Banana bread cake that is very similar to banana bread, but uses no added sugars and tastes like a chewy banana pancake. This kid-friendly cake can be baked in a 9-inch round pan, loaf pan, or muffin pan! Topped with a naturally sweet and caramel-y date frosting using no added sugars.

No sugar?! That’s very unlike me. I set out to make a cake with no added sugar for my son’s first birthday!
This banana bread cake was moist, dense, delicious, and nutritious. When cooking or baking for my one-year-old, I go extremely healthy (by my standards), that way his treats are delicious and packed with good things for him.
If you’d like your cake a little sweeter or made without frosting, you can always add coconut sugar, maple syrup, or good old granulated sugar to the batter. This recipe was adapted from FermentingForFoodies.com.

The toughest critic
Okay, fine. Our one-year-old eats just about everything we put in front of him, because he hasn’t gotten to the picky stage (yet?). Trust me when I tell you he LOVED this cake! Sweet and creamy frosting?! Yes, mama!
Note: It is too dense to be a true smash cake, but I didn’t mind and neither did our lil critic. It actually made it easier for him to hold and take bites. My husband, however, said he preferred this cake with peanut butter frosting, so pick what you love!
Ingredients Used
The use of oat flour, flax meal, and arrowroot starch make this cake extra chewy, nutritious, and delicious. Using 3 large bananas as our source of natural sugars makes this banana bread cake extra moist, similar to using pumpkin in pumpkin bread.
- 3 large ripe bananas, peeled
- Unsalted butter
- 3 large eggs
- Plain yogurt
- Vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean, scraped
- Cake flour
- Oat flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Arrowroot powder *optional
- Flax meal *optional
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Why add arrowroot powder?
“Arrowroot is a power-packed food item which contains B vitamins such as thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and pyridoxine, which help the body in the conversion of energy from nutrients. This superfood is also rich in other minerals like magnesium, zinc and iron, which help in the normal functioning and growth of your baby.”(Source:parenting.firstcry.com)

How to make banana bread cake
- Preheat oven to 350℉/177℃. Line a round or square 9-inch cake pan or standard 4 ½ x 9 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Place bananas in a food processor and blend until there are no large pieces and it looks like a thick batter. If you’d like to add any sugar, do that now! Add in the melted butter, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla. Pulse it a few times to mix thoroughly.
- In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, arrowroot starch, and flax meal.
- Pour the liquid ingredients from the food processor into the dry ingredients bowl. Mix using a rubber scraper just until combined. Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Adjust baking times longer (35-45 min) if using a loaf pan and shorter (20-25 minutes) if making cupcakes.
- Remove from oven to cool. Rest in the pan for 5 minutes, flip upside down onto cooling rack to remove cake from pan and continue to cool. Frost once cake is completely cooled.
- Note: To achieve a small layered cake, I cut my 9-inch cake flat across the top. Then, I used a 3.5 inch round cutter and cut 3 small cakes out of my 9-inch cake.

Whipped date frosting (Dates + Water + Cream)
- Place ten pitted dates into the food processor and pour ½ cup of warm water over them. Let them sit for 5 minutes. Puree the dates until they form a smooth paste.
- Add 1 cup of heavy whipping cream to the food processor and continue to pulse and mix until a thick, whipped frosting consistency is reached. Be careful not to overmix. Keep the frosting refrigerated until ready to serve. Cake can be frosted and placed in the refrigerator until served.
- Alternatively, you can make a whipped peanut butter frosting instead of using dates.
More of my favorite banana recipes
- Banana Cake: Classic banana cake has a tender, buttery crumb that is light and moist, getting most of its flavor and sweetness from the bananas themselves.
- Banana Pudding: Homemade banana pudding from the famous Magnolia Bakery is so good yet simple to make.
- Chocolate Banana Cake: Moist and rich, this cake is the chocolate version of my favorite recipe for banana bread.
- Easy Banana Bread: This recipe takes 10 minutes to make!

Banana Bread Cake with Date Frosting (No added sugars)
Banana bread cake that is very similar to banana bread, but uses no added sugars and tastes like a chewy banana pancake. This kid-friendly cake can be baked in a 9-inch round pan, loaf pan, or muffin pan! Topped with a naturally sweet and caramel-y date frosting using no added sugars.
Ingredients
Banana Bread Cake
- 1 ½ cups (300g) 3 large ripe bananas, peeled
- ⅓ cup (76g) unsalted butter, melted, cooled
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup (4oz, 113g) plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean, scraped
- 1 ½ cups (200g) cake flour
- ¼ cup (25g) oat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
- ⅛ cup (16g) arrowroot powder *optional
- 1 Tablespoon flax meal *optional
Date Frosting
- 10 medjool dates, pitted
- ½ cup (4oz, 120ml) warm water
- 1 cup (8oz, 240ml) heavy cream
Instructions
Make the cake
-
Preheat oven to 350℉/177℃. Line a round or square 9-inch cake pan or standard 4 ½ x 9 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
-
Place bananas in a food processor and blend until there are no large pieces and it looks like a thick batter. Add in the melted butter, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla. Pulse it a few times to mix thoroughly.
-
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, arrowroot starch, and flax meal.
-
Pour the liquid ingredients from the food processor into the dry ingredients bowl. Mix using a rubber scraper just until combined. Pour into the prepared pan.
-
Bake for 25-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Adjust baking times longer (35-45 min) if using a loaf pan and shorter (20-25 minutes) if making cupcakes.
-
Remove from oven to cool. Rest in the pan for 5 minutes, flip upside down onto cooling rack to remove cake from pan and continue to cool. Frost once cake is completely cooled.
-
Note: To achieve a small layered cake, I cut my 9-inch cake flat across the top. Then, I used a 3.5 inch round cutter and cut 3 small cakes out of my 9-inch cake.
Make the frosting
-
Place the pitted dates into the food processor and pour warm water over them. Let them sit for 5 minutes. Puree the dates until they form a smooth paste.
-
Add the heavy whipping cream to the food processor and continue to pulse and mix until a thick, whipped frosting consistency is reached. Be careful not to overmix. Keep the frosting refrigerated until ready to serve. Cake can be frosted and placed in the refrigerator until served.
Recipe Notes
*If you’d like to add sugar, add it to the food processor mixture right after the bananas have been pureed.
**If dates aren’t really your thing, you can use peanut butter to create a whipped peanut butter frosting instead.
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