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 â…“ cup Granulated Sugar (See My Notes #2)
- â…” 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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jess says
I have no idea what went wrong but my cake was raw in the middle even though i've checked it before i took it out of the oven. In the oven it was high..after it just went down.
Madhuram says
I'm thinking the oven temperature is not right. Did you preheat the oven? Can you think of any other reason for the oven not heating up.
Rachel says
I made this in a 9X13 pan, and the time was too long. It needed only 30 min.
Madhuram says
The baking time always changes according to the pan used.
Elsy says
Thank you for this recipe .I replaced canola oil with coconut oil and it was delicious . My only concern is taht the cake didn't raise . It has a fudgy consistency . Is it supposed to be like this?
Madhuram says
Hmm...I have not baked it in a regular pan, just in the bundt pan as shown in the picture and I think it has rises pretty well. Not sure what could have gone wrong.
Anna Mackney says
Thanks for this recipe. I am vegan & I used ' no egg ' ( a tapioca & maize starch replacement ) I did not use any oil ( except for the coconut oil on the pan ) ....I have it in the oven now.... We shall see how it goes! :)G
Madhuram says
All the best.
Jamie says
I did the recipe but instead of canola oil i actually used melted butter, it's cooling right now after one whole hour and 15 more minutes in the oven (preheated, at the right temperature and all), is it normal for it to look a bit "squishy" when taken right out of the oven or did i do something wrong? maybe it was the butter?
Madhuram says
That should not be a problem Jamie. Did you cut it immediately after taking it out of the oven? It needs quite a bit of cooling time to set properly. Did the toothpick come clean when you tested for doneness?
Rachel says
I made it in a 9x13 rectangular pan. That size worked well. However, I had a problem with the cooking time and temperature. Maybe the pan should not be sprayed. The edges and the bottom were burnt, but the inside did not get cooked enough. The inside tastes very good though.
Madhuram says
The baking time changes/depends on the size of the pan we use. Bundt pans usually take longer time. You can spray the pan or line the pan with parchment paper. Did you preheat the oven?
NicoleLogan says
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Madhuram says
You're welcome Nicole.
Ishta says
Made the cake yesterday. It was delicious. Moist from the centre but not uncooked. I tried it with all purpose flour, next time will try it with whole wheat pastry. Thank you for this wonderful and delicious recipe. My kids loved it.
Madhuram says
Maybe it didn't bake enough Ishta.
Cat Brehme says
Sauerkraut is not made from red cabbage, it is always made from white cabbage. Please could you correct that statement.
Madhuram says
Will change it Cat Brehme. Thanks for pointing out.
Carli says
This is my second time making this lovely cake. I found the comments really useful last time & made some tweaks which I intend to do again today 🙂
I used half white & half rye flour. I used 1 cup raw cacoa & dairy free chocolate chips (handful). 1 cup brown sugar & half cup blackstrap molasses.
It was VERY rich & VERY good 🙂
Madhuram says
Thanks Carli. 😀
Sipra says
Hey can we replace hot water with milk, n does it need to be hot also
Madhuram says
Yes you can replace it with milk and I guess it should be hot.
Shivani says
Hi Madhuram,
Can we use orange juice instead of hot water?If yes then should it be hot orange juice? also can I use medium ripe bananas instead of over ripe?I need this cake to be perfect so please help. I will use all purpose flour.
Madhuram says
I'm guessing it should be alright Shivani. The orange juice need not be hot.
jane says
The chocolate banana cake is very nice i made it twice. Perfect. Thanks.
Madhuram says
You're welcome Jane.
anshu says
Hey Madhuram, tried this recipe with butter and all purpose flour with 1/2 cup sugar. It turned out really well. I am a big fan of your recipes. For all birthdays and anniversaries in my home I bake wonderful cakes from this site and it is relished by all family members. Thanks a lot!
Anshu..
Madhuram says
You're welcome Anshu. Thank you for trying the recipes.
Diane says
This is an excellent recipe - everyone loves it every time. Namaste
Madhuram says
Thanks Diane.
Sarah Marie says
Fantastic recipe. I modified it a bit by using a scant cup and 3/4 of ww flour and 1/4 cup of bread flour. It's what I had on hand. I also used a bit of pumpkin beer, warmed with the water, to give it a bit of complexity and spiciness; lastly, I used extra virgin olive oil, again for complexity and interest.
It was very good! If I had to do it again, I might use a bit more cocoa powder and some chocolate chips, perhaps a bit less sugar, and a maple buttercream icing. MMM. Thanks a heap!
Madhuram says
You're welcome Sarah.
Deepika says
Hi 🙂
Love your recipes! 🙂 A basic question--what are your thoughts on replacing one of the cups of all purpose flour with wheat flour?
Madhuram says
It should not be a problem Deepika.
