This cake is quite literally the cake of my dreams. I had an actual dream that this cake existed so I decided to make it so. This Vegan Strawberry Banana Cake is the "that girl" of layer cakes. Moist banana cake layers slathered in tangy strawberry frosting topped with fresh strawberries!? Truly THE cake of the summer.
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Vegan Strawberry Banana Cake Ingredients
I know layer cakes can be intimidating to bake and assemble but I promise you, if I could manage it so can you. The following ingredients are inexpensive and easily found in the grocery store.
Banana Cake Dry Ingredients
- All Purpose Flour: Standard all purpose flour works great for layer cakes. It makes for light, sturdy cake layers which leads to both great taste and structure.
- Sugar: Granulated, white sugar is great in cake baking. It produces a nice crumb texture and "crust" when the cake is baked.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder provides the leavening power when baking cakes. Without baking powder our cake layers wouldn't rise in the oven. Baking powder begins releasing carbon dioxide in the batter and then expands more evenly while baking.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda needs an acidic and liquid ingredient to activate. Here, we are using baking powder and soda together as we need more leavening than we have acid available in the recipe.
- Sea Salt: Salt is a known flavor enhancer and banana cake is no exception. In addition to amplifying the flavor, salt works to strengthen the batter and provide texture.
Banana Cake Wet Ingredients
- Mashed Banana: The amount of bananas you will need will depend on their size. This could be anywhere from 3-4 bananas. Be sure to use ripe, spotty ones!
- Nondairy Milk: Any nondairy milk can be used here. The choice is up to you. Unsweetened and unflavored work best but use what you have on hand.
- Canola Oil: Canola oil is a great fat to use when baking. It is very inexpensive and completely flavorless.
- Vinegar: The purpose of the vinegar in this recipe is to react with the baking soda. The acid in the vinegar reacts with the baking soda to produce a binding effect as well as rise. You can use white or apple cider vinegar.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract will chemically add more flavor to the cake without becoming a distraction. Important for good flavor balance.
Strawberry Frosting Ingredients
- Non-hydrogenated Shortening: This shortening is free of hydrogenated trans fats! It is a wonderful, dairy free alternative to butter when making frosting due to its rigid structure. If you can't find it in the grocery store it is easily purchased online.
- Vegan Butter: When it comes to frosting I like to add a little bit of vegan butter for flavor and creaminess. Without it the frosting wouldn't be as tasty or as easily spread.
- Strawberry Powder: Strawberry powder is made by pulsing freeze dried strawberries in a food processor until they turn to dust. It will give your frosting a concentrated strawberry flavor without any artificial taste.
- Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar is the only sugar you should ever be using when you make buttercream frosting. Try to purchase a brand that is particularly light and airy in quality. If there are hard lumps in the sugar be sure to sift it prior to adding it to your frosting.
- Nondairy Milk: A small amount of nondairy milk is needed here for spreadability reasons. Try to choose something unsweetened and flavorless.
Tips for Making and Assembling a Vegan Strawberry Banana Cake
- When it comes to making a more labor-intensive recipe I try to break things up where I can. If you also would like to get ahead I would recommend baking your banana cake layers a day before you plan to use them. This will ensure they are totally cool and ready to frost and decorate the following day.
- If you find that you struggle with layer cake frosting and assembly, chill your cake layers overnight! I like to bake and cool my cake layers, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then place them in the fridge for at least 4 hours. This significantly reduces crumbing, making it for easier to level the cake layers (if desired) and stack and frost them as well.
- While leveling your cake layers isn't 100% necessary, I would encourage it. Leveling is the act of taking a sharp, serrated knife and carefully slicing off the rounded dome top of each of your cake layers. This will leave your layers nice and flat making them easier to frost and stack. It also makes the final result more aesthetically pleasing. Video tutorial here.
- If you are worried about your cake layers sliding around when you frost them, you can stick a chopstick or two (or three!) through the layers of your cake to keep them in place. This will help you frost the sides. If you don't want to go this route you can also purchase a cake turntable. This will allow you to maneuver your cake easily, helping you get into those hard to reach places.
How to Serve Vegan Strawberry Banana Cake
Once your cake is fully stacked, frosted and garnished there really aren't any more rules.
- You can cut it into pretty slices and serve with fresh berries and a scoop of ice cream.
- You can enjoy a piece with your morning or afternoon tea/coffee if you roll like that.
- You can even forget all about the slicing and dig straight in with a fork surrounded by your best friends.
I would personally go for option number three. I live for some unhinged cake eating myself.
How to Store a Vegan Strawberry Banana Cake
The best way to store a layer cake such as this is in an airtight container at room temperature. That said, a 3 layer cake is unlikely to fit under the lid of a standard cake stand. Fear not! I have a hack for you.
