This one-bowl Chocolate Banana Applesauce Cake is made without oil or butter and is perfect for snacking! Beautifully moist and perfectly decadent, you won’t even miss the frosting!
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As much as I love banana bread, and believe me, I love it A LOT, sometimes I want something different. Something like this cake for instance. Incredibly moist and fudgy this cake is almost brownie-like in consistency and texture. The bold chocolate flavors mingle beautifully with the banana and the gooey pockets of melted chocolate chips are pure heaven.
This cake is perfect for snacking on since it’s made without oil or butter – applesauce only! I make it in an 8×8 baking dish so there’s just the right amount of cake for a couple of day’s worth of snacks. Or one day if we’re really hungry.
The boys enjoy this cake with a big, cold glass of milk and I have to say that’s my favorite way to indulge as well.
There’s no need to frost this cake either. It’s perfectly sweet with being overwhelmingly so and the sprinkling of chocolate chips on top of the cake serve as the “frosting”. I’ve yet to hear a complaint about missing frosting.
The flavors of this cake only get better with time and the cake stays beautifully moist for several days – even up to a week if it happens to last that long.
Next time you have a couple of ripe bananas lying around, try this cake out instead of banana bread. I know you’ll just love it!
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Chocolate Banana Applesauce Cake
Ingredients
- 2 bananas very ripe
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup applesauce no sugar added
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray 8x8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Mash bananas in a medium size bowl.
- Stir in sugars, applesauce, water, and vinegar until thoroughly combined.
- Stir in flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt just until combined.
- Fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into prepared dish.
- Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top.
- Bake for 33-37 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.
- Let cool, slice and serve.
Nutrition
Our favorite cake recipes:
No Bake Banana Cream Pudding Cheesecake
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Janie says
Oh this is so good . I had to bake it just a lil longer and of course could not resist eating a piece before it cooled … satisfied my chocolate craving .. will make it again ..
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Fantastic Janie!
Amy says
Can I use oatmeal flour as a substitute?
Melanie Morin says
Just baked it tonight and I really liked it! I’m trying to change my eating habits but have a sweet tooth and that cake satisfied it! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Claudia says
I have made this for potlucks, always disappears quickly. I triple the recipe and put them in 2 9×13 pans, it makes a thinner cake but serves more. And then I have a second cake to eat at home or freeze for future date. Its great for my dairy free and egg free guests. I use coconut oil to grease the pans.
Amanda says
I just made this and WOW! Exceeded my expectations! Delicious!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Yay! Love reading comments like this Amanda – thank you!
Lisa says
This is the 4th time I’ve made this cake in 2 weeks. It’s never lasted longer than the day it’s baked on! A fabulously moist, chocolately treat. As some of my friends are vegan, dairy or gluten intolerant, I use gluten free flour and dairy free chocolate chips. This way everyone can share the same cake. Thank you for posting the recipe.
Elanna says
Do you know how long this would need to cook in a mini Bundt pan?
Sophia says
I made this cake instead of my usual end-of-the-week banana bread, and it’s going to be difficult to not make this every week from now on. It was honestly the most delicious chocolate cake I’ve ever made. I substituted vegetable oil for applesauce (only because we didn’t have any!) and baked it in a 9 inch circular pan instead. I’m tempted to make a layer cake with this recipe just because it’s so good…not sure what icing I should use, though!
Anyways, thank you SO MUCH for this recipe. It’s fantastic!
Adriana says
Try this icing. I make it all the time.
for the frosting
¼ c (56g) dark chocolate chips
2 tbsp (30mL) warm nonfat milk
¼ c (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
2 tbsp (10g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
2 tbsp (10g) dark cocoa powder (also called “Dutched”), sifted
4.To prepare the frosting, add the chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 20 seconds. Stir and microwave for another 20 seconds. Stir for at least 1 minute, or until the chocolate chips are completely melted. (If necessary, return the bowl to the microwave for an additional 5-10 seconds). Add in the milk, Greek yogurt, and two cocoa powders, and stir until smooth. Spread on top of the cooled brownies, and slice into squares.
Lorraine Thompson says
This chocolate banana applesauce cake is crazy-delicious! I substituted Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate in place of regular unsweetened cocoa because I prefer dark chocolate. If I didn’t make it myself, I would never have known there weren’t eggs, oil or butter! This is as good as any full fat/high calorie cake I’ve ever made! This recipe is definitely a keeper! **BTW…I did the calorie count and its 191 calories and 1.9 grams of fat….and only 5 Weight Watcher points! Thank you for sharing this great recipe!!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
LOVE hearing that Lorraine and thank you so much for figuring out the nutritional info on this recipe. Have a great week!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
i love using apple sauce in baking, always makes the product taste so much more softer and fluffier. this looks delicious!
Kathy Williams says
I made this cake for the 2nd time this morning! Dense, moist, fudgy,and totally satisfying when nothing but chocolate will do! Serve with whipped cream, ice cream or Cool whip and a few raspberries for a beautiful treat!
Carole says
I’d love to try this with prune puree for that added brownie texture. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Meghann says
I made this tonight and it is so good! It tastes like chocolate banana bread to me. It’s my favorite vegan dessert I’ve made so far. YUM!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
That’s wonderful Meghann! So glad you gave it a try 🙂 Have a great week!
Cristina Hall says
This cake was so good! I made it for some kids plus mine. All four come from completely different backgrounds, and yet thy all loved it! It was very moist and yummy even four days later when we kept it in the fridge, almost better!
Christie says
Made this tonight and it was super yummy. I don’t like frosting so this was the perfect cake for me!
Laura says
Finally, a comment by someone who actually made this. Wish commenters knew we can see for ourselves that something looks good and just comment after they have tried it.
Katherine says
I totally agree with you. Thanks for sharing the recipe! 🙂
Katie Adams says
Thanks for linking to Create Link Inspire at The Crafty Blog Stalker. You have been featured and pinned! Thank you for sharing.
–Katie, TheCraftyBlogStalker.com