Veena says
Hello Madhuram,
I planned to bake chocolate-banana cake. I want to use butter instead of canola oil. When we substitute canola oil and butter what should be the ratio. Should we use same amount of butter or oil? As I read in this recipe that you replaced 1/2 cup butter with 1/4 cup oil and some mashed banana but it is always not mentioned.
Thanks
Veena
Madhuram says
You can use melted butter instead of oil. So you would be using 1/2 cup of melted butter.
Clàudia says
Congratulations!
I made this recipe for a birthday's cake and the result was excellent!!
thanks!!!
Claudia, from Barcelona, Spain.
Madhuram says
You're welcome Claudia.
Chinmayee says
Thanks so much for the recipe, i had over ripe bananas and was looking for something different. I made these into muffins and varied the proportions a bit, but the taste was just as you have mentioned. My daughter, my biggest critic loved it and i was glad to use whole wheat flour in it. Yummm.....
Madhuram says
You're welcome Chinmayee.
Lisa says
This looks so good I think I'm going to use this recipe for my overriped bananas tomorrow. Do you think I could substitute the sugar for agave nectar instead?
Madhuram says
I have not tried that substitution myself but I think it should work fine.
Swasthi says
Hi Madhu!
Iam glad that i tried this wonderful recipe. the results were awesome, tried the original one too. Made few variations to the subsequent trials, used 1 tbsp vinegar, used palm sugar and reduced the cocoa. link to my post is below. Thanks for the wonderful recipe. your recipe deserves 5 stars.
http://swasthfreak.blogspot.sg/2012/09/vegan-chocolate-banana-cake-using-palm.html
Madhuram says
Thanks Swasthi.
anna says
Hmm.. I tried this cake today, sadly it was not fluffy at all even though I reduced the baking time to 40 min at 150°C.
Madhuram says
Hi Anna, cakes with a lot of mashed fruit and especially bananas will not be light and fluffy. Instead it will be moist and dense. You can see that I have not mentioned that this cake was fluffy. Maybe you could try adding 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of baking soda and see if the texture varies.
Thess says
I wanted to try this as my daughter likes cakes a lot but I have only Microwave Oven. Do I need to preheat as it was instructed in the beginning? Please give me some idea using microwave oven as it's my first time to use this 🙂 Thanks.
Madhuram says
Check this link to know more about baking in a microwave oven: http://chefinyou.com/2010/08/baking-in-microwave-mode/
sara says
hi,
a basic question?
did you measure pureed banana in a liquid measuring cup?
would be helpfull if you could clarify this.
thanks
Madhuram says
I use the dry measuring cup for solids and semi-solids. So for pureed bananas, applesauce I use the dry measruing cup only. Thanks for bringing this to my notice. I'll put a note hereafter. Actually I used to mention it before but stopped it recently.
Anotherjenn2 says
I wanted to use some bananas up so made your recipe tonight and got great results. I used rice bran oil, spelt flour and also added in a cup of almond meal. Came out beautifully moist. Served with fresh strawberries, blueberries and soy icecream. Even enjoyed by my vegan family member who usually dislikes cakes with bananas in because they are too heavy.
Madhuram says
Nice idea to include almond meal. I'll be trying it the next time I bake this cake. Did you sub it for a part of the flour or added it in addition to the flour?
Anotherjenn2 says
Half and half I guess, I took out 1/2 cup of flour but
added 1 cup almond meal. Thanks so much for sharing
your recipes.
Madhuram says
Thanks for the reply Jen.
supriya says
Thank u so much Madhu. I tried the sinful version of this cake nd it turned out to be really really soft and chocolaty and the best thing is that the banana taste was also not very prominent. Madhu if I want to make it more chocolaty can u tell me some more tips?
Madhuram says
You're welcome Supriya. You could add some chocolate chips, or melt a couple of chocolate squares and mix it with the wet ingredients.
PSG says
Hi,
I tried this recipe and made cupcakes out of it!! It really came out very good. Will try the variations suggested next time I make it..Very nice recipe. I am uploading it on my blog!!
Madhuram says
Thanks for trying it PSG.
supriya says
Thanks Madhu. What if I use milk insead of hot water won't it become richer?
Madhuram says
Yes, milk should make it even better.
supriya says
I don't have bundt pan for baking. Can I use the one I have with 10.5 inches diameter? Or will this pan be big for the cake?
Madhuram says
You should be fine using your 10.5" pan. This cake can also be made in a 13x9" pan.
dipika says
Hello,
Tried this recipe and came out very good. I reduced the quantity of ingredients 1/2 as did not want to make too much, but baking powder kept to 1 teaspoon & pinch. I had used 1/8 cup unsalted butter but felt it would taste more better with salted butter or adding pinch of salt. Had used sugar for the proportion of 1 & 1/2 cup (half of it) for me it was ok, but my husband prefers still more sweeter so next time will try with a bit more sugar in it and use some other flavour as my son does not like chocolate cake.
