This vegan banana sheet cake with chocolate chips, pecans and peanut butter glaze is moist, tender and full of banana flavour. It is also so easy to make with simple ingredients and perfect for feeding a crowd!
This easy vegan banana traybake cake is essentially banana bread in sheet cake form. Soft, moist and tender, with a delicious lightly spiced banana flavour, it is loaded with chocolate chips and pecans for a super satisfying bite.
I topped it with a simple sticky peanut butter glaze; this is totally optional of course, it is fantastic plain, but it would also work really well topped with vanilla or chocolate buttercream.
Ingredient Details:
Bananas: I recommend weighing out the banana for the best results. 420g is around 4 medium-large bananas. Make sure that they are very ripe, with lots of brown spots.
Plain (all-purpose) flour: Just regular plain flour is best here but you can swap up to a third of it for wholemeal flour if you like. I haven't tested this cake gluten-free but I suspect that it would work ok with a gluten-free flour blend plus ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum if the flour doesn’t already contain it.
Sugar: I prefer to use light brown soft sugar, but dark brown, caster or granulated would all be fine. Do not swap the sugar for sweeteners or liquid sugars.
Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda): You need to use both, they are not interchangeable.
Oil: Use an oil that is liquid at room temperature such as olive, sunflower, vegetable, canola or avocado. You can also use melted vegan block butter instead (not the spreadable kind in a tub).
Milk: Any variety of unsweetened non-dairy milk will work (except tinned coconut milk) but I like soy milk the best for baking as it has the highest protein content.
Vinegar: A little bit of vinegar reacts with the bicarbonate of soda to help the banana bread rise. You could swap it for a teaspoon of lemon juice if you don't have vinegar.
Vanilla: Optional but recommended.
Spices: I like to add cinnamon and nutmeg but feel free to vary these to suit you.
Chocolate chips and nuts: Totally optional but I love to add chocolate chips and chopped pecans or walnuts for flavour and texture.
For The Glaze:
Peanut butter: A creamy peanut butter (i.e. with added oils) rather than a natural one is best so that the glaze isn't too runny.
How To Make Vegan Banana Sheet Cake:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
- Step 1: Mash the banana really well then whisk in the sugar, oil, milk, vinegar and vanilla extract.
- Step 2: Sift together the plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Step 3: Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir with a balloon whisk until combined.
- Step 4: Fold in the chocolate chips and pecans.
- Step 5: Pour into a lined 23 x 33cm tin.
- Step 6: Bake for 30 minutes.
Top Tips:
USE SCALES. As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scales rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
For the teaspoon and Tablespoon measurements, please use proper measuring spoons, not just regular spoons. A teaspoon is 5ml and a Tablespoon is 15ml.
FAQ's:
Keep this vegan banana sheet cake in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to five days.
Yes this vegan banana sheet cake freezes really well, either whole or in slices. Allow it to cool completely before freezing, either well wrapped or in a freezer-proof container. Store for up to three months. Allow to defrost at room temperature before serving.
If you are freezing it in advance of serving then I recommend freezing it without the glaze.
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Vegan Banana Sheet Cake
Equipment
- 23 x 33 cm/9 x 13 in cake tin
Ingredients
Banana Sheet Cake
- 420 g very ripe banana (about 4 medium bananas)
- 200 g (1 cup) light brown soft sugar
- 147 g (⅔ cup) olive, sunflower, vegetable or avocado oil (OR use 155g (⅔ cup) melted vegan block butter)
- 120 g (½ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 350 g (3 cups minus 1 Tablespoon) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 150 g (scant 1 cup) chocolate chips
- 125 g (1 cup) pecans or walnuts roughly chopped
Peanut Glaze
- 120 g (½ cup) creamy peanut butter
- 100 g (1 cup minus 2 Tablespoons) icing (powdered) sugar
- 60 g (¼ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180℃/160℃ fan/350℉/gas mark 4. Line 23 x 33 cm/9 x 13 in cake tin with baking paper.
- Mash the banana really well in a large bowl then whisk in the brown sugar, oil or melted butter, milk, vinegar and vanilla extract.420 g very ripe banana (about 4 medium bananas), 200 g (1 cup) light brown soft sugar, 147 g (⅔ cup) olive, sunflower, vegetable or avocado oil , 120 g (½ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy), 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Sift together the plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.350 g (3 cups minus 1 Tablespoon) plain (all-purpose) flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¾ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir with a balloon whisk until just combined. Finally fold in the chocolate chips and pecans.150 g (scant 1 cup) chocolate chips, 125 g (1 cup) pecans or walnuts
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and spread it level. Bake for about 30 minutes until firm and springy to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre (avoiding any chocolate chips) comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes then carefully turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
- If you are making the glaze, place the peanut butter in a bowl and stir in the icing sugar. Heat the milk until it is steaming, then gradually whisk in enough to form a thick glaze consistency, you may not need all of it.120 g (½ cup) creamy peanut butter, 100 g (1 cup minus 2 Tablespoons) icing (powdered) sugar, 60 g (¼ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- Spread the glaze over the cake, cut into squares and serve.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details, storage instructions and step-by-step photos.
- As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
- For the best results, please weigh out the banana.
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
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