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Damn Good Peanut Butter Banana Cake (gluten free, grain free)
5 from 179 votes

Damn Good Peanut Butter Banana Cake (gluten free, grain free)

This peanut butter banana cake blends ripe bananas and creamy peanut butter with almond and coconut flours to yield a moist, gluten- and grain-free dessert. The batter includes natural sweeteners and chocolate chips folded in for texture and mild sweetness. A rich peanut butter frosting finishes the cake, adding a smooth, nutty contrast. Baking in smaller pans helps ensure even cooking with a tender crumb inside and lightly browned exterior.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Dessert, Cake

Ingredients

  • Wet ingredients
  • 3 banana very overripe medium, mashed (1 ¼ cup mashed overripe banana
  • 4 egg large, at room temperature
  • ¾ cup maple syrup pure
  • ¾ cup peanut butter natural creamy, only peanuts & salt as ingredients
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Dry ingredients
  • 2 cups blanched almond flour super fine, packed (I use Bob's Red Mill
  • ½ cup coconut flour 56 g, do not pack
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips dairy free if desired
  • FOR THE FROSTING:
  • ½ cup butter at room temperature, or sub vegan butter
  • ½ cup peanut butter natural creamy, just peanuts + salt
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2-3 tablespoons almond milk unsweetened, or milk of choice; to make the frosting creamy
  • To garnish the cake:
  • mini chocolate chips around the edges of the cake

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of three 6-inch round cake pans or two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper rounds. Spray parchment paper and sides of pan with nonstick cooking spray. YOU SHOULD USE PARCHMENT PAPER or the cake is likely to stick. Please do not forget.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together mashed bananas, eggs, pure maple syrup, peanut butter and vanilla extract until smooth.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and salt together. Set aside. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. Fold in mini chocolate chips.
  4. Divide batter evenly between pans and spread out with a spatula to smooth the tops. Bake for 20-30 minutes if using two 8-inch pans and 25-35 minutes for three 6-inch pans. Cakes are done when a tester comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Allow cake to cool completely before frosting or removing from the pans. The cake should be room temperature or cold when you frost it. This is very important. Cakes can be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge if you’d like.
  5. Make your frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the softened butter and peanut butter and whip on high until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and 2 tablespoons almond milk. Beat slow at first, then increase speed to high and beat for approximately two minutes. Frosting should be nice and creamy, if you want it extra creamy, add another tablespoon of almond milk and beat again.
  6. Now it’s time to frost the cake: place about 1-2 tablespoons down onto the cake stand and spread out. Invert 1 cake onto the cake stand, add about ½ heaping cup frosting between each layer, repeat with each cake, then frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. If you’d like, you can do a crumb coat for the frosting first (to avoid crumbs in the frosting) by doing the following: Frost the layers as you normally would and then coat the outside of the cake with a very thin layer of frosting and place in fridge for 10-15 minutes before you finish frosting. This is so that the crumbs stick to this layer of frosting and not your main layer.
  7. Cake will stay good for 5-7 days in the fridge, and should be covered to ensure freshness. Serves 16.

Notes

  • Use vegan butter and dairy-free chocolate chips to make the frosting dairy-free.
  • For a vegan version, substitute eggs with flax eggs: mix 4 tablespoons flaxseed meal with 12 tablespoons water and let sit before adding to the batter.
  • Line pans with parchment paper and spray well to prevent sticking when baking this cake.
  • Ensure bananas are very ripe to provide natural sweetness and moisture.
  • Allow cake to cool completely before applying frosting for best results.