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Monday, May 05, 2008

E Cooks: Banana Coffee Cake

E Cooks[Note: I've recently made this cake with strawberries instead of bananas; a photo of it appears in the current page header.]

It's been a long time since my daughter has helped me out with a recipe, so yesterday when E volunteered to assist me with breakfast, I eagerly set her to work measuring and stirring. I had the recipe all worked out on paper, so I didn't think there'd be much opportunity for her to contribute creatively. As she does with any endeavor, she asked a thousand questions: "What's the difference between baking powder and baking soda?" "Why do you add salt when cake isn't salty?" "Why do you call it 'flax egg' when there isn't any egg in it?" Though she often takes her interrogations to ridiculous extremes ("If we shot the batter into space..."), on this particular occasion she asked a lot of good questions that gave me the chance to educate her a little on baking--or at least the little I know about baking.

When it came time to add the banana to the cake, she stopped me with a question: "What, only one banana? It needs more than that or it's not really banana cake!" I had to agree, so I dutifully added another banana. And you know, the higher fruit to batter ratio just might have been what made this cake so incredibly delicious.

Kids Love Banana Coffee Cake!

It's creamy. It's sweet. It's so creamy and sweet that I almost called it Banana Pudding Cake. The bananas melt down to a creamy layer that dissolves into the cake around it so that it's hard to tell where bananas end and cake begins.

All four of us--my crew plus E's friend G--were amazed at how good this was. D and I actually had the same articulate response: "Mmmmm. Ohhhh." In fact, this cake may have been too good: with 4 of us and only 6 pieces, there weren't enough "seconds" to go around. Perhaps it would be better to serve it as dessert after a full meal than to count on it as a filling breakfast because it will just make you want more!

Banana Coffee Cake

Banana Coffee Cake
(printer-friendly version)

I like to use turbinado or demerara sugar for the topping because the coarse texture adds crunch, but feel free to use any natural (or brown) sugar.

1 tablespoon flax seeds, ground
4 tablespoons warm water
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup soy yogurt
1/3 cup vanilla soymilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 cup white whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bananas

Preheat the oven to 375F and oil a pie pan or an 8-inch square baking dish.

Mix the ground flax seeds with the warm water and set aside to thicken.

Mix the turbinado sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Combine the soy yogurt, soymilk, vanilla, and agave nectar in a bowl. Add the flax mixture.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour the soy yogurt mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread to cover the bottom. Slice the bananas and place the slices over the batter. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon-sugar. Spread the remaining batter over the bananas. Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-sugar. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cake appears set in the middle. Allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting into 6 slices and serving.

Makes 6 servings. Per serving: 211 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (5% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 49g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 308mg Sodium. Weight Watchers: 4 Flex Points.


If you're looking for easy recipes that kids like to make as well as eat, take a look at some of our other E Cooks collaborations:

Banana Coconut Bars
E's Fruit Salad with Strawberry Sauce
Southern-Style Banana Pudding
Rainbow Stir-Fry

My other coffee (aka "breakfast") cakes:

Pineapple Coffee Cake
Coconut Chai Breakfast Cake
Sugar-Free Coconut Chai Breakfast Cake

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75 Comments:

OpenID dessertobsessed said...

I'm eating breakfast as I read this, and my breakfast of a banana and almond butter is not even close to the deliciousness of your cake! I want that for breakfast!

10:39 AM, May 05, 2008  
OpenID skinartia said...

This looks so delicious!...though I'm not sure why "coffee" is in the title and it looks more like a pie than cake. :)

11:09 AM, May 05, 2008  
Blogger SusanV said...

Skinartia, according to Wikipedia, a coffee cake is "A cake served with coffee or eaten at breakfast. Under this definition, a coffee cake does not necessarily contain coffee. Coffee cakes are typically flavored with cinnamon, nuts, and fruits. Apples are also a common fruit to add to this dessert, and one might hear the phrase 'apple coffee cake'. These cakes sometimes have a crumbly or crumb topping called Streusel."

I grew up eating coffee cake and just assumed that everyone knew what they were. I naively thought that the last person who asked why my coffee cake didn't contain coffee was making a joke. Sorry! I should alway remember that we don't all share common childhood foods.

11:17 AM, May 05, 2008  
Anonymous Ricki said...

Fantastic. And lucky me, we're only two (humans) in our house--so we'll have plenty! Can't wait to try this out.

11:30 AM, May 05, 2008  
OpenID skinartia said...

