This healthy Banana Snack Cake is a delicious way to use up any overripe bananas you have on hand. It has an unbelievably fluffy texture, without using any flour or oil!
Why You’ll Love It
It’s fruit-sweetened. There’s no added honey or sweeteners required for this banana cake, since the mashed banana provides natural sweetness on their own. (Just make sure you’re using ripe bananas, with lots of black spots on the skin.)
It’s easy to customize. If you don’t have peanut butter on hand, you can use almond butter, cashew butter, or any other nut or seed butter you like. You can also add any mix-ins you like, such as fresh raspberries, blueberries, or some chocolate chips. (The chocolate chips turn this into my kids’ favorite healthy dessert!)
It’s gluten-free. Since this recipe doesn’t call for any flour, it’s naturally gluten-free. It’s also paleo friendly, if you swap the peanut butter for almond butter.
It’s easy to make. All you need is 1 bowl and about 10 minutes of effort to stir this cake together. Since it bakes all in one large dish, it’s quicker than making muffins!
It’s perfect for meal prep. Once you slice this banana cake, you can store the slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. It makes a quick snack or breakfast on the go!
Ingredients You’ll Need
The combination of mashed banana, peanut butter, and eggs give this cake its structure, without using flour. The fluffy texture is like magic!
This recipe originally called for baking soda, but over the years I’ve found that baking powder makes the cake rise slightly better. I’ve included notes in the recipe below, if you prefer one over the other.
Feel free to add in any other mix-ins you’d like for extra texture, such as pecans or walnuts, which would pair nicely with the banana flavor. You can also add in dried or fresh fruit!
How to Make Banana Snack Cake
1. Mash the bananas.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a large mixing bowl, add the peeled bananas and mash them will with a fork. They don’t have to become perfectly smooth, but the better you mash them, the more consistent the batter will be later.
2. Mix the batter.
To the large bowl, add in the eggs, peanut butter, vanilla extract, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir well, until the batter looks relatively smooth. (It’s okay if there are still some visible chunks of banana.)
Fold in a 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, if you like, or a handful of chopped nuts or dried fruit.
3. Bake.
Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with oil (use spray oil if you prefer). Pour the batter into the prepared pan, then use a spatula to smooth the top, and sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top.
Bake until the center feels firm to the touch, about 30 minutes at 350ºF. You can also test the center with a toothpick, to make sure it comes out clean.
4. Enjoy!
Let the banana snack cake cool completely in the pan, then it’s ready to slice. Slice it into 12 to 15 slices, and serve it slightly warm or at room temperature. It is reminiscent of banana bread, only it bakes faster!
Leftover cake slices can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. This cake is quite moist, but it will dry out if you leave it uncovered at room temperature for too long.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, feel free to experiment with other fruit or veggie purees! You can try applesauce for an apple spice flavor, or use pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice for more of a Fall recipe.
This flourless cake releases from the pan easily if you grease it well, but there will be a thin film that sticks to the pan. You can line the pan with parchment paper for easier clean-up, if you prefer, but it’s not 100% necessary with this recipe.
Flourless baking is very tricky when it comes to egg substitutes, so I don’t recommend using flax eggs instead of real eggs. Try my Vegan Banana Bread recipe if you want a gluten-free & vegan option.
If you are looking for a fruit-sweetened birthday cake, this is a great low-sugar option. You can frost it with Date-Sweetened Chocolate Buttercream, Vegan Ganache, Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting, or Coconut Whipped Cream, if you want an easy smash cake idea. You could even use date caramel as a filling!
Yes, if you don’t have the 9-by-13-inch pan, you can use two 8-inch cake pans, instead. In that case, the cakes might bake a little faster, in just 25 minutes or so.
Banana Snack Cake
Ingredients
- 3 large bananas , mashed (about 1 3/4 cup mashed)
- 1 cup peanut butter or almond butter
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with oil or cooking spray. In a large bowl, mash the peeled bananas with a fork until they look relatively smooth.
