This vegan banana spice cake with cashew buttercream is just sweet enough, made with spelt flour, and really healthy. A smooth and luscious cashew ‘buttercream’ tops it all off.
I’ve been feeling restless lately. Anyone else? I’m ready to shake things up, yet I can’t decide where to go or what to do. It’s not to say that I’m unhappy with my current situation. However, I feel as though I’m caught in my comfort zone, where I’m not actively chasing a goal that scares me. Sad though it may sound, I have allowed myself to become content with mediocrity this winter. As someone with perfectionist tendencies, it does feel strange to be utterly content doing less–and I suppose, in a way, it’s been freeing. And yet, I haven’t done anything that scares me since I completed my first marathon in the fall. I don’t think there is necessarily anything wrong with not having a big, scary goal at all times– in fact, I’d wager that it’s healthy not to be constantly in pursuit of bigger and better– but I think it’s time for me to set a new big, scary goal. More on that as I figure it out. 😉
But THIS Vegan Banana Spice Cake. (Was that transition awkward enough for you? Writing is hard sometimes.) While it might not hold all the answers, I’m almost certain that it will make your day a little brighter. Behold the veganized and spiced up version of my favourite birthday cake. It’s moist, lightly spiced, sweet, and the equal parts dense and fluffy. The cashew buttercream really takes it over the top–imagine a veganized cream cheese icing using only whole foods and natural sweeteners! It blends up into creamy bliss in a high speed blender, and after about an hour in the freezer, it’s ready to be whipped and put onto the cake. I iced this cake generously, as you can see from the photos, because that is how I roll. Go big or go home, baby!
Banana Spice Cake
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 9 slices 1x
Description
A moist, dense cake that’s perfect for both snacking and special occasions.
Ingredients
- 1 flax egg (1 tbsp flax plus 2.5 tbsp water)
- ¼ cup virgin coconut oil
- ⅓ cup raw cane sugar or coconut sugar
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¾ cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 medium)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups light/white spelt flour (or ¾ cup all-purpose flour + ¾ cup whole spelt flour)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- ¼ tsp ginger
- ⅛ tsp cloves
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1 batch Cashew Buttercream (recipe follows)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly grease a 8×8-inch square baking dish with coconut oil.
- In a small bowl, prepare the flax egg and set it aside to ‘gel.’
- In a large bowl, cream together coconut oil and sugar. Mix in maple syrup, flax egg, and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
- Pour the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients and stir just until flour is incorporated. Fold in the rolled oats.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely before frosting.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Snack
- Cuisine: Vegan
Cashew Buttercream
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 ½ cups, enough for one 8×8-inch cake 1x
Description
A vegan cream cheese-style frosting made in your blender.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews, soaked in cool water for 8 hours or hot water for 1 hour, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp virgin coconut oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 118 mL coconut cream (1 small can)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix or Blendtec, scraping down sides as needed, and blend until very smooth and creamy. This may take a few minutes.
- Place icing in a glass container, cover, and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour, until beginning to firm up.
- Empty the icing into a mixing bowl. Beat until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use. This icing does not remain firm at room temperature, so it’s best to frost cake right before serving.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Vegan
If you make this cake, take a photo and post it to Instagram with @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen!
Yvette
Hi! Could this be done with coconut flour instead?
Allison
Hi Yvette! I have only tried it with spelt flour, so I cannot guarantee that it will work with coconut flour. If you give it a try, let me know how it turned out and I can include modifications in the recipe notes! 🙂
Erin
I made this for my son’s birthday cake (he loves bananas). It turned out great. The icing wasn’t quite like a cream cheese frosting, but it was still firm enough after being in the freezer for a bit.
★★★★★
Allison
Aw, that’s so sweet, Erin! Glad you made it for such a special celebration.