Double Chocolate Banana Chunk Cake (Vegan!)

The name – double chocolate banana chunk cake – is a bit of a mouth-full. And that’s just the feeling you will have after tasting this cake. You won’t want to stop eating it!  This vegan recipe will help you create a deliciously rich, spongy cake – quick and easy with the help of a few simple ingredients!

Ingredients

cocoa powder
all purpose flour
Baking powder
salt
sugar
coconut oil
vanilla extract
oat milk (or plant milk of your choice)
bananas
chocolate chips

Why you’ll love it

This recipe came to life when I had a craving for chocolate, but wanted my dessert to be a little more than just a bar of chocolate. Somehow that just never leaves me feeling satisfied. Plus, I had two overripe bananas in the fridge that were about to die if I wasn’t going to use them in a smoothie or a baked good. And seriously, banana and chocolate is always a good mix. 

I love this recipe because it comes together very quickly and with minimal mess. You’ll have this cleaned up LONG before the cake is done baking. No stress bake. And as mentioned, it’s made of basic ingredients, items that you most likely already have in your pantry. 

Need to go to a party in a few hours and don’t have anything to bring? Make this cake! People will think it’s fancy thanks to the banana chunks and no one will guess it’s vegan. 

How to prepare

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease your bread tin if needed. 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease your bread tin if needed. 
2. Use a large mixing bowl to combine the flour (2 1/2 cups), baking powder (2 tsp), salt (1/2 tsp), sugar (1/2 cup), and cocoa powder (1/3 cup). Mix well – you should no longer see the white of the flour once the cocoa powder has mixed in properly. 
3. In a medium bowl melt the coconut oil (3 tbsp) in a microwave. This might be as quick as 30 seconds! Then add the vanilla (1.5 tsp).
4. Warm the milk (1 1/4 cup) in the microwave if it is coming straight out of the fridge. Otherwise the cold milk with harden the coconut oil again! Room temperature is fine. Then mix in with the oil and vanilla from above.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients from step 2.
6. Place the two bananas in a separate bowl and mash them with a fork. Some chunks should remain, so don’t work too hard on this.
7. Now gently add the banana to the bowl with the batter and mix, but not too much. You don’t want to over mix.
8. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
9. Transfer batter into a loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes. Check with a knife or a tooth pick to see if it comes out mostly clean.

How to serve

Let the freshly baked cake cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting into it. Serve on a plate as is or add vegan vanilla ice cream if you wish! I also like to dribble a little of this Vegan Dulce de Leche over it. This does mean extra sugar, but the caramel flavor added by the Dulce de Leche is another way to add some variety to it if you wish!

How to store

Keep in an airtight container on your counter for 2-3 days. You can also freeze it by letting it cool completely before storing it in freezer ziploc bags or in an air tight container that is freezer friendly. Be sure to cut it before freezing and wrapping each piece in a baking liner if you wish to thaw only one slice at a time. For best results, thaw and consume after 1-2 months in the freezer. 

Q & A

Is chocolate and banana a good combination?

Yes, chocolate and banana is a good combination, because the natural sweetness of the banana compliments the more bitter taste of darker chocolate. The chocolate makes you feel like you’re having a dessert, but the banana makes it just a little bit healthier! 

What makes my chocolate banana cake more moist?

The answer to what makes a cake more moist is multi faceted. To begin with, follow a good recipe and don’t over mix your batter. In this vegan recipe, the coconut oil adds moisture, as do the bananas and the milk. And of course, be sure not to bake it for too long, because that would rob the cake of its moisture. Generally speaking, vegan baking can turn out dry if you don’t use the proper substitution for eggs and/or butter. 

In this particular recipe you will run into trouble if your coconut oil isn’t melted when you go to mix it with the dry ingredients. This will cause the oil to be in chunks in the batter and the batter won’t even properly form to begin with. If you did make this error, go check my Notes section below to see how you can try and salvage your batter. After all, one likes to waste good ingredients!

Can this recipe make double chocolate banana bread muffins?

Yes, this recipe would do really well as muffins! Just cut down on the baking time. It should take about 20 minutes, but be sure to test your own oven for optimal baking time. While this can definitely be muffins, I personally find a loaf much easier – quicker to dump the batter in the bread tin, and less cleaning than the muffin tin. Plus, no need for muffin liners – disposable (not great for the environment) or reusable (yet more to wash). I’ve accepted that this is just not the time in my life to bake muffins. My toddler likes eating these type of recipes in sliced form anyway, so all is good!

Can my kid help me bake?

Yes, your child can definitely help make this cake! My first born daughter started helping me mix dry ingredients when she was only about 1 year old. She actually helped me make the banana bread we had for her first birthday. If your child is on the younger side, just measure the dry ingredients and let the child dump them in a big bowl. Give them a spatula or something to mix the dry ingredients. An extra large bowl will help minimize spilling and a learning tower is really helpful for the smaller child to reach the counter! Fair warning though: This will slow you down and it will cause more of a mess than if you bake on your own. But it’s a fun project, especially if you are looking to kill some time, and it’s such a valuable life skill to practice early on!

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