This decadent, rich, gluten-free banana cake is made with ripe bananas, maple syrup, and pecans. It is bursting with flavor! Make it as a sheet cake, layer cake, or cupcake. It is quick and easy. Enjoy it in only 40 minutes!
We are self-proclaimed cake fanatics. If you love cake as much as we do, check out my amazing gluten free cake recipes!
I am so excited about my new easy gluten free banana cake with maple syrup recipe. It is the best recipe to use up those ripe bananas sitting on your counter! Mr. Fearless Dining told me to use up the bananas that were getting brown on our counter. This is “husband code” for making something yummy!
Allergen Information:
This gluten free banana cake is gluten-free and soy-free. See the Substitutions Sections below for dairy-free and nut-free options.
Substitutions:
- To make this gf banana cake dairy-free, use plant-based butter.
- Make this cake nut-free by omitting the pecans or walnuts.
- To make this recipe gum-free, use my DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend. It uses psyllium husk instead of xanthan or guar gum.
What sets this cake apart from the rest:
- It is full of sweet, ripe banana flavors. Need I say more?
- You can add fun mix-ins like chocolate chips or caramel bits.
- This homemade cake is absolutely delicious with frosting, but it also tastes incredible without frosting!
- This cake freezes easily. All you have to do is thaw it when you are ready to enjoy it.
- I have included some fun swap tips if you want this cake to be healthy.
If you love bananas, you may also love this easy Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Chip Bars or this simple Gluten Free Banana Strawberry Bread recipe!
This is one of my favorite gluten-free flour blends for cookies, cakes, pie crust, biscuits, and muffins! (Do not use this flour blend for yeast recipes.)
Ingredient Notes:
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend and King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work; I just have not tested other flours, and I can not guarantee the recipe will work if you use other mixes.
- Xanthan Gum – If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon. See the Substitutions section below for a gum-free option.
- Brown Sugar and Ground Cinamon
- Baking Soda (not pictured) and Salt
- Non-Dairy Milk – I used almond milk, but other dairy-free kinds of milk will work, but I do not recommend canned coconut milk.
- Maple Syrup – I recommend you use pure maple syrup.
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Butter – Use unsalted butter.
- Pecans – I used pecans, but you can also use walnuts.
Healthier Options:
- Swap out the brown sugar for coconut sugar. It has a lower glycemic index and helps prevent the sugar buzz effect.
- Swap â…“ cup of gluten free flour blend for â…“ cup of almond flour and 2 TBSP ground flaxseed meal. (I recommend almond flour and not almond meal.)
- Add 3 scoops of collagen protein powder (unflavored)!
- Use a light oil like avocado oil instead of the butter.
How to Quickly Ripen Bananas:
- Place your bananas on a baking sheet and bake at 225º F for 20 minutes.
- If you are not in a rush, you can place your bananas in a brown paper bag and let them sit on the counter for a few days. (Don’t forget to close the bag!)
- You can grill the bananas. Use a knife to slit down the peel. Place the bananas on the grill. Close the lid and cook at 300º F for 15 minutes.
Tips For Sucess
1. The secret to a fluffy cake is to mix your wet and dry ingredients until they are just “barely” mixed. Overmixing the batter will make your cake denser. Don’t use an electric or stand mixer.
2. The riper the bananas, the more caramelized flavor you will get in this gluten free banana snack cake.
How To Make Gluten Free Banana Cake:
You will need to have well mashed bananas for this recipe. You can mash bananas with a potato masher, pastry blender, or a simple fork!
Step 1: Add your dry ingredients to a large
Pro Tip for measuring gluten-free flour: For best results, you can either measure the weight of your gluten-free flour or load up a measuring cup, spoon by spoon and use a straight edge (like a knife) to level the flour. This is important to prevent using too much flour.
Step 2: In a microwave-safe measuring cup or small bowl, add the butter and soften it in the microwave. Do not make the butter too hot. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and whisk.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, optional mixins, and pecan pieces. Use a large spoon to mix these ingredients together.
🔑 Sandi says: I highly recommend mixing the wet and dry ingredients gently and only mixing them until they are just barely mixed. This will help keep your banana cake light and fluffy!
Step 4: Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper or grease it with a gluten free baking spray. Pour the banana cake batter into the pan.
This is when I let the oven preheat so the cake batter has time to rest for 10-15 minutes. This is important because it allows the rice flour in your flour blend to soften. If you don’t like grit in your baking, always let the batter rest!