- Add in the nut butter, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and stir well, creating a slightly lumpy, cake-like batter. Fold in a 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, if using. (Reserve the rest for the top)
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use a spatula to spread it evenly across the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top, then bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes, or until the center of the cake feels firm to the touch.
- Let the banana cake cool completely in the pan, then slice it into 12 to 15 slices, depending on how large you'd like them to be. The slices can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this banana snack cake recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it.
This looks and sounds amazing! I love that you made it without any flour-that gets expensive.
I can’t wait to try this once I’m done with my Whole30 😉 Thanks for all your easy paleo recipes!
Pretty excited over here about this cake too, finally!!!! lost a few pounds but I’m starting to crave something sweet again. This is it! It’s getting to that point where I’m starting to feel deprived and I don’t want to feel this way! Thanks for another awesome recipe. And my sister can eat it and she has so many dietary restrictions.
Actually, the nut butter is far more expensive than flour would be. p-nut would be the least expensive, but the rest are not. I like using oat flour in place of wheat. Coconut is nice, but also quite expensive. I buy organic and grind them myself.
What a great idea!!
Costco has organic almond butter that is delicious and VERY affordable.
First let me say I love your recipes! I use them all the time with huge success with my family. I’m going to try this cake with the glaze you used on your chocolate donuts. It won’t be the same as boiled frosting, but I think it will go nicely.
I made this today–and it’s AWESOME..
Megan: How did you get 20 slices? Did you cut the pieces in half?
Big hit over here–it won’t last long! Thanks for sharing–so excited to get my cookbook:)
I cut it into 5 rows lengthwise, and then 4 rows along the shorter side, making 20 pieces– though this cake is healthy enough to serve larger slices, if you prefer! We’ve been gobbling it up over here. 🙂
OOPS–I FULLY used a bread loaf pan–OMG–fully read the pan wrong–it worked out–just had to cook longer!! LOL…Now I know how you got 20 pieces….
How much longer? I just got a new loaf pan that I want to try out. Thanks! 🙂
When I read this recipe this morning I was excited…I had 4 very ripe small bananas. I made it for my husband and when he came home from work he ate half the pan in about 15 minutes! At first he was wondering what was in it because he was expecting more dense banana bread texture. He asked if it was paleo and then kept eating. We really like them and will continue to make them. Thank you!
Wow. That’s great. I used tahini for nut butter and it came out excellent. Your next challenge?
I am also looking for recipes using amaranth.
Tahini!! Another great idea.. Thanks
How did it taste with tahini? More of a savoury vibe vs almond butter? Thank you!
I just made this as I happened to have three very ripe bananas on my counter. It is delicious!! I love that it’s flour free with no added sugar. Thanks Megan!!
I have been making this without the chocolate chips every week for the past 3 weeks! My husband loves it for breakfast!
YUM!
I have just made this, not sure I will get to find out how long it can be stored for before going off! My house smells fantastic and my tummy is shouting out for more!
Thank you for another amazing recipe! My 4-yr old daughter helped me make this today, and after eating it, she said she wants this for her birthday cake! Win win! And my house smells absolutely divine hours later. I anticipate your perfected frosting recipe later! 😉
Wow, it looks amazing! Thank you for the recipe! Youll really improve the chocolate frosting too =)
I’ve included the perfect chocolate “buttercream” recipe in my cookbook– I can’t wait to try it on this!
Delicious! I made it in a 8×8 pan and it turned out great, although I did lower the heat to 325 and baked a little longer. Also placed a sheet of tin foil over the top half way through baking to keep it from browning too much while the inside was still cooking. Megan–just curious if you tried increasing the banana and decreasing the nut butter ratio? I think I’ll give it a try and see how it turns out….maybe sprinkle in some coconut flour….
This was so good! I had to cook a bit longer…but it was well worth the wait! My bananas were still plenty yellow and the cake is plenty sweet. I love that the sugars are so low, although, I didn’t realize the serving size was 1/20th of the cake. Very easy to make too, which I love!
Oh my! I just made this and my husband and I are enjoying it now. It is not going to last long after my boys taste it. I made my own almond butter for the 1st time. Great recipe, thank you for sharing! Definitely a keeper.
