Super Amaze Lush Banana Cake with Coconut Cream/Peanut Butter Frosting

This has definitely been one of my more successful vegan cakes I've made...maybe even the most successful! It's nice and light - and all your non-vegan friends will not even guess there's no dairy or eggs in it. It's nice and simple to make. If you want an extra treat, top it off with the peanut butter & coconut cream frosting :) 

Cake Ingredients

• 2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour 
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup sugar (I used coconut sugar)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 medium, very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup soy or any non-dairy milk, like almond, cashew, hemp, or pumpkin-seed milk  + 1 tsp vinegar (set aside five minutes to curdle)

Instructions

1. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
2. Beat together the oil and sugar with a handheld mixer for about two minutes.
3. Add the soymilk mixture and beat until just mixed.
4. Add the mashed bananas and beat in. Make sure there are no big lumps remaining.
5. Add the flour to the banana-soymilk-oil mixture in 2 batches, beating in after each addition until the mixture is smooth. Do not overbeat, though.
6. Line the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan with parchment or wax paper.
7. Pour the batter into the pan and bake 25-30 minutes in a 350-degree oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean.
8. Place on a rack to cool, about 10 minutes. Unmold, peel off the parchment paper, and leave on the rack to cool thoroughly before frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting

• 1/2 cup smooth and creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup thick coconut cream (scoop out the fatty part that sits on top and leave the watery part behind...you may need two cans to get enough of the thick stuff)
• 1 1/2 tbsp vegan “butter” (like Earth Balance)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (softened)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or other sweetener (you can use less if you like - I'm not huge on adding sweetener to things so I only used a little bit. Remember the banana's in the cake are quite sweet too). 

Instructions

1. Have the peanut butter and Earth Balance at room temperature, and the coconut cream cold. Place the ingredients in a bowl and mix with a wisk or with a handheld or stand mixer until everything’s combined.
2. Add the maple syrup and coconut oil and mix well.
3. Place the frosting in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before frosting.

Once the cake is cooled and the frosting is starting to go firm, you may frost your cake :) Store in an airtight container in a cool place.

Modified from: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/plant-based-recipes/banana-cake-with-peanut-butter-frosting/