Today I come here with an amazing recipe for a vegan banana chocolate cake. In fact the original recipe was neither vegan nor it was a banana cake. Funny isn't it, when it starts out as something and ends up totally different nevertheless ending up awesome. Many of the recipes I blog here follow that pattern.
In my previous post I mentioned about the Taste of Home website for a huge collection of baking recipes and how I like to linger around there. Another website I often visit is Weight Watchers. Whether your New Year's resolution is to lose weight or not I think it is always better to look for healthy meal ideas and what better place to look for than Weight Watchers. They have a good collection of dessert, baking recipes too. I have tried a couple of recipes from that site as well with some tweaks here and there and have liked it very much.
The following vegan chocolate banana cake recipe too is my version of the Dark Chocolate Cake recipe in that site. The chocolate cake recipe is egg free already. All I did was to substitute a cup of pureed sauerkraut with a cup of pureed banana and made it vegan by substituting canola oil for the melted butter.
I also used whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose flour. What is sauerkraut? I too was not aware of such a thing until I saw it mentioned in the cake recipe. I understand that it is fermented cabbage pickle in laymen terms. For detailed information check this sauerkraut recipe, which has detailed instructions with pictures.
As for my vegan chocolate cake with bananas, it came out very well. One of the reason I chose to bake this cake was, I recently purchased a bundt pan and was waiting for a chance to use it. I saw that this chocolate cake recipe too used one and was egg free too. Another reason being, I had very ripe bananas at home which I didn't want to throw it away.
So I decided to use it in this recipe and I'm not regretting it at all. Initially I was thinking that it is going to taste more like a vegan banana cake instead of a vegan banana chocolate cake because of the bananas. Surprisingly, the flavor of bananas in the cake is very mild. The cake was moist, had a very good texture; neither dense nor crumbly, perfect for decorating for birthdays and anniversaries. The only change I would make in that case is to use butter instead of canola oil to give it a rich taste.
Recently I had some overripe bananas at home and wanted to bake cupcakes using it. I already have a plain vegan banana cupcakes recipe here in the blog. I also was in the mood for chocolate flavor. So used this recipe and baked it as vegan banana chocolate cupcakes and it's not a surprise that it turned out great!
Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Banana Cake
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
- 1 and ⅓ cup Granulated Sugar (See My Notes #2)
- ⅔ cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 and ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
Wet Ingredients:
- ¼ cup Canola Oil
- 1 and ½ cups Hot Water
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Bananas Mashed or Pureed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 350F/180C for 15 minutes. Spray a bundt pan with non stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients and keep it aside.
- I pureed 2 small size bananas with little water to measure 1 cup of puree.
- To the flour mixture add the canola oil, hot water and vanilla extract; mix well.
- Now add the pureed bananas and blend thoroughly.
- The cake batter is quite watery. Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake for approximately from 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. The original recipe mentions 55-60 minutes, but mine was done after 45 minutes itself.
- At this stage I did see some cracks on the cake. Move the bundt pan to a cooling rack and let it cool for 10-20 minutes. Place a baking sheet on the pan and slowly invert the pan holding the sides of the sheet to remove the cake from the pan. Then carefully transfer the cake to the wiring rack and let it cool completely before you frost. I didn't frost mine.
My Notes
- The original recipe used all purpose flour but we did not realize that the cake was made with whole wheat pastry flour. The cake had a wonderful texture; moist but not sticky and not gritty. This can very well be a birthday cake; but I would use butter in that case.
- You could also increase the quantity of sugar to 1 and ½ cups if you are not frosting this chocolate banana cake. You could also sprinkle some chocolate chips instead. Since I wanted to make a vegan cake I did not add any. I prefer mild sweetness so the 1 and ⅓ cup was perfect.
- The cake was surely moist but I felt that it did not taste rich. The original recipe uses ½ cup of melted butter for the fat which I replaced with ¼ cup canola oil and some mashed bananas. So I think we could use ¼ cup of melted butter or margarine instead to give that richness. If you want to use entire ½ cup butter, you can reduce the quantity of mashed bananas to ¾th cup.
- Update: I did try this recipe once again with all purpose flour and melted butter and it was definitely rich and good enough to qualify for a birthday cake.
- The next time I try this recipe I'm going to use cooked beet puree instead of mashed bananas. I'm pretty sure that its going to be so good.
Nutrition
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Vera says
I tried this cake yesterday with all purpose flour and butter. Plus I added some chocolate cookies on it. Very delicious! Thx for the recipes!
maanasi says
i tried the same with cooked beets and the only diff i made was instead of plain hot water i used the beets water ..but the cake has a chemical after taste ...is it because of the chemical reaction with beets or baking soda was too much or what else?pls advise .
thanks :))
Adri says
This was my first time baking with pureed fruits and without eggs,
it was wonderful, chocolatey and light. I will definitely be doing
a lot more vegan baking!
Madhuram says
Thanks Adri. All the best with vegan baking.