I made this yesterday and it was a HUGE hit with all the kids in my house….all in thir 20’s! Thank you so much for your amazing recipes, Megan!
Megan, can’t wait to try it but what can I substitute the eggs with? Since I can’t have eggs anymore what do you think of applesauce? Maybe cut back on the banana?? It looks so good!
I just took my Paleo Banana Snack Cake out of the oven. I used 3/4 C. Whole Cranberries in place of the chocolate chips and it is FANTASTIC!!! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. 🙂 I tried to give this recipe 5 stars but was unable to click on the 5th star for some reason. Thanks again!
These were seriously delicious! We had to sub sun butter for nut butters as my oldest has nut allergies, which turned these green from the chlorophyll, so my husband and I called them Zombie Banana Cakes…and the boys ate them up! Thank you so much for another great healthier option for our house. I even shared this on my FB page with my followers tonight 🙂
Thanks for sharing–we used coconut butter–very good!
Absolutely delicious!!!
Just like I like it, simple taste, not too sweet. The chocolate chips where perfect in it.
Made with almond butter and in the vitamiz since I had just made almond butter and didn’t want to dirty a bowl. Have a really really bad over and it came out great!!! Used choc chips and is super delicious!! Will definitely make again 🙂 Thanks for an awesome recipe.
Is there any way to convert this into a cupcake recipe? And how can we ensure there is a strong banana flavor?
Make sure your bananas are very ripe with LOTS of black spots for a strong banana flavor. I think these would work as cupcakes; just bake them at 350 for a shorter period of time (probably 15-20 minutes?)
CAN I SERVE THIS TO SOMEONE WHO IS DIABETIC? I WAS THINKING OF SPLITTING THIS INTO 2 CAKE PANS AND MAKING A LATER CAKE FOR A BIRTHDAY. WHAT WOULD YOU RECMOMMEND FOR “ICING”?
I made this cake over the weekend and it lasted less than one day, the whole family loved it! it was delicious, very tasty and fresh, so perfect snack for summer (or so they said). Only, it didn’t really grew while baking it, so it was pretty moist or dense and on the thin size. Any suggestions for this?
Still, very nice and healthy recipe.
I love this! Being Paleo really cuts down on baked goods…I’m so glad to have this as a staple!!!
Loved the flavor!! However the cake turned out to be slightly ‘rubbery’.
Any idea why would that be?
Will definitely make it again 🙂
I made this into cupcakes for my son’s first birthday with coconut whipped cream on top. He loved it…and I loved that I wasn’t giving him a bunch of processed sugar.
I just made this and it’s delicious!!!!!!! Can this be frozen?
This cake is very very delicious!!!
I just want to known if my cakes came out right… I used a 6 mini loaf pan and baked for 30 mins, I basically kept adding 10 mins til the tops turned brown. The inside is very moist like you said however there is no strong flavors in mine. I used 4 small/medium bananas but measured them after the smash. 3 were dark but the 4th was average yellow, could that be the reason for my flavor loss? I also didn’t use salt bc my peanut butter had it. Mine is on the sponge side and I almost feel the cooked egg texture in there. Sorry for the long question, I’m new to this style of baking but have been hooked since the grain free brownies. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated 🙂
I experience the same thing. Wondering what I missed? Feeling like it came out a bit bland…
I just made this recipe, and it was definitely the best Paleo Banana bread recipe I’ve ever made!!! I even added an extra banana and it turned out great. My chocolate chips sank to the bottom, however it was really moist and delicious. I doubled the quantities to make 2 loaves and one has already been devoured. This is going to be my go to recipe to make for my family for others!! I can’t wait to share!
This cake is awesome as is! I’ve also made it with almond butter, but switched it up by adding ~2t of pumpkin pie spice. Try it! It’s makes a great spice cake.
