Tender spiced banana cake, and luscious tangy frosting, what could be better? Gluten and Dairy Free Maple Bacon Banana Cake is the decadent dessert you need.

Move over sprinkles! Bacon is the ultimate way to crown a cake. Salty, smoky, and oh so good, this over-the-top cake will have you diving in for the last piece.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

There’s something magic about the combination of sweet and savory, such as my Gluten Free Peanut Butter Bacon French Toast. Gluten and Dairy Free Maple Bacon Banana Cake is the ultimate of this flavor mashup.

Texture – Not only do bananas play a staring roll in the flavor of this tender cake, but they also ensure the cake stays moist. It will be love as soon as you sink your fork into its soft crumb.
Flavor – Lightly spiced, a little smoky, and just sweet enough, this cake is a balance in flavors. If you love banana bread, this cake will become a new favorite.
Accessible Ingredients – Not only is this cake a great way to use up those overly ripe bananas with a very short countdown sitting on your counter, you also probably already have all of the ingredients to make this cake.
Easy Process – Skip the box mix. There is nothing complicated about mixing up this cake.

Ingredients

All good things start with bacon, including this decadent cake. Not only does bacon stud every bite of this cake, but it also tops it off.

Gluten Free 1.1 Flour – Using Gluten Free 1.1 baking flour eliminates the need for any additional stabilizers like xanthan gum. It measures one to one for traditional flour. Bob’s Red Mill is my favorite.
Baking Powder
Cinnamon – Is there anything better than the warm smell of cinnamon perfuming the air? This banana cake gets a burst of aromatic warmth from this sweet spice.
Kosher Salt – Salt enhances both the sweet and savory ingredients. Make sure you use kosher salt as regular table salt will make this dessert too salty.
Ripe Bananas – The riper the better! This is the answer to those verging on black bananas begging to be baked.
Sugar
Unsalted Dairy Free Butter – Always make sure your butter is at room temperature so it mixes in easily for a smooth and silky lump free batter.
Eggs
Vanilla Extract – The better quality the vanilla extract, the more pronounced the flavor.
Walnuts – Crispy, crunchy, oh so buttery, walnuts and bananas just belong together.
Bacon – Use your favorite variety. A thicker cut bacon will give more texture in each bite while thin bacon will give a crisper topping.
Maple Cream – This luscious, whipped maple syrup flavors both the frosting and the cake itself.
Dairy Free Cream Cheese – A tangy cream cheese frosting takes Gluten and Dairy Free Maple Bacon Banana Cake over the top.
Powdered Sugar – This is the ideal sugar for cream cheese frosting as it easily mixes in without leaving lumps or becoming gritty.

How to Make Gluten and Dairy Free Maple Bacon Banana Cake

Time needed: 3 hours

Fry up the bacon and get out your mixing bowl This easy and delicious banana cake is sure to be an instant hit.

Pregame
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick baking spray.
Batter Up
Add your eggs and sugar to a mixing bowl and mix for a couple of minutes until light and frothy. Add your bananas, maple cream, and vanilla and mix to combine. Add in your dry ingredients and mix until they are just combined. Finally fold in your walnuts and bacon.
Bake it Up
Pour your batter into your prepared baking dish. Allow the cake to bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool completely.
Top it Off
To make your frosting, add all of your ingredients to a bowl and mix until smooth and silky. Spread over the top of the cooled cake. To take this cake to the next level top it off with more bacon, walnuts, and sliced of banana.

Substitutions

Pecans – The walnuts in this recipe can be substituted with pecans.
Maple Syrup – No maple cream? No problem! You can use the same amount of maple syrup in both the cake and also the frosting.

Variations on Gluten and Dairy Free Maple Bacon Banana Cake

Full Dairy – This same recipe can be made with traditional butter and cream cheese.
Nut Free – If someone has a nut allergy, simply leave the walnuts out of this recipe.
Vegetarian – While bacon really does make everything better this cake is still delicious without it.

How to Measure Bananas

We’ve all made banana bread or seen recipes that call for half a cup or a cup of bananas. But how much do you actually need when it comes to measuring bananas themselves? When it comes to measuring bananas, a recipe can state whether it’s chopped, or mashed, as in most banana bread recipes. However, they both measure slightly differently! Keep in mind that when adding bananas to a recipe more banana doesn’t equal more flavor. Instead, it could leave you with a dense or mushy finished product. Instead, you want to use the ripest bananas possible for the most intense banana flavor.

Here is an easy guide to use the next time you need to measure out fresh banana for a recipe.

1/2 banana: 1/3 cup chopped | 1/4 cup mashed
1 banana: 2/3 cup chopped | 1/2 cup mashed
1-1/2 bananas: 1 cup chopped | 3/4 cup mashed
2 bananas: 1-1/3 cups chopped | 1 cup mashed
3 bananas: 2 cups chopped | 1-1/2 cups mashed
4 bananas: 2-2/3 cups chopped | 2 cups mashed

Top Tip

When making your Gluten and Dairy Free Maple Bacon Banana Cake and the cream cheese frosting, always make sure your butter and cream cheese is at room temperature. This will allow it to easily mix without creating lumps.