Salted Caramel Banana Cake (gf)
This easy, gluten free banana cake recipe couldn’t be more delicious! If you love banana bread and vanilla cake, then you’re going to love this recipe.
TELL ME MORE ABOUT THIS CAKE!
I love, love, love banana bread, but recently I wanted to bake a banana CAKE and that’s where this recipe comes from. Just imagine how delicious it would be if banana bread and vanilla cake had a baby…but you don’t have to imagine. You can just make this recipe!
This simple banana cake recipe is not only easy, but it’s also gluten free! How cool is that? Yup, we use almond flour as the dry base for our banana cake, along with wholesome ingredients like maple syrup and honey in place of refined sugar.
And this cake isn’t just tasty, it’s also moist, lightly sweet, and slathered in cream cheese frosting that’s drizzled with salted caramel sauce. Drool.
HOW TO MAKE THIS GLUTEN FREE BANANA CAKE
This gluten free banana cake is super easy to make! All you have to do is mix the batter, and then spread the cake batter into a pan and bake for about 35 minutes. Allow the cake to cool completely before slathering it with cream cheese frosting and salted caramel sauce.
This banana cake tastes great on its own, but it tastes ESPECIALLY good with the cream cheese frosting and salted caramel combo. You don’t have to add these toppings, but you might regret it if you don’t!
CARAMEL INGREDIENTS
almond butter, or cashew butter
maple syrup
coconut oil
coarse salt
CAKE INGREDIENTS
almond flour
cinnamon
ripe bananas
coconut oil
eggs
honey
maple syrup
vanilla
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING INGREDIENTS
cream cheese, dairy or non-dairy
vanilla extract
maple syrup
HOW LONG DOES THIS CAKE TAKE TO MAKE?
There are three steps to making this easy banana cake at home:
Mixing the cake batter, which takes about 10 minutes
Whipping the cream cheese frosting, which takes about 5 minutes
Making the caramel, which takes about 5 minutes
The cake will bake for about 35 minutes. After it cools completely, spread the cream cheese frosting and caramel on top.
DO I HAVE TO USE BOTH MAPLE SYRUP AND HONEY?
You do not have to use both honey and maple syrup for this recipe. You can choose to use just one for the entirety of this recipe.
I really like the combination of honey and maple syrup, though. The richness of the honey and the caramel flavor of the maple syrup is such a perfect balance. However, if you only have one on hand or don’t want to go through the trouble of using an extra ingredient, you can certainly use whichever you prefer.
HOW DO YOU STORE THIS BANANA CAKE?
Cover the cake loosely with plastic wrap or with a domed glass lid. It will keep fresh in the fridge for about three days. It tastes great cold or room temperature!
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Gluten Free Banana Cake
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 c almond flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 c coconut oil, melted
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/4 c maple syrup*
- 1/4 c honey
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 12 oz cream cheese, room temperature*
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp - 1/4 c maple syrup, to taste
- 1/2 c almond butter*
- 1/4 c maple syrup
- 1/4 c coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 tsp coarse salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8" or 9" baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate medium bowl, mix together the coconut oil, bananas, eggs, honey, maple syrup, and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring it together until it forms a batter. The batter will be thick.
- Pour the cake batter into the baking pan, smoothing the top so it's flat.
- Bake for about 35-40 minutes, until the cake is lightly browned and the center is firm to the touch.
- Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely on a rack.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, vanilla, and maple syrup until fluffy. You may want to start with the lesser amount of maple syrup, and add more to your desired sweetness.
- Spread the cream cheese frosting on top of the cooled banana cake.
- Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl until smooth.
- Drizzle the sauce on top of the cake, and serve.
Notes
- You could certainly use only maple syrup or only honey to sweeten this cake, but I like the unique flavors that come from using both.
- Feel free to use a non-dairy cream cheese to keep this recipe dairy-free.
- Almond butter or cashew butter are great choices for the base of the caramel sauce because of their neutral flavor, but you can use any nut butter you'd like!
I started salt n sprinkles to show that making good food is both fun and easy to do. My recipes are mostly plant-based, and always delicious. I know you'll find just what you're looking for!