This delightful gluten-free banana cake is naturally sweetened with ripe bananas and is ultra-moist and fluffy. The cream cheese frosting is creamy and decadent. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.
Banana cake is a wonderful, flavorful, moist cake that tastes similar to banana bread, albeit slightly different.
Each slice contains mega-banana flavor, hints of brown sugar and cinnamon, and of course, a creamy sweet cream cheese frosting that puts this cake over the top in terms of scrumptiousness.
You might be wondering the difference between banana bread and banana cake. Let me share a few of the differences below:
- Additions: Traditional banana bread is a sweet quick bread that may or may not contain nuts and/or chocolate chips. Banana cake rarely contains additions; however, it does come topped with a sweet frosting.
- Sweetness: A banana cake is typically less sweet than banana cake.
- Texture: Banana bread is more dense than banana cake. I do, however, find the textures to be similar since the banana adds moisture and density.
- Pan: A banana bread is cooked in a loaf pan while a banana cake is cooked in a baking pan.
Regardless of what you make – banana bread or banana cake – using bananas adds natural sweetness, moisture, and bonus fiber to any recipe, and it’s the perfect way to use up ripe bananas that would otherwise end up in the garbage.
How to Make Gluten-Free Banana Cake
My gluten-free banana cake recipe is inspired by this gluten-y banana cake that uses all-purpose wheat flour. Of course, wheat flour contains gluten and must be strictly avoided by anyone on a gluten-free diet. Instead of using wheat flour, I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend, which contains a blend of rice flours, starches and xanthan gum (binder) to mimic the taste and texture of wheat flour.
Please note that one cup of all-purpose wheat flour is equal to 125 grams of regular flour. However, one cup of Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour is equal to 144 grams of flour. I had to adjust this recipe accordingly.
To make this gluten-free banana cake, gather the following ingredients:
- 3 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 3 cups (444 grams) Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Gluten-Free Flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, softed to room temperature
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) light or dark brown sugar, packed
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
Please note that I highly recommend you use buttermilk for this recipe to ensure you get a fluffy banana cake result.
If you can’t find buttermilk at the grocery store, you can make your own DIY version at home by combining one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice with enough whole milk until it reaches one and one-half cups. Stir and allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes before using it in the recipe. The vinegar or lemon juice will sour the milk with time.
Also, you could use dairy-free milk combined with vinegar or lemon juice to get a similar effect. The cake won’t be as light and fluffy with dairy-free milk, but it will still taste great.
Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, you’re ready to make this tasty cake.
Step #1: Preheat your oven to 350º F and grease a 9×13″ pan. Set aside.
Step #2: Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. Whisk and set aside.
Step #3: Using your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, then add granulated and brown sugar and continue to beat on high speed for two minutes until the mixture is creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed.
Step #4: Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined, then add the mashed bananas and continue to mix until the wet ingredients are smooth.
Step #5: On low speed, add a scoop of the flour mixture, alternating additions of flour with additions of buttermilk, until all the flour and buttermilk has been added and the batter is well combined and smooth. Do not beat or overmix.
Step #6: Add the batter to your greased baking pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from your oven and place it on a wire rack to cool completely, about 45 minutes. After 15 minutes, you can place the cake in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
This recipe also includes a decadent cream cheese frosting that adds sweetness, creaminess, and a wonderful texture to this banana cake.
To make a cream cheese frosting, gather the following ingredients:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Add the softened cream cheese and butter to a standing mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment. Beat the ingredients together at high speed. You want the mixture to be creamy and smooth (no lumps). Add the sugar, vanilla and salt and mix on low speed until the ingredients are mostly incorporated, then beat on high speed for two minutes. If the frosting is too thick, add a little water. If it’s too thin, add more confectioners sugar.
Spread a generous portion of the frosting on top of the cooled banana cake (you want a thick layer) and refrigerate for 30 minutes (longer, if needed) so the frosting sets in place before cutting into 24 even squares.
Store leftover cake in a covered container in your fridge for 3-5 days.
A Few Tips
Can this banana cake be dairy free? The cake itself can be dairy free when you use dairy-free butter and dairy-free buttermilk. However, you might find the cream cheese frosting hard to duplicate. Instead, use a buttercream frosting with dairy-free butter.
Can this cake be made without eggs? I haven’t tried to make it without eggs. Eggs add leavening and lightness to the cake. You could try making it with an egg replacer, but the texture will be different. Please leave a comment to share if you made this cake egg free and if it worked!
Do I have to top it with a cream cheese frosting? No you can enjoy the cake as is, but one of the ways banana cake differs from banana bread is that banana cake contains a frosting. If you don’t like cream cheese frosting, you could make a simple [vanilla] buttercream frosting instead.
Can I make this cake ahead of time? Yes you can. Before frosting the cake, cover and refrigerate it for up to two days before serving or freeze it for 3+ months. Before serving, bring the cake to room temperature, prepare the frosting, and spread the frosting on the cake.
Can I use a different gluten-free flour? I’ve only tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour (in the blue bag). If you use another gluten-free flour, you may need to adjust the measurements. It requires three cups of flour, and each cup of Bob’s Red Mill flour weighs 144 grams. Other flours might weigh differently. If you try making it with another gluten-free flour blend, please leave a comment to share what flour you used and how it turned out.
Do not skip the buttermilk! Buttermilk adds so much moisture to this cake. The acid in buttermilk reacts with the baking soda to create bubbles of carbon dioxide gas. The gas expands when heated, giving your cake rise and fluffiness. Also, make sure your baking soda is fresh (not old) or the chemical reaction will not occur and your cake may turn out dense.
More Recipes
Try any of these tasty gluten-free recipes too!
- Ultra-Moist Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Banana Bread
- Gluten-Free Blueberry Banana Bread Breakfast Bowls (dairy-free + vegan)
- 17+ Classic Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour Recipes
- Gluten-Free Cinnamon Coffee Cake
- Favorite Gluten-Free Chocolate Applesauce Cake
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream
- Almond Flour Chocolate Cake
Gluten-Free Banana Cake
Equipment
- Standing mixer
Ingredients
For the banana cake
- 3 large ripe bananas mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 444 grams Bob's Red Mill 1-1 Gluten-Free Flour This is equal to 3 cups of flour, spoon and leveled. If possible, measure the flour by weight vs. volume.
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter 170 grams , softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
- 1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar 100 grams, packed
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk room temperature (see notes)
For the frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt omit if using salted butter
Instructions
For the banana cake
- Preheat your oven to 350º F and grease a 9×13″ pan. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. Whisk and set aside.
- Using your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, then add granulated and brown sugar and continue to beat on high speed for 2 minutes until the mixture is creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined, then add the mashed bananas and continue to mix until the wet ingredients are smooth.
- On low speed, add a scoop of the flour mixture, alternating additions of flour with additions of buttermilk, until all the flour and buttermilk has been added and the batter is well combined and smooth. Do not beat or overmix.
- Add the batter to your greased baking pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from your oven and place it on a wire rack to cool completely, about 45 minutes. After about 15 minutes of colling, you could also place the cake in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.
For the frosting
- To make the frosting, add the softened cream cheese and butter to a standing mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment. Beat the ingredients together at high speed. You want the mixture to be creamy and smooth (no lumps). Add the sugar, vanilla and salt and mix on low speed until the ingredients are mostly incorporated, then beat on high speed for 2 minutes. If the frosting is too thick, add a little water. If it's too thin, add more confectioners sugar.
- Spread a generous portion of the frosting on top of the cooled banana cake (you want a thick layer) and refrigerate for 30 minutes (longer, if needed) so the frosting sets in place before cutting into 24 even squares.
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