This easy and moist eggless banana cake recipe is made with milk and pantry staples. No eggs and no egg substitutes required! It’s a simple, single layer cake that’s made in an 8-inch round cake pan. With cinnamon and sweet banana flavor, it’s tasty enough to serve on its own or top it with a homemade cream cheese frosting. It can easily be made dairy-free and vegan by making a few basic ingredient swaps!
Table of contents
Like my banana cake with oil recipe, making a banana cake without eggs is quite easy. You just need the right combination of leavening ingredients and the right amount of moisture so the cake turns out perfectly soft and tender.
I love this banana cake on its own but a basic cream cheese frosting is also delicious. If you want something a little extra, this peanut butter cream cheese frosting is rich, silky smooth and creamy, made with just 4 ingredients, and there’s a vegan option in the recipe.
What makes this recipe so good?
- Perfect rise. You don’t need any eggs for this cake to rise and there are no egg substitutes required. A combination of baking powder, baking soda and a little apple cider vinegar work together for leavening.
- Moist and tender. You also don’t miss the moisture from the eggs as the oil, milk and banana create the perfect soft and tender texture without making the cake spongy.
- Easily made vegan. The only dairy in this recipe is the milk in the cake and cream cheese and butter in the frosting. To make this cake vegan, all you need to do is replace the milk with an unsweetened plant-based option (I usually use almond milk) and use plant-based cream cheese and butter for the frosting. You can also just leave the cake unfrosted.
Ingredients and substitutions
Below is a brief overview of some of the ingredients and recommended substitutions. The recipe card at the end of this post includes the exact quantities used.
- Bananas – You’re going to want to use overly ripe bananas with plenty of brown spots. This ensures the bananas add maximum banana flavor and sweetness to the cake. As a bonus, they’re also much easier to mash. I’ve tried the trick of ripening bananas quickly in the oven, and while it works for texture, I just didn’t find it added the same level of flavor and sweetness to the cake.
- Apple cider vinegar – To assist with leavening and help create a more tender crumb, a little apple cider vinegar is added which reacts with the baking soda. You can substitute with table vinegar or even freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Oil – I used olive oil for this recipe but if you prefer baking with more neutral oils, like canola oil or vegetable oil, that works too.
- Vanilla – You can use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. I typically just use vanilla extract in my recipes, but I had some paste on hand, so I decided to add it to the frosting for a more pronounced vanilla flavor. (The flecks of vanilla in the frosting also looked pretty)!
How to make banana cake without eggs
Below is a brief overview of the steps to make this recipe along with photos. For further details, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.
Measuring ingredients
For convenience, US cup measurements are included in the recipe card for this recipe. To ensure greater accuracy, however, weight and volume measurements are also provided. So, if you see grams (g), you’ll want to use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, and if you see milliliters (ml), you’ll want to use a liquid measuring cup. Smaller quantities of ingredients are provided in teaspoons and tablespoons.
Storage and freezing tips
- Room temperature: If you prefer the cake unfrosted, you can store it covered on the counter for 4-5 days.
- Refrigerate: If the cake is frosted, it should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge where it will last for 5-7 days.
- Freeze: To freeze the unfrosted cake, let it fully cool and then wrap it in 2-3 layers of plastic wrap and place it in a resealable bag before freezing. If the cake is frosted, I prefer to portion it into individual slices and freeze in a single layer in a freezer safe container. Either way, the frozen cake will last for 2-3 months.
Key recipe tips
- Line the bottom and sides of the cake pan with parchment paper. Overall, this helps to release the cake from the pan without it sticking. Lining the sides also helps prevent the sides of the cake from browning too much and prevents the batter from climbing the sides of the pan.
- Be careful not to over mix the batter. That’s why we’re not using an electric mixer. Use a whisk for the wet ingredients, but once you add the dry ingredients, switch to a spatula and gently fold in until just combined. It’s okay if the batter looks a bit lumpy. If you over mix, the batter will be thin and the cake may sink in the middle. It will also end up with a denser, more doughy texture.
Recipe FAQs
If you don’t have an 8-inch round cake pan, you can use a 9-inch round pan. Just note that the cake won’t be as tall and you’ll need to reduce the baking time by about 8-10 minutes. I haven’t tested this recipe in a loaf pan yet.
Aside from over mixing, which I mention above, another reason this cake may sink in the middle is opening the door too early to check on the cake. The loss of heat may cause the cake to deflate. If the cake is under baked, it will also start to sink in the middle as it cools.
More cake recipes made without eggs
- Air Fryer Cake (an eggless chocolate depression cake made entirely in the air fryer)
- Orange Spice Cake (a warmly spiced egg-free cake with orange cream cheese frosting)
- Chai Spice Cake (a vegan chai cake with coconut milk frosting)
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below!
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Print
Easy and Moist Eggless Banana Cake Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cooling Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 52 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American, Canadian
Description
This easy and moist eggless banana cake recipe is made with basic ingredients and topped with cream cheese frosting. No egg substitutes needed!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 1/2 cups (190g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) milk (minus 1/2 tablespoon)
- 1/2 cup (115g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (55g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) olive oil
- 3/4 cup (205g) mashed banana (about 2 over ripe medium bananas)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- 4 ounces (113g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (180g) powdered sugar (plus more, if necessary)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add the vinegar to a measuring cup. Pour in enough milk to reach half a cup. Stir together and let sit for 5 minutes.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and granulated sugar. I like to do this first to ensure there are no lumps in the brown sugar.
- Add the oil and whisk together with the sugars. Whisk in the milk/vinegar mixture, mashed banana and vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Switch to a spatula and fold in the dry ingredients until just combined. Be careful not to over mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until browned and a tooth pick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the frosting, use an electric mixer to cream together the cream cheese and butter. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy. (Add more powdered sugar if you prefer a sweeter and thicker frosting).
- Spread the frosting onto the cooled cake. Store in the fridge until ready to slice and serve.
Notes
- It’s okay if the batter looks a bit lumpy. If you over mix, the batter will be thin and the cake may sink in the middle. It will also end up with a denser, more doughy texture.
- Lining the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper helps prevent sticking and over browning. Greasing it first helps the parchment paper stick to the pan.
- To make this recipe dairy-free and vegan, substitute the milk in the batter with unsweetened plant-based milk such as almond milk and replace the cream cheese and butter in the frosting with plant-based alternatives.
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