Rebekah says
I love this recipe but I'm trying to keep a food journal and it would be helpful to know the
nutritional information for this recipe. I tried plugging the ingredients into an analyzer but it
came up with a whopping 2879 calories for this cake and I don't think that is correct. Please any
info wold be appreciated.
thanks
Lauren says
Absolutely delicious! I was out of eggs, and needed to bake something as I had friends coming for dinner. It was incredibly moist! 🙂 I used two medium bananas, since I love the flavor. Was out of chocolate chips, but would love it with dark chips in the future. A great, tasty cake, and perfect with a dusting of powdered sugar on top!
Madhuram says
Thanks for trying the recipe Lauren. I too am going to try mixing in some chocolate chips to the batter the next time.
roshni says
Was looking wheat pastry flour vegan cake recipe.
Tried it and my husband loved it. Super recipe
Thanks once again..
Madhuram says
You're welcome Roshni.
Janille says
This looks great! What icing would you suggest to go along with it?
Madhuram says
Drizzling some chocolate ganache and top it off with some chocolate curls and toasted slivered almonds!
anshu says
hey madhuram...
i am a big fan of this website...i tried this cake and it was so delicious...the colour was beautiful..and the texture was smooth...the cake was moist and mind blowing!!!it was a major hit for the b'day..party...keep posting new recipies
thanks!!
anshu
Madhuram says
Thanks for trying the recipe Anshu.
eugene says
Hello Madhuram
Can i substitute oil with something else? I don't use butter either. In general your recipes mention canola
oil and i would like to subtitute oil or butter with something else.
thank you
Madhuram says
Eugene, you could used pureed bananas or unsweetened applesauce instead but the cake will be dense.
Mamata says
Hi Madhuram,
Can you please suggest me the brand of Cocoa-powder that you use for baking.
I tried this cake with TJ's unsweetened cocoa powder, but seems to leave a slightly bitter after-taste. So thinking if Dutch cocoa is a better alternative
Thanks for sharing this recipe
-Mamat
Madhuram says
Mamata, I don't use a particular brand of cocoa powder always. I even buy generic brand sometimes. Did you mix the baking soda thoroughly with the flour or did it have lumps? Or did you use baking powder instead by mistake? Sometimes these could also be the reasons for the bitter after taste. Reg. Dutch cocoa it already has a leavener in it, so using that instead of the regular cocoa powder you would have to change the quantity of the leavener in the recipe and that comes with experience only.
Clara says
I'm trying this tomorrow! I've been craving chocolate cake
and this one looks great. I'll be back for sure.
jeanne says
Wow! I was searching for an eggless cake for my daughter's 2nd birthday as she is allergic to eggs. This was one of the first I found and was by far the best. I didn't have the pastry flour or canola oil and used melted butter and plain flour instead. I baked it in a 9x13inch pan for 45 mins and topped it with fresh cream and strawberries. It turned out perfect! It was tasty and moist and everyone complimented it so much so that I was asked to make it again not even a month later for my nephew's birthday. Again it was a hit! Can't wait to try out some more of you delicious recipes!
Thank you very much for the feedback Jeanne. I'm so happy that your daughter was able to have the cake and everybody else liked it too. Actually I too tried it with all purpose flour and melted butter later and loved it as well. I will update this inforamtion in the recipe too.
Kay says
Hi Madhuram,
Is there a difference placing the tin on the lower/mid/upper rack of the oven? which level will give the baking the best result?
Middle rack is mostly preferred Kay. But if you have to bake 2 sheets of cookies or 2 cake tins, then it would be the middle rack and the lower rack. Even then it is advisable to shift racks halfway through baking to ensure that everything is evenly baked. So while baking 2 cakes at a time, place one tin on the middle rack and the other tin not directly under the first tin, but away from it. This may not be possible with cookie sheets though. But in both cases move the sheet/tin in the middle rack to the lower rack and vice versa after 50% baking time. The upper shelf is usually used for broiling because it is pretty much close to the heating element.
Maman A Droit says
Great recipe! I made it as cupcakes for my son's first birthday and it made about 2.5 dozen cupcakes, 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes worked pretty well. I love that it's not too sweet, doesn't have eggs or milk, and has whole wheat and fruit in it-perfect for a baby and yummy & healthy for mommy too!
Thank you very much for trying the recipe and for the feedback. I too am going to follow your tips and try it as cupcakes the next time.
marwah says
i tried this recipe it was grate, my grand Mather love it 😉
Dee says
I've been searching for a good recipe for an eggless cake for a couple's 25th anniversary. Most of them were either dry or heavy. This one is the best so far. I made half the quantity in an 8in cake pan with half the quantity. I used melted butter. The cake turned out moist, fluffy and delicious. Dark and rich looking on the inside. Taste is exceptional. A faint hint of banana which goes pretty well with the chocolate flavor. I used one banana that wasn't very ripe (about half cup and with no liquid added to it)I topped it with melted chocolate. Yum! Thanks Madhu.
You're welcome Dee. I too like this cake very much for the reason that the flavor of banana is not too pronounced.
