Eggless & Vegan Banana Walnut Bread (No Sugar, No Butter)

No Sugar. Eggless. And no Butter either. Wao. I can’t believe that even without all these ingredients this cake turned out absolutely soft, moist, and delicious. Sometimes, I wonder why these ingredients are even necessary. If you can make an absolutely delicious cake (or teacake) without these ingredients and satisfy your sweet cravings, then why not.

By the way, this cake is vegan too. That makes it even more special because it feels like you are fulfilling your cravings consciously 🙂 You can even try our vegan carrot cake and lemon cake.

Story Time

I always loved the combination of banana and walnut. I was introduced to this combination when my sister was working with Indigo Airlines and used to bring packets of teacake from her flight. She used to bring two flavors of cake but I remember only one – banana and walnut. I used to relish that one piece of cake so much and was never satisfied with just one little piece of it. At that time no one at home knew how to bake a cake. So, we only waited for our sister to bring that cake.

Then I got married and we bought a microwave. After learning the machine a bit, I decided to relive my childhood and bake a banana walnut cake at home. Oh, my sweet lord! It was like I was in a sweet heaven. Jatin and I loved that first time baked banana walnut cake so much that it was finished in a day. Literally! It was extremely soft and moist and the aroma was something that can not be explained. The entire house had that unique fragrance of freshly baked cake. Now I can bake my favorite cake whenever I want.

Tips to bake it right

1. Room Temperature: Make sure that all the ingredients are at room temperature. It is very important in baking.
2. Measure Accurately: Correctly measuring the ingredients is very important. Adding extra flour is one common mistake. Fill your measuring cup with the flour using a spoon and then level it off with a knife. For better results, always use a kitchen scale.
3. Sifting: Sift the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. This ensures that there are no lumps in the batter. Sometimes the flour or the sugar looks just fine until you sift them.
4. Over-mixing: This is something that happens accidentally. Over-mixing crushes all the air bubbles and you end with a dense cake. To ensure that the cake is light, mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until they are just combined. That means you don’t see any dry ingredients left in the bowl.
5. Leavening Agent: Baking Powder & baking soda help the cake rise. Double-check to make sure they are not expired.
6. Baking Time: Baking time depends on a lot of factors. Every oven bakes at a different time even at the same temperature setting. So be careful with that. After around 45 minutes, insert a toothpick at the center of the cake and if it comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven. If the toothpick doesn’t come out clean, let it bake for another 10-15 minutes. Also, the time of baking depends on the baking tray size.

Easy Swaps

1. Flour: You can use any other flour of choice (all-purpose flour, almond flour, oat flour) but you need to understand the texture of the batter needed. Every flour has a different liquid-absorbing capacity. Hence, you can not just change one ingredient and keep the rest of the ingredients exactly the same. I would suggest trying the same recipe first and then start making adjustments. Also, the texture of the cake may change with different flours.
2. Maple Syrup: Use any other liquid sweetener like maple syrup, agave syrup, date syrup, or honey (not plant-based). You can even use sugar or jaggery powder but then adjust the wet ingredients to make sure the batter has the right consistency.
3. Applesauce: It is a great substitute for eggs. You can even use flax egg, or chia egg too.
4. Oat Milk: Use any plant-based milk of your choice. If you are not vegan, use cow milk instead.
5. Olive Oil: Instead of olive oil, you can use any other unflavored cooking oil.

How to keep the whole wheat cake extra soft and moist after baking?

Once the cake is baked, remove it from the oven. Let it rest for 5 minutes and then take it out of the baking tray and keep it on the cooling rack. Cover the cake with a towel on top. This traps the moisture inside and makes the cake even softer.

Why does my cake become soggy after baking?

If you let the cake rest in the baking tray, condensation happens and forms water droplets inside the tray. This makes the cake moist and soggy from the bottom and the edges. That is why remove the cake and place it on a cooling rack and let it cool down completely before slicing.

Can I make it in the Microwave?

Yes. Of course. If your microwave has a convection mode, you can easily bake this cake in it.

To bake this cake in the microwave, you just need to preheat the microwave to 180°C for around 10 minutes or as specified in your machine. Once preheated, place the baking tray in it and let it bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Now, every machine is different. So, keep an eye on it and once you see the golden edges, insert a toothpick at the center to check if it is fully baked.

If the toothpick comes out clean, it means the cake is perfectly baked. But if it doesn’t, bake it for a couple of extra minutes.

How to store this tea cake?

You can store it in an air-tight container. Leave them at room temperature on your kitchen counter for two days (depending on the temperature at your place). You can easily refrigerate them for a week.

The best part of this cake is that it remains soft even on refrigeration. This is because it has no butter in it. Butter solidifies on refrigeration, making the cake harder.

Can we freeze this cake?

I never froze any cake but my friend does. You can surely freeze this banana walnut cake. Just slice them up and put them in an air-tight container or zip-lock bag. Put it in the freezer. Whenever you want to enjoy it, just take it out and heat it in your microwave. You can freeze it for up to a month.

Is this recipe vegan?

Yes. It is a 100% vegan and plant-based recipe. I used applesauce instead of eggs, olive oil instead of butter, and plant-based milk too. All the ingredients used in this recipe are plant-based.

Tools & Equipment Needed

1. Baking Tray – 25 x 11 x 7 cm cube

More recipes to try

1. Banana Walnut Muffins (Vegan)
2. Blueberry Muffins
3. Lemon Teacake

Now you are all ready to make this healthier and more delicious banana walnut teacake or banana walnut bread at home. It is perfect for your sweet cravings in this lovely weather. You don’t need to wait for your cheat days to enjoy this deliciousness. Grab all the ingredients, and let’s get baking.

If you like the recipe, please share the photo on Instagram and tag us too @thefearlesscooking. We love to see your recreation of our recipes.

Happy Baking 🙂

Love,

Richa