Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake
Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake
Sheet cakes are the ultimate celebration treat, and this Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake recipe takes deliciousness to a whole new level! It's all about that delightful banana flavor, with the added goodness of rolled oats, aromatic spices, and a touch of vanilla. And let's not forget the star of the show—the incredibly delicious vegan Maple Buttercream frosting! Completely Vegan + Gluten-free option.
What Makes This Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake SO GOOD?
There's something irresistibly addictive about this Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake recipe that keeps me coming back for more. Sure, I've tried my hand at other sheet cake recipes, like this fluffy Lemon Sheet Cake but let me tell you, this one's a special treat for all my fellow banana enthusiasts out there!
Baking with bananas is my absolute jam! It's a common sight in my kitchen – ripe bananas eagerly awaiting their transformation into something delightfully delicious. And when it comes to banana recipes, I've got a few other favorites up my sleeve, like the Crunchy Vegan Banana Bread, Biscoff Banana Pudding with Caramel, and those heavenly Homemade Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls.
What sets this Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake apart is the burst of delicious banana goodness that shines through in every bite. It's the kind of moist and tender cake that's not just perfect for all occasions but also ridiculously easy to whip up. You'll love it!
Jump to:
- What Makes This Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake SO GOOD?
- How To Make Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake
- Ingredients
- Why You’ll Love Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake
- Can I Use This Frosting for Other Desserts?
- Perfect Occasions For A Slice Of Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake
- Tips For Making The Perfect Vegan Banana Cake
- How Ripe Should Bananas Be for Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake?
- How to Ripen Bananas for This Vegan Banana Cake Recipe?
- Cake Flour vs. All-Purpose Flour
- How to Know If Your Baking Powder + Baking Soda Are Fresh
- Can I Use Another Plant-Based Milk for Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake?
- Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake Q + A's
- Other Delicious Sweet Recipes You'll Love
- MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
- Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake
How To Make Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake
This cake is as simple as it gets, featuring two key components: the amazing sheet cake and the mouthwatering maple buttercream frosting.
Ingredients
For the Sheet Cake:
- Cake Flour: Provides a light, tender crumb to the sheet cake.
- Rolled Oats: Adds a delightful texture and wholesome oat flavor.
- Ripe Bananas, Mashed: Infuses the cake with sweet, natural banana goodness.
- Cane Sugar: Sweetens the cake and enhances its overall flavor.
- Baking Powder: Acts as a leavening agent to create a fluffy texture.
- Ground Cinnamon: Brings warm, aromatic spice to the cake.
- Ground Nutmeg: Adds a touch of nutty, aromatic goodness.
- Ground Allspice: Offers a hint of warm, sweet, and spicy flavor.
- Ground Ginger: Introduces a subtle, zesty kick to the cake.
- Sea Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances all the flavors.
- Vanilla Extract: Provides a lovely vanilla aroma and flavor.
- Almond Milk + Apple Cider Vinegar: Combine to create vegan buttermilk for moisture and tenderness.
- Vegan Butter, Melted: Imparts rich, buttery notes to the cake batter. I love the brand Earth Balance.
- Toasted chopped pecans. (Optional for topping)
For the Maple Buttercream:
- Powdered Sugar (Sifted): Creates the sweet and smooth base for the buttercream frosting.
- Vegan Butter (Softened): Provides a rich, creamy texture and buttery flavor to the frosting.
- Pure Maple Syrup: Introduces a natural sweetness and a hint of maple goodness.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the overall flavor with its delightful vanilla aroma.
- Ground Cinnamon: Adds a warm, aromatic spice that complements the sweetness.
- Almond Milk: Adjusts the frosting's consistency to achieve the desired thickness and creaminess. Try my homemade almond milk recipe!
SHOP MY FAVORITE BAKEWARE ITEMS AND ACCESSORIES!
- Here, I’ve curated a list of bakeware essentials that I use to achieve my favorite baking treats, especially with this Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake Everything from my fave baking sheets, parchment paper, mixing bowls, and more. SEE THEM HERE!
Why You’ll Love Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake
- It’s super fluffy and moist and beautifully textured.
- Bold banana and oatmeal flavors.
- Delicious and comforting in every bite.
- Melt in your mouth goodness!
- Can be made as a traditional 2-layer cake, sheet cake, or cupcakes. Your choice!
- Not too sweet, but perfectly sweet at the same time.
- That Whipped Maple Buttercream Frosting is EVERYTHING.
Can I Use This Frosting for Other Desserts?
This Maple butter cream on top of my Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake is one of my favorite recipes on earth. It is nuts how simple, yet effectively delicious it is.
