These decadent rich gluten free banana cake is made with maple and pecans. It is bursting with flavor! Make it as a sheet cake, layer cake, or cupcakes. It is quick and easy. Enjoy it in only 40 minutes!
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I am so excited about my new easy gluten free banana cake recipe. It is so moist and full of ripe banana and maple flavors. It is perfect for fall, or any time in the year.
Mr. Fearless Dining told me to use up the bananas that were getting brown on our counter. Bananas ripen so quickly!
We are self-proclaimed cake fanatics. If you love cake as much as we do, check out all of my amazing gluten free cake recipes!
Why this gluten free banana cake is so awesome:
- It is full of sweet ripe banana flavors. Need I say more?
- You can add fun mix-ins like chocolate chips or caramel bits.
- It is absolutely delicious frosted, but it also tastes incredible plain!
- This cake made freezes so easily. All you have to do is thaw it when you are ready to enjoy .
- I include some fun swap tips if you would like this cake to be healthy.
If you love bananas, you may also love this easy Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Chip Bars recipe!
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.
- 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.
- Butter - Use a dairy-free butter if you are dairy-free.
- Pecans - I used pecans, but you can also use walnuts.
Healthy swaps:
- Swap out the brown sugar for coconut sugar. It has a lower glycemic index and helps prevent the sugar buzz effect.
- Swap ⅓ cup of the gluten free flour blend for ⅓ cup of almond flour and 2 tablespoon 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.
Tips 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 couple of 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.
Recipe step by step directions:
You will need mashed banana for this recipe. You can mash bananas with a potato masher or a simple fork! Preheat your oven to 350º F.
Step 1: Add your dry ingredients 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.
Step 2: In a large measuring cup or 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 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!
Step 4: Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper, or grease it with spray coconut oil. Pour the banana cake batter in to the pan and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
Step 5: Bake the cake at 350º F for 30 minutes. Note actual baking time will vary depending if you are baking this cake in an 8x8 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.
Step 6: Allow the cake to cool, make frosting if you are going to frost it. See below for some delicious flavors of frosting to make!
Frosting options:
- The Vanilla Buttercream Frosting from my Gluten Free Vanilla Cake recipe.
- My easy Cream Cheese Frosting from my Gluten Free Carrot Cake recipe
- This creamy Coconut Buttercream Frosting.
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
A gluten free banana cake is going to be lighter and fluffier than gluten free banana bread.
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.
You can easily make this banana cake with no eggs by substituting an egg replacer like Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer.
This cake is very easy to make dairy-free banana cake. Just swap a light oil or vegan butter for the butter.
This gluten free banana cake will keep fresh in the refrigerator up to 3 days in an air-tight container. You can freeze it up to 4 months.
Need more bananas?? Try this Gluten Free Banana Donuts recipe!
Storage:
To store this gluten free banana cake, you can store it in your refrigerator for up to 3 days in an air-tight container, or store it 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
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Banana Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 bananas ripe
- ½ cup butter * see notes
- 2 eggs large
- ¼ cup maple syrup * see notes
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup non-dairy milk
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- You will need mashed bananas for this recipe. You can mash bananas with a potato masher or a simple fork! Preheat your oven to 350º F.
- Add your dry ingredients 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. Do not make the butter too hot. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and whisk.
- 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 8x8 pan with parchment paper, or grease it with spray coconut oil. Pour the batter in and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
- Bake the cake at 350º F for 30 minutes. Note actual baking time will vary depending on if you are baking this cake in an 8x8 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.
- I recommend using our maple syrup, it makes a big difference in flavor!
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter.
- I used almond milk but other dairy-free kinds of milk will work but I do not recommend canned coconut milk.
- To make this cake nut-free, omit the pecans and use nut-free milk.
- This cake will keep for up to 4 days in an air-tight 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.
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