Step 5: Bake the cake at 350º F for 30 minutes. The actual baking time will vary depending on whether you are baking this cake in an 8×8 pan, cake pan, or loaf pan.
How do you know when the cake is finished baking?
To test to see if the cake is finished baking, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs, the cake needs to bake longer.
Step 6: Allow the cake to cool; if you are going to frost it, make frosting. See below for some delicious frosting flavors!
Frosting Options:
- The Vanilla Buttercream Frosting recipe from my Gluten Free Vanilla Cake recipe.
- My easy Cream Cheese Frosting recipe from my Gluten Free Carrot Cake recipe
- This creamy Coconut Buttercream Frosting.
Frequently Asked Questions:
A gluten free banana cake is going to be lighter and fluffier than gluten free banana bread.
You can easily make this banana cake with no eggs by substituting an egg replacer like Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer.
This gluten free banana cake will keep fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container. You can freeze it up for to 4 months.
Need more bananas?? Try this Gluten Free Banana Donuts recipe or this tasty Gluten Free Pineapple Banana Bread!
Storage/Freezing:
To store this gluten-free banana cake, store it in your refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container or in the freezer.
To freeze the cake, you can freeze it in slices or whole. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap, then put it into a freezer-safe zipper-style bag. It will keep up to 4 months in the freezer.
More Gluten Free Cake Recipes:
- Gluten Free Banana Cupcakes
- Moist Gluten Free Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Cake
- Gluten Free Apple Bundt Cake
- Delicious Gluten Free Orange Cake
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Decadent Gluten Free Banana Cake With Maple Syrup
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 cup cane sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- â…› teaspoon salt
- 2 bananas ripe
- ½ cup unsalted butter * see notes
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup * see notes
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup non-dairy milk
- ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- You will need mashed bananas for this recipe. You can mash bananas with a potato masher or a simple fork!
- Add your dry ingredients including 2 cups gluten free flour, 1 cup sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt to a bowl and whisk to blend them together.
- Pro Tip for measuring gluten free flour: You can either measure the weight of your gluten free flour or load up a measuring cup spoon by spoon and use a straight edge (like a knife) to level the flour. This is important to prevent using too much flour.
- In a large measuring cup or bowl, add the butter and soften it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Do not make the butter too hot. Add the rest of the wet ingredients, including the mashed bananas, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, non-dairy milk. Use a wire whisk to blend them together.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and add the pecan pieces. Mix the two together.
- HINT: I highly recommend mixing the wet and dry ingredients gently, and only mix them until they are just barely mixed. This will help keep your banana cake light and fluffy!
- Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper, or grease it with a gluten free baking spray. Pour the batter in and preheat your oven to 350º F. I preheat the oven now so it gives the batter time to rest. Resting your batter for 10-15 minutes allows the rice flour to soften, eliminating any grit.
- Bake the cake at 350º F for 25-30 minutes. Note actual baking time will vary depending on if you are baking this cake in an 8×8 pan, cake pan, or loaf pan.
- To test to see if the cake is finished baking, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs, the cake needs to bake longer.
- Allow the cake to cool, make frosting if you are going to frost it. See below for some delicious flavors of frosting to make!
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- Xanthan Gum – If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- I include many tips to quickly ripen your bananas in the blog post.Â
- I recommend using pure maple syrup, it makes a big difference in flavor!
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for plant-based butter.
- I used almond milk but other dairy-free kinds of milk and regular milk will work. I do not recommend canned coconut milk.
- To make this cake nut-free, omit the pecans and use nut-free dairy-free milk.
- This cake will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
Very pleased with your recipe. I used Bob’s RM 1 to 1, whole milk yogurt, 1 tsp cinnamon. Layered pecan halves on bottom and top of the batter, baked in a springform loaf pan. Baked perfect at 40 minutes in a counter oven. Moist, light and delicious. This might be the easiest, best result gluten free cake I’ve baked in 20 years. Plan to freeze 1/2 for my grand daughter.
You made my day. I am so glad you loved this cake. It is one of my favorites as well and I often top it with cream cheese frosting.
Great flavor but not cooked in the middle…..despite toothpick coming out clean! Will bake in a tube pan next time! And there will be a next time!
Hi Kay, That is odd. What flour blend did you use and how runny was your cake batter? Did you substitute any ingredients?
I’ve been trying out more gf recipes for my nephew who can’t have gluten. This banana cake turned out great!! It was the perfect level of sweetness and he really loved it warmed up with some butter or peanut butter.
I am so glad your nephew enjoyed this cake. Thank you so much for coming back to let me know. I will have to top it with peanut butter for my husband next time.