This buttercream goes perfectly with this banana cake, but it also goes well with any dessert you pair it with. After combining only a handful of ingredients, you get the best vegan frosting ever!
Feel free to pair your frosting with any of these desserts:
- Cinnamon rolls
- Cupcakes
- Whoopie pies
- Macaron
- Sandwich cookies
- Brownies/blondies
- Other cakes
Keep this recipe in your arsenal and pair it with your favorite sweets!
Perfect Occasions For A Slice Of Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake
These events are a great excuse to eat cake!
- Birthdays
- Anniversaries
- Barbecues
- Potlucks
- Kids Sleepovers
- Holiday Gatherings
- Graduations
- Baby Showers
- Dinner Parties
- Actually, any time is a good time for cake, right? Bake away for a little weekday pep-up!
Tips For Making The Perfect Vegan Banana Cake
TIP #1:
One thing that I’ve learned about baking a delicious banana sheet cake recipe is having the right tools. As a basic—-you should have a cake stand (preferably one that has a turnstile table), spatulas (big + small), piping bags + tips, correct baking pans and parchment paper.
TIP #2:
One of the essential ingredient combos for a light, silky cake texture is baking soda/baking powder and acid ingredient (usually apple cider vinegar + plant-based milk for vegan cakes). When acid and baking soda/baking powder reacts, it creates bubbles and helps to create a nice rise for your baked goods, leaving an airy texture.
TIP #3:
One of my latest tricks to a perfect banana cake has been to ensure that ALL of my dry ingredients are sifted. Trust me, ya’ll—-this works! Making all the dry ingredients fully sifted makes things airy, as you’ve guessed it and allows everything to combine faster.
TIP #4:
Never Over-mix! When creating a perfect cake, it’s so important to add the dry ingredients and wet ingredients alternately and as soon as everything is combined very well, THAT’S IT! Over-mixing creates a more dense cake.
How Ripe Should Bananas Be for Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake?
When it comes to making Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake, the level of ripeness of your bananas matters. I've made my banana cakes with both types of bananas and to be honest, the VERY ripe bananas have made the BEST cakes.
Very ripe bananas make for a sweeter and more moist cake and the mashing is also a lot easier.
How to Ripen Bananas for This Vegan Banana Cake Recipe?
Have you ever had bananas that weren't fully ripe, but you were dying to get baking? Well, I totally understand. I've definitely been there. Luckily, I've come across a few hacks to help you ripen your bananas if you're in a pinch, and here's what you can do:
- Keep the banana bunches together to avoid the ripening process from stalling.
- Store your bananas in a warm place like near a heater or atop your refrigerator. This helps them to ripen faster.
- Using a paper bag, add your bananas inside and fold it over to close it. The gases from inside the bag once shut tight will ripen the bananas within 24-36 hours.
If you're looking to ripe your bananas more quickly for baking purposes then you can do one of the following:
- Oven Method: Preheat the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit and place bananas (with peels on) unto a baking sheet and let them bake for 15-20 minutes or until skins are black. The bananas at this point should be soft and sweet.
- Microwave Method: Poke holes into the peel bananas (all around) and microwave for 30 seconds at a time until the bananas are soft enough.
Want to learn more about ripening bananas? Check out Well + Good article on all things bananas!
Cake Flour vs. All-Purpose Flour
When it comes to the main ingredient of this entire banana oatmeal cake recipe—-the flour, I enjoy using Bob’s Red Mill Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour, which is ideal for all kinds of baking, including this one.
However, I do occasionally use Super-Fine Cake Flour which adds a nice airiness and fluffiness to your cakes as well.
How to Know If Your Baking Powder + Baking Soda Are Fresh
Baking is such a science, but more importantly because certain ingredients like your leaveners (aka baking powder + baking soda) are completely fresh so that your strawberry cake (and other baked goods) fully rise and bake through nicely.
Incase you weren't aware, there's an easy to double check both the baking powder and baking soda. Here's what you need:
BAKING SODA HACK:
-Add 1 teaspoon baking soda with ¼ cup vinegar or lemon juice in a bowl and if it's fresh, the mixture should "bubble/fizz". If no bubble/fizz is present, then your baking soda needs to be replaced.
BAKING POWDER:
-Add 1 teaspoon baking powder with ¼ cup Hot tap water in a bowl and if it's fresh, the mixture should "bubble/fizz". If no bubble/fizz is present, then your baking powder needs to be replaced.
Can I Use Another Plant-Based Milk for Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake?
Yes, you can use any dairy-free milk you like to make this vegan cake recipe. Here are some easy recipes to make your own milk that is cheaper and so easy to whip up!