Place your cake on a large, flat plate or on a square of parchment paper. Take a large pot and flip it over the top of your cake. Make sure the pot is large enough to cover the cake without smooshing the frosting or toppings. Voila! Airtight storage.
You cake will stay fresh for 2-3 days like this. Individually wrapped, unfrosted cake layers can be frozen for up to 1 month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I put banana cake in the fridge?
When it comes to vegan banana cake, the choice of room temperature or refrigerator storage is completely up to you. As stated above, banana cake will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container at room temperature. The life of the cake is extended to 4-5 days if stored in a similar fashion in the fridge.
Why is my banana cake not moist?
When it comes to a cake's moistness, the ratio of wet to dry ingredients ingredients is the first place to look. Adding slightly more oil, milk, water, yogurt, etc. could have a positive impact on your cake's moisture level. It is also possible that you have over-baked your cake. This can occur if you leave your cake in the oven for too long or your oven is hotter than it is set to. A good way to test this is to invest in an oven thermometer.
Can you put fresh strawberries on top of a cake?
Yes! You can absolutely top a cake with fresh strawberries. If you are going to be serving the cake to a group of people (meaning you are unlikely to have leftovers), slice the strawberries and top the cake right before serving. If you believe you will have leftover cake, leave the strawberries whole when decorating the top of the cake or slice them in half and lay them cut side down. This will help maintain freshness.
PrintVegan Strawberry Banana Cake
Moist banana layer cake slathered in tangy, strawberry frosting and topped with fresh berries.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Bake Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 1 6 or 8-inch Layer Cake 1x
- Category: Cakes and Cupcakes
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
For the Banana Cake
3 c all purpose flour
1 ½ c sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1 ½ c mashed banana (about 4 bananas)
1 c nondairy milk
½ c canola oil
1 tbsp white or apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
For the Strawberry Frosting
1 c non-hydrogenated shortening
¼ c vegan butter
¼ c strawberry powder*
3 c powdered sugar
2 tbsp nondairy milk
fresh strawberries for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the Batter: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C) and line 3 6-inch or 2 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Set aside. In a large bowl combine all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt and whisk together. In a smaller bowl combine mashed banana, nondairy milk, canola oil, vinegar and vanilla and whisk vigorously until smooth. Pour wet ingredients into dry and whisk until just combined. Do not over-mix.
- Bake: Divide cake batter evenly between the prepared pans. Set cake pans on center rack of preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean with only a few crumbs clinging to it. Please keep in mind that the cakes will begin to appear golden around 20 minutes or so. Don’t be fooled. They are not done at this time! Allow cakes to cool for 30 minutes in pans before turning them out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely. This should take several hours.
- Make the Frosting: Prepare the frosting while the cakes cool. Add non-hydrogenated shortening and vegan butter to a large bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer until well-combined. Add strawberry powder to the bowl and beat again. You want to make sure that all of the mixture is a nice, light pink color. Add powdered sugar and nondairy milk to the bowl and beat until frosting comes together, about 1 minute.
- Frost and Assemble: Once cake is completely cool it is time to frost! If you would like to level your cake layers, now is the time to do so. This step is completely optional but aids in cake construction. How to video linked in blog post above. Place your bottom cake layer on a cake plate and spread a layer of frosting over the top using a butter knife or offset spatula. Place your second cake layer on top of the frosted layer and slather with more frosting. Repeat once more if you are making a 3 layer cake. Use the remainder of your frosting to carefully cover the sides of the cake.
- Decorate and Serve: Once your cake is completely frosted, top the cake with sliced strawberries and flowers if desired. When serving, be sure to use a sharp knife. Wipe it down with a damp cloth after each cut to keep your slices pretty and clean. Enjoy!
Notes
*Prepared cake will keep in an airtight container stored at room temperature for 2-3 days. Unfrosted cake layers can be frozen for up to 1 month.
*You can make strawberry powder yourself by taking freeze dried strawberries and pulsing them in a food processor until a fine, strawberry powder is created. I used about 1 cup of freeze dried berries to get ¼ cup of powder. I ran it through a fine mesh sieve before adding it to the frosting to catch larger clumps and seeds.
*If you have the time, I would recommend making your banana cake layers the night before you plan to frost your cake. Chill them in the refrigerator overnight. This will reduce crumbing making it easier for you to level and frost your cake.
If you make this recipe be sure to snap a picture and tag @censoredbaker on Instagram!
Laila says
I loved this recipe!!! I doubled the amt of chopped strawberries in the cake accidentally and also arranged tons of raspberries in the shape of little hearts on top, which caramelized so friggen well. Thank you so much! My non vegan sister wanted to eat this entire cake by herself!
Lyndsey says
Oh my goodness! I'm so, so glad you liked it! Thank you!