Thanks, Susan! That makes much more sense. :) I had no idea that coffee cake had a broader definition than I thought and the few times I did hear about it I assumed it had coffee in it. Looks like I may have missed out on a few tasty cakes!

11:34 AM, May 05, 2008  
Blogger Karina said...

I love "E Cooks"! This recipe sounds fabulous. And the photographs are sweet. Susan- I love seeing a glimpse of your life- and E, of course! She is a sweetheart.

11:40 AM, May 05, 2008  
Anonymous Sue H said...

OMG, this sounds so good...and I just happen to have a couple of bananas here that should be used.

11:55 AM, May 05, 2008  
Anonymous Jackie said...

I like the idea of adding slices of banana to the cake. Mmm. You must be proud to have such a talented young cook in the family.

12:58 PM, May 05, 2008  
Blogger Holler said...

That looks really delicious! What an absolute treat for breakfast! I would fight everyone else off with my fork, personally:)

4:34 PM, May 05, 2008  
Blogger Bianca said...

Wow! That looks so tasty! Like banana pudding, only cake...which I think is better.

4:34 PM, May 05, 2008  
Blogger Animal-Friendly said...

It looks great! I can tell that the second banana mad it super moist just by looking at the picture.

I love cooking with my little brother because he also asks a lot of questions. It's one of the greatest feelings in the world to know that you're helping them get in the kitchen :)

5:20 PM, May 05, 2008  
Blogger Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

This sounds SO good! I'll have to obtain more bananas with a quickness, then beg for them to over ripen!

9:06 PM, May 05, 2008  
Anonymous moonwatcher said...

What a delightful "E Cooks"l post, and a delicious looking coffee cake!! I really enjoyed seeing the pictures of the girls and the end results of the combined effort, too. And all the questions. Such good ones. . .looks like you've got an energetic and intelligent young lady on your hands with a good sense of humor. . the smart ones always ask the most original questions. . .I agree E's suggestion to add the second banana is inspired. . . thanks for the sweet slice of life. . .

10:06 PM, May 05, 2008  
Anonymous ABH said...

Thanks for doing what you do. I love having a place to go to for good vegan recipes. This one looks like a keeper (I'm trying your Red Beans and Rice tomorrow).

I'm trying to incorporate more vegan dishes in my diet, but it's a slow process for me. I'm still holding on to the cheeses and lots of "little" things like honey and cane sugar. Blogs like yours make life during this transition easier and tastier!

2:49 AM, May 06, 2008  
Blogger Ruby Red Vegan said...

I am definitely going to try this - I love coffee cake! Thanks for the recipe. :)

6:18 PM, May 06, 2008  
Anonymous veggiefrog said...

I made this tonight and it was excellent, I'm adding it to my collection. Next time I'm slicing the banana's thicker and adding 3!

9:58 PM, May 06, 2008  
Anonymous Sarah said...

I'm unsure how to use ground flax seed. I bought Bob's Red Mill's ground flax seed meal and I tried to use it in another recipe in place of an egg. I tried to thicken it with water in my food processor, but ended up making a huge mess. Should I buy whole flax seeds and then grind them? Or since they are already ground, can I just add the water and wait for them to thicken?

10:23 PM, May 06, 2008  
Blogger julie hasson said...

This cakes sounds fantastic Susan! How fun too, to read about you and E making the cake together. My son asks me similar questions, so I cracked up reading about your adventures.

10:37 PM, May 06, 2008  
Blogger Anna said...

Yumtastic! I made this for a Mom's breakfast this morning and it was soooo good! It was a huge success and will definitely add it to my coffee cake rotation. Since you said it was a little sparse for a crowd, I made a batch and a half of batter to fluff it up a bit and it was delicious! Thank you.

11:34 AM, May 07, 2008  
Blogger S. said...

I love reading your blog. It makes me feel like I am little again. You're the vegan mom I always wished I'd had!!

1:14 PM, May 07, 2008  
Blogger Susan from Food Blogga said...

Now that's a breakfast I'd hop out of bed for!

6:25 PM, May 07, 2008  
Anonymous fanta said...

That coffee cake looks amazing - Susan, I'm a student in Senegal right now, and I check out your blog whenever I'm planning what to cook when I go home - thanks for all the delicious-looking food!

9:02 AM, May 08, 2008  
Blogger Erin said...

This cake looks amazing. Cooked bananas are a wondrous thing!

1:37 PM, May 08, 2008  
Blogger Furniture27 said...