- Quinoa Milk
- Coconut Milk
- Easy Homemade Creamy Cashew Milk
- How to Make Potato Milk
- Ultra Creamy Homemade Oat Milk
- Cauliflower Milk
Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake Q + A's
Keep leftover cake tightly wrapped using plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Yes! To store frozen (frosted or unfrosted), simply tightly wrap and cover cake and freeze for up to 2-3 months. To serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bring to room temperature.
This recipe yields about 30 cupcakes. Simply bake for 18-20 minutes instead, until centers come out clean.
Yes! If you want to make this cake Gluten-Free, you can simply substitute flours with Bob's Red Mill's 1-to-1 Baking Flour and ensure that the Rolled oats are GF-certified. Just add an additional ¾ cup or so if needed; To use other GF flours such as coconut, almond, etc. just be sure to add 1 teaspoon of Xanthan gum.
Absolutely! You can always bake this cake the night or day before and let it cool, tightly wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use. The buttercream frosting can also be made prior and tightly wrapped and stored in the fridge as well. When ready to serve, let cake sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour, frost, and enjoy!
Other Delicious Sweet Recipes You'll Love
If this Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake appeals to your sweet tooth, try these recipes, too!
- Peppermint Oreo Cheesecake
- Sweet Potato Bundt Cake + Maple Glaze
- Black Widow Red Velvet Cake
- Honey Lavender Sheet Cake
- Easiest Vegan Chocolate Cake
MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
If you make this Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake, tag @orchidsnsweettea_ on Instagram and hashtag it #orchidsandsweettea!
Vegan Banana Oatmeal Sheet Cake
Ingredients
SHEET CAKE:
- 1 cup organic cake flour (You can also use all-purpose flour)
- 1 cup organic rolled oats
- 3 Ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup Almond milk + 2 Tbsps! (You can use your fave plant-based milk!)
- 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 4 Tbsps vegan butter, melted
MAPLE BUTTERCREAM:
- 4-5 cups organic powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 cup vegan butter, softened at room temp.
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1-2 Tbsps Almond milk (You can use your fave plant-based milk!)
OPTIONAL TOPPING:
- 2 cups Toasted chopped pecans
Instructions
TO MAKE BANANA OAT CAKE:
- Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease and line with parchment paper (with two sides hanging out) an 8-inch square pan (for a thicker cake) or a 9 x 13 baking pan.
- In a bowl, whisk together the milk and apple cider vinegar and set aside for 5-10 minutes until everything "activates".
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger until combined.
- Add in the mashed bananas, milk-ACV mixture, melted butter, vanilla, and mix (using a hand-mixer) until just combined.
- NOTE: If the batter looks extremely thick, add extra milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until it’s somewhat pourable but not runny or thin at all.
- Pour batter evenly into prepared pan, spreading everything around for a perfect evenness.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the center of the cake comes out clean when tested with a toothpick or butter knife.
- Once done, remove the cake from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes before carefully lifting it from the pan and unto a cooling rack to cool completely.
TO MAKE THE BUTTERCREAM:
- Simply beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer (or using a hand-mixer) on medium-high speed, until smooth and pale. Add in the powdered sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup, vanilla, and milk, continuing to mix on medium-speed until you reach the desired consistency----smooth and fluffy. NOTE: Add more milk (1 tablespoon at a time if too thick) or powdered sugar (for more thickness).
- Using a metal or rubber spatula, top cooled cake with buttercream frosting and evenly spread over the top until fully coated and smooth. Top with toasted chopped pecans, if desired. Wallah!
- Slice into medium-sized squares and enjoy!
- Bon Appetit!
Tips & Tricks
- STORAGE: Keep leftover cake tightly wrapped using plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 5 days. To store frozen (frosted or unfrosted), simply tightly wrap and cover cake and freeze for up to 2-3 months. To serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bring to room temperature.
- CUPCAKES: This recipe yields about 30 cupcakes. Simply bake for 18-20 minutes instead, until centers come out clean.
- FLOUR: If you don’t have cake flour, you can always just use all-purpose flour instead.
- MAKE AHEAD: You can always bake this cake the night or day before and let it cool, tightly wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use. The buttercream frosting can also be made prior and tightly wrapped and stored in the fridge as well. When ready to serve, let cake sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour, frost, and enjoy!
- OIL VS. BUTTER: Instead of vegan butter, you can also use Vegetable or Coconut oil, if preferred.
- GF OPTION: If you want to make this cake Gluten-Free, you can simply substitute flours with Bob's Red Mill's 1-to-1 Baking Flour and ensure that the Rolled oats are GF-certified. Just add an additional ¾ cup or so if needed; To use other GF flours such as coconut, almond, etc. just be sure to add 1 teaspoon of Xanthan gum.
Nutrition
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