Gluten-Free Banana Cake (Paleo)

This easy recipe for Gluten-Free Banana Cake creates an irresistible snack or dessert. A fluffy, moist almond flour banana cake is smothered with a dairy-free cream cheese frosting.

And yes, the whole recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free and Paleo friendly.

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Why this recipe works

In the pantheon of cakes, banana cake is fairly underrated. Everyone always thinks of chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, etc. But a banana cake is just as satisfying.

Unfortunately, it’s made with flour, butter and other ingredients some of us can’t tolerate or try to avoid. So I created this gluten-free dairy-free banana cake recipe so almost everyone can enjoy it.

Out goes the normal flour and instead we’ll use almond flour. It retains the protein, healthy fats and fiber of almonds, making this cake slightly healthier and more filling. And because it retains those healthy fats, it’s more moist than all-purpose flour, so much so that we don’t need to add any butter or butter substitute at all!

In fact, to create that perfectly fluffy, moist cake texture, we’re also adding arrowroot flour/starch. Plus we’ll add a pinch of cinnamon to the dry ingredients just to round out the flavor without making it too cinnamon-y.

For the wet ingredients, in addition to the mashed bananas and eggs, we’re using coconut sugar as the sweetener. But you can also use honey or maple syrup. All three options are refined sugar-free.

Finally, I like to top it with my dairy-free “cream cheese” frosting. But this is just as good with my dairy-free chocolate frosting (but cut the recipe in half).

And that’s how easy it is to make a banana cake gluten free and dairy-free!

What you need

Ingredients for the cake:

• 2 cups superfine blanched almond flour – I use the “scoop and level” method for measuring almond flour. Do not use almond meal.
• ¼ cup arrowroot flour/starch – This absorbs some of the almond flour’s moisture, creating a more cake-like texture.
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon – You’ll barely notice it, but this helps round out the flavor, keeping it from being too bland and one-dimensional.
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda – This will react with the lemon juice to help the cake rise.
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt – Yes, even desserts need a little salt to bring out the flavors!
• ½ cup mashed banana – You’ll need about 2 medium bananas, almost entirely black or yellow with a lot of black spots. If your bananas aren’t ripe enough, put them in a sealed paper bag 1-2 days before making the recipe to help them ripen faster.
• 2 large eggs, room temperature – If your eggs are still cold from the fridge, submerge them in very warm water for 5 minutes.
• ½ cup coconut sugar – This is just enough to make this cake sweet without making it too sweet.
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice – This reacts with the baking soda to help the cake rise.
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract – Like the cinnamon, this helps round out the flavor.
• olive oil spray or avocado oil spray for the baking dish

For the frosting:

• ¾ cups raw cashews – This plus the coconut cream creates the base for a dairy-free version of cream cheese frosting.
• ⅓ cup coconut cream – Chill a can of full-fat unsweetened coconut milk in the fridge for at least 24 hours, then scoop off the cream at the top and measure out ⅓ cup.
• 3½ tablespoons pure maple syrup or honey
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil – You can use refined or unrefined, but unrefined might have a more pronounced coconut flavor. No need to melt it.
• 1½ tablespoons lemon juice – This adds that slight tanginess that cream cheese has.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Equipment for the cake:

• a large mixing bowl
• a medium mixing bowl
• a small mixing bowl
• a whisk
• a spatula (the kind for stirring, not flipping)
• measuring spoons
• measuring cups
• a fork or potato masher
• a fine-mesh sieve (if your almond flour is lumpy)
• an 8×8″ baking dish (or other 2-quart baking dish)

Equipment for the frosting:

• a small saucepan
• a powerful blender or food processor
• measuring spoons
• measuring cups
• a spatula (the kind for stirring, not flipping)
• a strainer or colander
• a small offset spatula for spreading the frosting
• a small offset spatula

How to make Gluten-Free Banana Cake

For the cake:

Step 1: Heat the oven to 350° F.

Step 2: Grease the 8×8″ baking dish with olive oil spray or avocado oil spray.

Step 3: In a large bowl, whisk the almond flour (sifting through a fine-mesh sieve first if it’s lumpy), arrowroot, cinnamon, baking soda and salt until blended.

Step 4: In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher. Measure out ½ cup and add it to a medium bowl. Save any leftover mashed banana for another use (like a smoothie).

Step 5: In the bowl with the mashed bananas, add the eggs, coconut sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. Whisk until combined.

Step 6: Pour the banana mixture into the almond flour mixture and stir until completely blended. A few lumps are fine.

Step 7: Pour the batter into the prepared dish and bake for 25-28 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out without any raw batter clinging to it (but some crumbs are fine). Let cool completely.

For the frosting:

Step 1: Fill a small saucepan about ⅔ full with water and bring to a boil. Add the cashews and boil for 15 minutes, then drain in a strainer or colander and rinse.

Step 2: Add the cashews to a blender or food processor and blend until fairly smooth, about 1-2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary.

Step 3: Add the coconut cream, maple syrup or honey, coconut oil, lemon juice and vanilla. Blend until completely smooth, about 2-4 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides every minute or so. You want to make sure the mixture is as smooth as possible so don’t rush this step.

Step 4: Spread the frosting over the cooled cake (I like to use a small offset spatula but a regular spatula is fine too). If making the frosting in the food processor, it might be fairly runny. If you want it to set up more, chill the frosted cake in the fridge for an hour or so. Then cut into squares and enjoy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

You might also like:

1. Paleo Chocolate Cake with Paleo Chocolate Frosting (gluten-free)
2. Paleo Blueberry Cake (gluten-free)
3. Paleo Carrot Cake (gluten-free)
4. Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Banana Bread
5. Almond Flour Banana Cookies (gluten-free, Paleo)

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