Amazingly moist! I’m on my second batch in a week. I added a little sweetened almond milk on top and its like a banana nut bread tres leches. Great, healthy recipe! Thanks, Maxx
Megan, my family loves this recipe. I want to try to make it as mini cupcakes for my daughters 2nd birthday party. Do you have any suggestions for time or temperature adjustments? I will do some testing beforehand, but was hoping to get an idea from an expert on where to start. :0)
The ads made this site no fun anymore. Way Way sloooooow. Too Bad
Sorry, I’m working on that!
Are you on a desktop or mobile device? I’m trying to narrow down the source of the issue.
I stumbled upon this recipe while searching for a paleo banana bread that didn’t use coconut or almond flour. I just took it out of the oven and I love it! I will definitely be making it again.
I’m so glad to hear that!
Just made this, it was delicious and moist. Thank you so much, I will be making this again!
Have you ever tried freezing this? I want to make it ahead of time. Made a half recipe to test it. Loved it!
I just made this recipe with Pumpkin Seed Butter and it turned out AMAZING. I can’t thank you enough!! BIG hit with the kids and husband! Chocolate Chips sank to the bottom, but it didn’t matter one bit! It tasted delicious, making it again tomorrow! Thank you!
Awesome recipe! Very delicious my family loved it. It’s so easy to make, I used Cashew butter and it was so Yummy.
Has anyone ever tried this recipe using chia eggs instead of eggs? Can’t have eggs and it’s so hard to find a nice fluffy recipe without eggs:(
I made this a couple of days ago and I did use flax egg mostly because I didn’t read the notes before I made it but it did turn out great I will say the longer it sits the better it tastes.
I made this using recipe using tahini. Turned out great and super moist. I melted dark chocolate chips with a little almond milk for a simple, easy frosting. So good! Everyone loved these.
I love this recipe! I used crunchy peanut butter and no chocolate chips. It’s a delicious gluten-free snack!
Made this last night…like 8:30pm and it’s not even lunch yet and close to half this cake is gone. Yum! Going to mention this and link to you on my new Paleo blog.
I made this last night as I had 3 bananas that were fading quickly. I absolutely LOVE this recipe. Even my son, who hates everything Paleo, loved this as a treat. I will be trying this with other fruits added to it such as blueberries and thinly sliced apples. Thank you for a great recipe!
Hi Megan, just wanted to say that I have been making this regularly since you published this post, and we all love it, especially my 2 year old. I never add chocolate, and for anyone curious, it does come out a bit thin in the 9 x 13 pan, so I use an 8 x 12 (or deal with the thinness, no big deal.)
Did you ever perfect that boiled frosting recipe? Because the picture of the frosted cake looks so scrumptious.
Thanks!
Help! I attempted to make this today using all of the ingredients you have listed. I opened a brand new jar of sunflower seed butter. And I added 1/4 cup of enjoy life chocolate chips. All other ingredients were the same as you have listed above. The only thing I did differently was to grease the pan with spectrum shortening. I have done this before for other recipes with no problems. The cake is still baking, but it is literally green! Unsure what happened…….. Bummer to have wasted the ingredients. Do you have any ideas as to what happened or any future suggestions……in case I attempt to make it again. I bake a lot and have never had this problem. Unsure of how to add a photo or I would show you!! Really disappointed………
I figured it out. I have only used Sunflower seed butter in a few recipes and this had never happened before. Apparently it is a reaction between the sun butter and baking soda. We are going to eat it anyway! If you have anything else to add, please do…..thanks. Glad I have not wasted the ingredients!!!
Has anyone ever tried adding shredded coconut flakes? If so, how much?
I’ve made this so many times and LOVE it so much. Thank for the recipe.
Just getting ready to pop these in the oven and I’m wondering, do these freeze well? I won’t be able to eat them all within 2 weeks as I’m really trying to watch my sugar…so maybe one piece every other day. I’m hoping they will…most stuff can be frozen for later…
Thanks!
Do you think it would work with flax instead of egg??
I don’t have the best experience when using flax eggs with flourless recipes. The eggs give this recipe structure, so it will be very gooey without them. Flax and chia eggs usually work best when there is some sort of flour involved, as that can help contribute to the structure!