Krithiga says
Hi Madhuram,
I tried your eggless Dates cake as my first baking exp and it came out very well. Thanks to that effort , I want to try this one. I don't have a Bundt pan so would just use 1/2 your recipe on my regular square 8x8.
I have couple questions reg this recipe :-
1. Can i omit the cocoa and make a regular banana cake ? (nothing against cocoa...just don't have any with me at the moment)
2. Can i substitute cocoa with say Ovaltine (which I happen to have ?
3.After the cake (any cake not this alone) comes out of the oven, should it rest in the pan i baked before i take it out ?
Thanks ,
Krithiga
Krithiga you can try halving the recipe or if you have a 13x9 inch pan, you can go with the same measurement. If you don't have cocoa, substitute the same amount of APF. You can try ovaltine too. I have tried it in frosting instead of cocoa but not while baking. Yes any cake has to be rested in the pan (the pan preferably placed on a cooling/wire rack) for 10 minutes.
Vina says
I just tried this cake using wheat flour, 1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup banana, 1 1/2 cups brown sugar instead of regular sugar, and 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips. Baked in a 9X13 pan for 30 minutes. It came out great! I needed to bake a cake for a friend's birthday, and I didn't have eggs! Didn't taste banana-y! Definitely impressed!
Thanks Vina.
pictures of trees says
Hey there. my dad let me know about your website a few weeks ago. and I just like it. I'll be subscribing! Right on!
Sapna says
Hey but where do i find this whole wheat pastry flour????
This kind of flour are sold by the name of whole wheat flour itself or just by the name whole wheat flour or 100% whole wheat flour can somebody please guide me????And i stay in Los Angeles in which store i will be able to find this flour..I tried checking in Trader Joes but couldnt find it 🙁
Sapna, whole wheat pastry flour is different from whole wheat flour. The pastry flour is made from soft wheat so has a finer texture but it is as nutritious as the regular whole wheat flour. I'm sure that you will be able to find it in Whole Foods and organic/health food stores.
Madhuri says
Wow!! I just cannot stop drooling!
I love the colour, texture, shape...all of it. Im an admirer of your blog and keep visiting often; love all your recipes, although I must admit I dint ever leave any comments before now. Happy Pongal to you and your family!
Love
Madhuri
Thank you very much Madhuri.
mahimaa says
oh wow!! gorgeous cake. looks very very delicious. lovely pics too. thanks for sharing. i am delighted to receive an entry from cake/cookie expert 🙂
Usha says
The cake looks fantastic, just perfect ! I have never combined banana with chocolate flavor, sounds interesting .
Belated New year wishes to you and your family, have a wonderful 2010 !
ruchikacooks says
Very rich color and looks so moist..grabs the attention as soon as I came here..must be yummy.
simplyfood says
Your cake looks amazing will surely try it.
jayasree says
What a lovely cake.. Pretty design and perfect color. As you suggested I might try with beet puree.
shoba says
Madhuaram,
Isn't the Bundt pan awesome? I bake in it just to get the final look. I baked an eggless fruit and nut cake with my pan last month. Yours look lovely and droolworthy... Slurp !!I like your site just because of the healthy options that you come out with.
So true Shoba. I think I'm also going to bake often in this pan. Thanks for your wonderful compliments.
Madhuram says
Thank you all for your wonderful comments - Madhuram.
Malar Gandhi says
That looks incredibly divine:)
Malini Ratnam says
Awesome recipe and cake! i've been trying eggless variations for a while and I think this was one the best ones. Great site. I've bookmarked it. Tried your recipe last night and the cake came out as good as it looks on your page (even if I say so myself:) Will post it and drive to yours. Thanks again.
Thanks Malini. I can't believe that you tried it so quickly.
Sunshinemom says
Love, love your first picture! My bundt pan is different from yours - yours looks nicer! My my, what a rich colour.
Indhu says
lovely looking cake.. I think you convinced me to buy a bundt pan! 🙂
R VARALAKSHMI says
Hi Madhu
It is picture perfect yummy cake! Great for the New year!
heidileon says
just printed out the recipe,I hope I can try it out soon.
Memoria says
I just wanted to tell you that your photo caught my eye on facebook. It looks amazing. Great job.
Pavithra Kodical says
Delicious cake, looks perfect 🙂
cham says
Looks very pretty this cake- great click!
Divya Vikram says
Thanks for your delicious entry Madhu! Looks so appetizing. Am definitely trying this!!
Priya says
Very elegant cake, looks fantastic..
Asha says
Picture perfect cake, Madhu! You are good. I am trying not to bake any cakes and cookies these days.
Happy 2010 to you and your's! 🙂
Sophie says
mmmmmmmmmmmmmm,...georgous & ooh so tasty looking! Thanks for another GRAND dessert!!!
P. Vasanthi says
Very nice shape and nice photograph
Mona says
What a perfect cake that looks!
Champa says
Nice and simple recipe.
Happy Cook says
That is a beautiful cake. Love the budn't shape.
Happy newyear.