Yes, it’s my favourite cake in the world! Right alongside birthday cake, red velvet cake, cheesecake, pound cake, strawberry cake … you get the idea. I’m kind of into cake.
A sweet and tender banana cake topped with a special strawberry frosting—it’s to die for. Banana baking in the oven is also one of my favourite smells, so again, it’s just all of Ashley’s greatest hits up in here. If you have another berry preference, you can change up the jam in the frosting recipe, but trust me, strawberry is the best.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups brown rice flour
- 1½ cups Bob’s Red Mill
- garbanzo and fava flour
- 0.33 cup potato starch
- ¼ cup arrowroot starch
- 1½ tablespoons gluten-free baking powder
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1½ cups agave nectar
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil
- ¾ cup rice milk
- ¾ cup mashed ripe banana (2 or 3 freckled bananas)
- 3 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 batch strawberry-jam
- buttercream frosting
- Strawberry-Jam Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (2 sticks), at room temperature
- 1 cup Earth Balance Shortening Sticks (2 sticks), at room temperature
- 7 cups organic powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ cup strawberry jam of your choice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons canned coconut milk or soy creamer (if needed)
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray two 9-inch cake pans with canola oil. For the cake
- In a large bowl, sift both flours and starches with the baking powder, salt, baking soda, and xanthan gum. Whisk well to combine.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the agave nectar, oil, milk, banana, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well
- Divide the batter evenly between the two baking pans and bake for 30 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the centre of a cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool to room temperature in their pans, then wrap them, still in the pans, in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and up to overnight. For the strawberry-jam buttercream
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream together the butter and shortening until smooth and fluffy. Slowly add the sugar, mixing well. Add the jam and vanilla. If needed to achieve a nice, spreadable consistency, add the coconut milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix well.
- Whip the frosting for several minutes, until fluffy. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator. If refrigerated, bring to room temperature and give it a good turn with a frosting spatula or butter knife before frosting the cake.
- When you’re ready to frost the cake, remove from the pans and place the bottom layer on a serving plate. Spread with one-third of the strawberry-jam buttercream. Place the second layer on top and cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting.