Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

The banana cake is vegan, the frosting isn’t although one can use vegan cream cheese and it would be. I prefer to use the real stuff, I don’t care for that the fake stuff is hydrogenated! The cake takes a very long time to bake but the payment is a very moist treat!

Banana Cake

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups mashed bananas (about 3-4)
• 2 tsp lemon or lime juice (bottled is fine)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ¾ cup Earth Balance buttery stick
• 2 cups + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp flax-seed meal + 9 Tbsp water
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1½ cups unsweetened almond or soy milk + 1½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 275° and spray a 9×13 glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In a small bowl mix the banana and lemon juice, set aside.

Sift the flour baking soda and salt together in a bowl, set aside.

Stir the water and flax-seed meal together.

Mix the milk and vinegar to curdle, set aside.

In a stand mixer bowl cream the butter and sugar together until light, slowly add the flax-seed meal slurry until combined, then add the vanilla.

Add the flour alternately with the milk, beating on low. Add in the bananas and beat in.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 to 2 hours. It will depend on your oven! I started checking at 1 hour and my cake took 1 40 minutes to bake. Look for golden brown and a toothpick coming out clean.

Let cool a bit and then flip out onto a cooling rack, then flip over using a second cooling rack. Let cool fully and then frost.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 stick Earth Balance buttery stick (or butter)
• 8 ounce package lower fat cream cheese
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3½ cups powdered sugar
• Finely diced walnuts for topping (about ¼ cup)

Directions:

Add the butter and cream cheese to a stand mixer, beat until combined. Add in the vanilla on low and then slowly add in the sugar, beating until smooth. Let chill a bit in the refrigerator and then frost the cake. Garnish with walnuts if desired.

Store the cake in the refrigerator. It becomes moister  overnight!

~Sarah