Madhuram says
Thanks for giving it a shot Dipika.
Hubbaby says
Hi Madhuram,
Thanks for ur earlier reply and I tried baking it with success. I reduced the sugar as I was baking for my dad and he can't take sweet stuff. Would like to try again with applesauce this time round instead of mashed bananas/ banana puree. Do you think it will affect the outcome of the cake?? TIA for ur advice.
Madhuram says
You're welcome and could you please rate the recipe. Yes you can try applesauce instead of bananas and also add 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder. You should be able to get good results.
hubbaby says
Thank you. Will try out the substitutions as advised. Tried to rate it 5 stars but somehow am not able to click on the stars. Anyway, its definitely 5 stars or more!!
vinu says
Hi,
Can I get a reduced measurement for this cake? I do not have a cake pan of this size, so it would be great if you could tell me how to half the recipe.
thanks,
vinu
Madhuram says
You can use the following chocolate cake recipe as the base, omit the vinegar, decrease the quantity of water to 1/2 cup and use 1/2 cup mashed bananas keeping the rest of the ingredients the same.
http://www.egglesscooking.com/2009/02/16/whacky-vegan-chocolate-cake/
Jovani says
Hi.. looks delicious, but is there a reason vinegar isn't used with this recipe, most other vegan choco cakes has it for the leavening?
and will it hurt to add it here... Thanks.
Madhuram says
Thanks Jovani. The original recipe had used sauerkraut instead of the bananas I had used. Sauerkraut is like pickled cabbage which will be sour and I guess that's why vinegar was not used there. Since pureed bananas by itself is a good egg substitute I too have not used that. But I guess that adding a tablespoon of vinegar should not hurt.
Hubbaby says
Hi Madhuram, love ur blog so much. Eggless baking is so much healthier than traditional baking. I want to try baking this cake over the weekend and would like to ask, if I prefer less sweetness in my cakes, can I just reduce the amount of sugar in your recipes? Does sugar affect the rising or shape of your cakes? Or it is just for taste? Thank you so much!
Madhuram says
Thanks H. I think you can reduce about 25% of sugar given in the recipe without affecting the texture etc. Usually I also do not prefer over the top sweet stuff. So If I feel a particular recipe is too sweet I would have mentioned about that in the Notes section.
pallavi says
looks so easy and healthy recipe..thanks a lot for posting your eggless cake recipe..I am going to try it right away..cant wait..
Anu says
Madhuram, I tried this recipe for the second time and this time I used butter instead of oil, it does make a difference and I also noticed that the cake was even more moist a day after (I left it outside) I baked the cake. I don't know if it's bcos of the syrup I had added (the cake had absorbed the syrup??) but regardless, I just love this cake, my favorite vegan cake!! And it is so easy to make, THANK YOU!
Here is my post....
http://whatdoimake.blogspot.com/2011/08/banana-chocolate-cupcakes.html
Madhuram says
Thank you very much for trying the recipe Anu. Yes adding butter makes a lot of difference
hadia says
i hv the recipe in my diary now 🙂 yummiest egg free cake i ever tasted!
Madhuram says
Thank you very much Hadia
hadia says
hi
it looks like a really good recipe. However i need to ask you why you prefer to use whole wheat flour? to make it more healthier or because plain flour won't give the desired texture results? Plz let me know coz i only have plain flour and wan't to make a banana chocolate cake...
Madhuram says
You can very well use plain flour which was actually used in the original recipe. I have the habit of substituting whole wheat flour for all purpose flour for health reasons.
hadia says
Thanks for replying. I did make it with plain flour and results were great rather amazing. 🙂 Five stars!
Ambika says
Hey Madhuram,
Can i replace Banana's with any other fruit puree(baby food)
Thanks
Ambika
Madhuram says
You could Ambika.
Sri says
Hi Madhuram,
I made this cake yesterday but it turned out to be sticky rather than moist. I baked it for 55 mins and the tester came out clean.
Any idea what could be the reason?
Sri
Madhuram says
If it was sticky I'm pretty sure that it did not bake completely.
Kata says
Made this cake today, it was very tasty and very moist! I followed the recipe as is but used 3 small bananas, mashed, to make one cup. I also find that salt always brings decadence to chocolate cake so I didn't even measure and just added one pinch of salt. SO GOOD!
Madhuram says
Thank you very much Kata.
SS says
I made this cake today and it was delicious...as you mentioned this is definitely a guiltless indulgence....I plan to make the sinful version for my son's 6th birthday...Thank you so much for the recipe
Madhuram says
You're welcome SS.
eugene says
Hello Madhu
Can i substitute 2 cup wheat flour with 1cup all purpose flour and 1 cup wheat flour?
For the pan can i use for 1 9 inch springform pan? just one.
thank you
Madhuram says
Yes Eugene, you can use part whole wheat flour and part all purpose flour. You would need two 9 inch pans.