This 2-ingredient No-Bake Chocolate Cake is a quick and easy chocolate fudge cake made from banana and chocolate. It’s easy to whip up in less than 10 minutes, vegan, gluten-free with a decadent chocolate banana cake taste that everyone will love.
I have always had a passion for no-bake vegan desserts. I first created a no-bake peanut butter pie many years ago, and since then, I have fallen in love with how easily you can make desserts without an oven.
This week I ended up with so many ripe bananas that even after baking some banana bread cookies and a chocolate banana peanut butter bread, I still had many. That’s how I came up with this no-bake flourless chocolate cake recipe.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Ripe Bananas – The ripest your bananas are, the sweeter the chocolate cake will be. That’s why you must choose the chocolate chips’ cocoa percentage, based on the bananas’ ripeness level.
- Dark Chocolate Chips – You can use any chocolate chips but focus on high-quality chocolate because the chocolate chips are the critical ingredient of the cake. If your chocolate chips list sugar as a first ingredient, it’s not a good quality one. Pick one with 53% to 70% cocoa. If your bananas are very ripe, the darker chocolate will go better to avoid an overly sweet fudge cake.
Preparation
- Line a 6-inch springform cake pan at the bottom and on the sides with parchment paper. Oil generously the bottom and sides with coconut oil or vegetable oil. Set aside.
- In a large glass bowl, place the chocolate chips. I like to melt them with a double-broiler method, but it’s up to you to use your favorite method. You can also microwave the chips in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second bursts, stirring after each burst, until the chocolate has fully melted. For the double broiler method, boil water in a saucepan and place the glass bowl containing the chocolate chips over the saucepan. Stir the chips. They will slowly melt. Stir until shiny and fully melted.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a fork or potato masher to mash the ripe bananas into a smooth puree.
- If you don’t like pieces of banana in your chocolate cake, then blend the banana in a food processor, or blender, to remove any lumps and form an ultra-smooth banana puree.
- Pack the mashed banana into a measuring cup and sweep the excess on top to measure the amount required in the recipe with precision. Bring it back to the mixing bowl.
- Pour the melted chocolate into the mixing bowl containing the mashed banana and use a silicone spatula to stir both ingredients together.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and place the pan in the fridge for a few hours or until the top is very hard and firm. It can take from 1 to 2 hours. You can also film the top of the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight if you meal prep the dessert for the next day.
Decorating
When the cake has firms up, remove from the fridge and gently open the springform to release the cake. Peel off the parchment paper on the sides of the no-bake chocolate cake. Keep the cake on the base of your springform pan, don’t try to remove the cake from the base or it may break.
If you like, decorate the top of the cake with some of these easy dessert topping ideas:
- Vegan ganache – a chocolate ganache combines melted dark chocolate chips and plant-based heavy cream. It stays soft and creates a glossy effect on top of the cake.
- a drizzle of melted chocolate
- Fresh raspberries or strawberries.
- Shredded dark chocolate
- Shredded coconut
- Vegan whipped cream
- Coconut Frosting
Expert Tips for Success
- Use a springform pan. No-bake cakes are not easy to release from a regular pan. Springform pans have removable sides, making it easier to release.
- Pick high-quality chocolate. The main ingredients in chocolate should be cocoa butter and not sugar. If you use poor-quality chocolate or chocolate chips that are too sweet, the cake won’t taste good.
- Measure ingredients with precision. The cake has just 2 ingredients. If you are not precise, there are many chances that the cake comes out too hard or too soft.
- Play with flavors. Stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, a teaspoon of espresso powder, or 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped fresh mint to flavor the cake.
- Add some crunch. Fold some crunchy ingredients in the cake batter. Try stirring 1/3 cup chopped nuts like almonds or shredded coconut.
- Use bananas at room temperature. Don’t use bananas that have been stored in the fridge. If it is too cold, they will quickly firm up the melted chocolate, making the batter impossible to stir.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can swap the bananas for the same amount of orange sweet potato puree or pumpkin puree. Applesauce makes the cake softer, and I don’t recommend this option using the same ratio of chocolate chips.
You can use dairy-free milk chocolate chips if it’s the flavor you love for your cake. I do prefer dark chocolate with bananas.
The texture of this no-bake chocolate cake is similar to my 2-ingredient fudge. It’s fudgy and creamy, with an intense chocolate flavor and pieces of bananas. If you love anything with chocolate banana flavor, you will love this fudge cake.
No, this will make a banana chocolate mousse, but it won’t firm up as a cake.
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No-Bake Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup Mashed Banana - (note 1) at room temperature
- 2 cups Dairy-Free Dark Chocolate Chips - (note 2 )
Instructions
- Line a 6-inch springform cake pan with parchment paper at the bottom and sides of the pan. Using a cooking spray, oil the sides and bottom. You must use a springform pan and line the pan properly for easy release of the cake.
- Add the chocolate chips to a glass bowl. Place the glass bowl over a saucepan filled with boiled water (not over the stove; place it on a wooden board).
- Stir the chocolate chips with a silicone spatula until all the chips are melted in a shiny liquid chocolate mixture. (Note 3 below for microwave).
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas as smoothly as possible using a fork or a potato masher. If there are lumps, it's okay, but you will see the banana lumps in the cake. For no lumps, blend the bananas in a blender.
- Pack the mashed banana in a measuring cup to measure exactly 1 cup. Sweep off the excess and freeze it for later. Return the cup of mashed bananas to the mixing bowl.
- Pour the melted chocolate over the mashed banana and stir to combine. You can also blend both ingredients to completely remove any lumps of banana.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Refrigerate for one hour or overnight, or simply until firm and the top is hard if you press on it.
- Open the springform sides, peel off the parchment paper on the sides, and keep the cake on the pan base. If you like, drizzle the top of the cake with vegan ganache on top or simply some shredded chocolate to decorate.
I made this, but added one smashed avocado and used two 4inch spring form pans (I didn’t have a six inch one. I made it for a dinner that was cancelled, so I took a chance and froze it. After four days, I took it out and tasted it. It was delicious. Thank you for this easy but delectable healthy no bake dessert
This sounds like something that I’d like to try. Since the amount of bananas is critical, it would be nice to have that measurement in grams. Maybe the chocolate chips too. Thank you
The amounts are both in US format and Metrics already! click on the toggle just above the ingredient list
I made it. It tastes good but it never got harden. What did! Do wrong? It wasn’t runny, but it was just super soft. You couldn’t even cut it. It was more like a harder pudding.
It’s so yummy