I am such a huge fan of banana cake or banana nut bread!

10:51 PM, May 08, 2008  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I googled vegan recipes and found your blog. The recipes look yummy and easy...and I think I could eat this whole banana cake even though it would be wrong!

8:03 AM, May 09, 2008  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was wondering if anyone could help me out with this question: is there a difference between one tablespoon of flaxseeds ground and one tablespoon of ground flaxseeds? And if so, what would the equivalent of one tablespoon ground flaxseeds be to one tablespoon of flaxseeds ground? Am I making any sense to anyone? Ain't the English language great?!

1:00 AM, May 11, 2008  
Blogger Rachael said...

I made this yesterday as an early mother's day treat and it was so amazing! I sprinkled a little finely chopped chocolate on top of the first cinnamon sugar layer and it added a nice touch. I also used spelt flour, which worked really well. Thanks for (another) awesome recipe!

7:21 AM, May 11, 2008  
Blogger Heather said...

I made this for my mom's breakfast on Mother's Day. She adored it. Thank you for the fantastic recipe. :]

12:41 PM, May 11, 2008  
Blogger Syn* said...

THIS SOUNDS AMAZING!!!! is there any substitute for the soy yogurt? perhaps apple sauce?

1:35 PM, May 11, 2008  
Blogger SusanV said...

Apple sauce should work fine. I prefer the yogurt, but if you don't have any, apple sauce will do.

1:40 PM, May 11, 2008  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

O gosh, Susan! I made this yesterday! One of the best deserts ever...
It was the best about 1/2 hour after I took it out of the oven, still a bit warm, mmmmmm.
And my son added some fresh home made strawberry jam and that was his snack & dinner (he ate half of the whole thing!). This one is a winner, thank you.
Polona

1:47 AM, May 12, 2008  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have made this twice and it was absolutely AMAZING!!! Gooey and just sweet enough - heaven! The second time I made it, I jazzed it up even more by stirring some canned pumpking into the batter, sprinkling some frozen wild blueberries over the bananas, and then added unsweetened coconut and chopped walnuts to the topping. Oh, and I reduced the agave to 1/4 cup. It was soooooo delicious!

2:16 PM, May 13, 2008  
Anonymous moonwatcher said...

Susan, this is fabulous--I think someone else said heavenly? and I, my son and his girlfriend agree--we loved it!! I was amazed at the texture of the cooked bananas, and the nice complement of textures throughout that were just delicious together. . .thanks!

11:48 AM, May 14, 2008  
Anonymous Virginie P. said...

Thanks E for this recipe.

12:23 PM, May 14, 2008  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't have agave nectar, could I use maple syrup or something?

10:12 AM, May 16, 2008  
Blogger zizi lisa said...

this was DELICIOUS! i made it for my mom for mother's day and neither of us could stop eating it! i'm making it again this weekend and will double the recipe so i can bake it in a bigger pie pan. i felt like i was a little short in the 8"x8" pan i used. THANK YOU!

10:10 AM, May 17, 2008  
Blogger SighsofmyLife said...

I made this tonight, and it was wonderful! So yummy and sweet - it made a great treat after a hard workout. I will definitely make it again.

8:51 PM, May 20, 2008  
Blogger Erin said...

Susan, I'd like to make this tomorrow for a weekend trip, but one friend is allergic to soy. Any ideas on substituting for the soy yogurt? My first instinct is mashed banana, but that might just be banana overkill.

3:02 PM, May 22, 2008  
Blogger SusanV said...

Erin, in my opinion, you can never have enough banana--but that's just me. If you don't want to use banana, try apple sauce. And, if it doesn't have to be fat-free, you could use non-hydrogenated margarine instead (but that might contain soy).

3:33 PM, May 22, 2008  
Blogger Erin said...

Thanks for the suggestion! I made one with mashed banana and it was definitely not too banana-y, and I made one with peanut butter. Soy-allergic friend was very happy.

11:03 AM, May 28, 2008  
Blogger ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Is it possible to do this without the flaxseeds? I wanted to make it soon, and have all the other ingredients, but I'm not planning a trip to Whole Foods for a while, and don't have flaxseeds :o(
Do you think Ener-G replacer would work?

Sorry for the questions! It looks delicious :o).

7:10 PM, June 04, 2008  
Blogger SusanV said...

I haven't tried it with EnerG, so don't hate me if it comes out wrong, but I think it would work fine. Good luck!

