with a vegan butter flavor! So moist, buttery flavored, and good, no one will believe it's vegan.

Ingredients

• Cake:
• ¾ c. Full-Fat Coconut Milk (Thai Brand or other brands with only 2 or 3 ingredients)
• 1 t. White Vinegar
• 420 g./ 3 1/2 c. All-Purpose Flour
• ¾ t. Baking Soda
• ¾ t. Salt
• 168 g./ 14 T. Butter Flavored All Vegetable Shortening
• 384 g./ 2 c. Vegan Cane Sugar (e.g., Sugar in the Raw)
• 2 t. Butter Flavored Extract or Emulsion
• 2 t. Pure Vanilla Extract
• 2 t. Banana Extract
• 280 g./ about 3 medium Very Ripe Bananas, peeled
• Frosting:
• 192 g./ 1 c. Butter Flavored Shortening
• 480 g./ 4 c. Powdered Sugar
• 1 t. Butter Flavored Extract or Emulsion
• 3+ T. Coconut Milk or other non-dairy milk substitute
• 3 - 4 Bananas sliced evenly ¼” thick

Instructions

1

In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and white vinegar; set aside for 15 minutes.

2

Place 280 grams of bananas onto a plate. Fork mash, leaving visible chunks of bananas; set aside.

3

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9”-round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray. Line the bottom of the cake pans with parchment paper and spray parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray.

4

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

5

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the shortening and sugar. Add the coconut milk and extracts. With an electric mixer, mix until combined, about 1 minute, scraping bowl and beaters as needed.

6

By hand, gradually fold the flour mix into the wet ingredients, adding 1/3 of the flour mix at a time and gently folding until completely combined.

7

Add the bananas, gently folding until bananas are well distributed.

8

Pour 25.5 ounces/ 725 grams of batter into each prepared cake pan; smooth the top of the batter until even.

9

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven (convection ovens will register 325 degrees) for 40 minutes until a metal cake tester, when inserted into the middle of the cake, comes out clean and dry. (Wooden toothpicks are not as accurate.)

10

Place cake pans on cooling racks for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the cake layers from the cake pans, with parchment paper still attached, and place directly onto the cooling racks. Cool completely.

11

To Make the Frosting:

12

In a medium mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter flavored shortening, powdered sugar, and butter flavored extract. Beat on slow speed or by hand until there is no dry powdered sugar, then increase speed until frosting is smooth. Add milk substitutes as needed to achieve desired spreading consistency.

13

To Assemble:

14

Slice approximately 3 bananas ¼” thick.

15

Place one cake layer, top side down, onto a cake plate; remove the parchment paper. Spread ¾ cup of frosting on the bottom layer. Place the sliced bananas in a single layer into the frosting.

16

Remove the parchment paper from the second layer and place top side up on top of the bottom layer. If bananas are to be used on top, reserve 2 tablespoons of frosting to hold the sliced bananas in place. Spread the rest of the frosting on the top and sides of the cake.

17

Just before serving, slice one more banana and place these banana slices in the middle of the top, using the reserved frosting to hold the bananas in place.

18

Enjoy!