7:16 PM, June 04, 2008  
Blogger ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Haha I could NEVER hate you! You invented tofu quiches, therefore you = vegan goddess :o)

1:20 PM, June 09, 2008  
Blogger Sunshinemom said...

Only a week since I began being vegan. I do not get soy yogurt where I live. Is there anything I can substitute it with? Something homemade as India does not have many of the market substitutes I find in some of the recipes! Thanks!

12:54 PM, June 18, 2008  
Blogger Sunshinemom said...

Me again - I need a substitute for the agave nectar too!

12:56 PM, June 18, 2008  
Blogger Pippa said...

We love it,can I use gliuden free flour,do you think it will work?

7:43 AM, June 22, 2008  
Blogger Lexi said...

wow, I just found your blog, and I must say I'm quite in love with all the delicious recipes ! (I'm not vegan :D) A few questions for anyone out there: 1) I can't find/don't have agave nectar...is there a substitute i can use? 2) After reading the comments, is "flax seed, ground" and "ground flaxseed" the same thing?

Thanks in advance!

12:31 PM, June 22, 2008  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Awesome! I just turned off the oven on mine...smells divine! I used a combination of soaked buckwheat and millet, blended with rolled oats for the "flour" and only had to add about 1/4c of water to thin the batter out (I also stirred in some whole rolled oats for texture). I used sucanat, cinnamon, ground flax, baking powder, and prune baby food to complete the batter, then put my 2 sliced bananas between the layers. I can't wait to try it!

4:39 AM, July 18, 2008  
Blogger SusanV said...

Lexi, instead of agave, you can use any liquid sweetener (corn syrup, maple syrup, rice syrup, etc.) Maple syrup will have a strong maple taste, though.

Yes, ground flax seed is really what I mean, though for this recipe it really doesn't matter if you measure the flax seed before or after it's ground.

9:52 AM, July 20, 2008  
Blogger SusanV said...

Sunshinemom, I have successfully made this by substituting silken tofu for the yogurt. I've also made it using "soy buttermilk": soymilk with about a tablespoon of lemon juice added, which causes it to curdle. Though both of these substitutes work, the soy yogurt tastes best, which is why I didn't mention them in the recipe.

9:55 AM, July 20, 2008  
Blogger Shez said...

This was fabulous. I turned it gluten and soy free. I used Bette Hagman's flour and instead of soy yoghurt and milk I stuck 1/2 cup of water into the Vitamix with a handful of cashews. Once it was smooth, I added 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to sour it.

3:50 PM, July 27, 2008  
Blogger Jessica said...

Incredible! My fiance loved it, I'll be making this again (especially for visitors).

2:34 AM, July 31, 2008  
Blogger ileana said...

Hi Susan,

do you think I could use wheat germ instead of ground flax?

2:36 PM, August 31, 2008  
Blogger SusanV said...

Ileana, you can try wheat germ. I haven't used it instead of flax before, so I can't promise it will come out the same. Do you have any Ener-G egg replacer? That would probably work well.

3:11 PM, August 31, 2008  
Anonymous Emily said...

Soo, I just moved and I have flax seeds, but they're not ground, and I have no electric grinding appliances. Will they work whole? Is there anything else I could use to grind them?

11:23 AM, September 11, 2008  
Anonymous Sylvia said...

Even though I’m not a vegan I enjoyed this wonderful and yummy cake. I replaced a couple of things because I did not have them on hand and it turned out great. Instead of flour, baking powder and salt I added organic whole wheat buttermilk pancake flour and added regular plain yogurt and skim milk instead of the soy. I was so anxious about trying this recipe that I could not wait until I went to the grocery store to get the stuff I needed so I made these changes and OMG it was heavenly good! I am sure this will be the first recipe of many more to come that I will definitely try. Thank you for sharing your passion.

7:55 PM, September 11, 2008  
Anonymous Veggie Wedgie said...

I just made this and its wonderful!

9:07 AM, September 14, 2008  
Anonymous Alisa said...

I love the recipes you have here! And this one rocks! I didnt think cooking vegan could be this yummy!

12:09 PM, September 14, 2008  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Everyone SHOULD eat like this!!
People are still in the dark....very dark about HOT to eat!

My husb. is very picky..he like bananas..I am going to make this banana pie of course NOT tell him it is vegan!

I LOVE the way I EAT..VEGAN VEGETARIAN!!! WITH LOTS of exercise & it really does keep the weight down & off!

11:23 AM, September 21, 2008  
Blogger SamIAm said...

So I've made this twice and the first time I seriously ate the whole thing I couldn't stop picking at it and by the time everyone got home it was all but a tiny sliver. Anyways the second time I didn't cook it long enough and it was still raw in the middle but me and a friend ate all the outside lol! Stop thinking about making this and just do it! It's super easy and SOOO GOOD!

10:17 PM, September 21, 2008  
Anonymous Nanna said...

Dear Susan! You are my role model, and I can't wait until I'm feeding my own kids. This cake was divine! Many warm thanks for priceless inspiration. Love from Sweden.

8:30 AM, September 24, 2008  
Blogger Allison said...

Hello! I recently found your blog as I'm new to the vegan. I tried this tonight and I'm wondering if I did something wrong. The batter was REALLY sticky. And I couldn't spread it into an 8x8 pan. In fact, I wouldn't even go over half of it. So I transferred it to a bread pan.

I also didn't have enough to cover ( which i assume to mean I did something to make the batter really thick). And it was sticking to the layer below it.

Help!

10:34 PM, October 04, 2008  
Blogger Kelly said...

This cake was so easy and delicious! My dog won't stop begging for some. (I gave him a left over banana instead.) Thank you, Susan!

9:37 PM, October 07, 2008  
Blogger M. said...

Allison: Maybe you overmixed the batter? If you mix a batter containing baking soda or baking powder too heavily, it will get quite sticky. This is why most recipes usually state "mix until just about combined, don't overmix" (and this recipe does mention something similar).

I'm making this cake second time already (it's in the oven right now), the first time was two weeks ago. My guests were very happy with it. I used a bigger pan because I didn't have any options and it was a bit difficult to spread the batter to cover the whole pan (twice), but I did manage to spread it all over.

12:10 PM, October 11, 2008  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Susan
Hi, I am not a vegan yet...but I love this blog.
Instead of soy yogurt, I used the soy creamer...the results were the same, except the dough got a little bit lghter.
Thank you for all your good ideas and recipes.

2:30 PM, October 30, 2008  
Anonymous Courtney (Denver, CO) said...

I just made this, to test it out before my mom comes to visit. It's delish! She always has a comment (not positive) about most of my vegan baked goods. Not this one!! Thanks Susan!

4:28 PM, January 13, 2009  
Anonymous Samantha said...

I love this recipe! Ive made it maybe a dozen times and if I had yogurt in the house more id probably make it even more often! I tend to use more banana and more topping though the two bananas dont seem to cover it and I also bake it for about 30 min more. Anyways I'm about to make some right now mmmmmm I can't wait warm gooey and crunchy I love it!

11:01 AM, February 05, 2009  
Anonymous Heather said...

This cake was great. I can't wait to try it with other fruits or berries. Thumbs up!

3:26 PM, June 06, 2009  
Blogger Sarah said...

I just made a modified version of this and it is AWESOME! You are one of the few bloggers whom I read that I can actually make recipes from - thank you!

5:21 PM, June 10, 2009  
Anonymous Lisa said...

Hi Susan - I was just wondering whether you used the cinnamon sugar when you made this recipe with strawberries? Do strawberries and cinnamon go well together? I've made this cake twice already - it's delicious! Thanks for all the amazing recipes - Lisa :)

1:18 AM, June 28, 2009  
Blogger SusanV said...

Lisa, I used sugar but no cinnamon in my strawberry version because I didn't think the strong cinnamon flavor would go well with strawberries.

5:51 AM, June 28, 2009  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was looking for something vegan to bake and use up two browning bananas. This recipe looked easy, quick, and delicious. I made it with spelt flour and substituted 1/2 cup of orange juice for soy yogurt and soy milk. The resulting cake was super yummy. I'll definitely make it again and I'm sure peaches or apples could replace the bananas. Thanks so much for posting this recipe.

2:50 PM, August 24, 2009  
Anonymous Gourmet Coffee Lover said...

I love the ingredients your are using in this recipe. I love bananas and vanilla soy milk so I am going to give this one a try. Thanks - Maria

12:15 AM, September 12, 2009  
Blogger NIC said...

My son is allergic to soy and dairy, any alternatives for the soy yogurt? I can use rice milk in place of the soy milk.

Thanks!
ND

10:40 AM, September 15, 2009  
Blogger SusanV said...

ND, I suggest apple sauce instead of the soy yogurt. You could also use mashed up banana for a very bananay flavor. Hope your son likes it!

10:58 AM, September 15, 2009  

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