Banoffee Trifle (Vegan Gluten-Free)
This vegan, gluten-free and healthier Banoffee Trifle has layers of homemade banana cake, caramel sauce, coconut custard and cookies all topped with coconut whipped cream and more banana. It’s the perfect summery dessert to share.
If you love all things banoffee aka banana, toffee, cookies and cream, then this dessert is perfect for you. The dessert starts with homemade banana cake made with oat flour, banana and almond butter baked until fluffy and delicious. Chop this into cubes and layer up with dairy-free custard, bananas, caramel sauce, cookies and then top with your favourite dairy-free whipped cream, I’m used the coconut one from Natures Charm as this is my favourite in terms of texture and subtle flavour. It’s a great dessert for summer to share with loved ones.
Why will I love this trifle?
This dessert is amazing:
- Fruity, creamy, caramel-y and sweet
- Sticky, delicious and banana-y
- Made with wholesome, real ingredients
- Naturally plant-based, egg-free and dairy-free
- Easily gluten-free and nut-free
- Great to make ahead of time and keep in the fridge
- A real showstopper
- Ideal for sharing with friends and family
- Contains banana slices
- Loaded with homemade, simple banana cake
- Layered with caramel sauce and dairy-free custard
- Has crushed cookies for crunch
- Topped with dairy-free whipped cream
- Beautiful to look at
- Indulgent and nostalgic
- Ready in just a few steps
- Effortless but a showstopper
If you already love the sound of this dessert, then skip to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.
What ingredients do I need?
You can see the ingredients with weights in the recipe card below and see my favourites in the “shop the recipe” section.
For the cake:
- Ripe banana: the riper the better for inside the cake as it’s sweeter and easier to mash.
- Runny smooth almond butter: this is best for the flavour, but you can also use peanut butter or cashew butter. Or, try sunflower seed butter or tahini for a nut-free option.
- Thick coconut yoghurt: I like this for adding fat and moisture, and you can use other full-fat dairy-free yoghurt. I use the Natural or Vanilla Cocos Organic yoghurt.
- Maple syrup: for sweetness. Or you can use agave syrup or (vegan) honey.
- Ground flaxseed: or you can use chia seed to help bind the egg-free batter.
- Vanilla extract: for flavour.
- Oat flour: make your own oat flour by blending oats into a flour-like texture.
- Plain or GF plain flour: for a lighter texture, and make this gluten-free by using a gluten-free flour blend, with xanthan gum or add ¼ tsp of your own.
- Cinnamon: for flavour.
- Raising agents: for the rise.
As for the layers:
- Whipping cream: I love the coconut or oat one from Natures Charm which requires you to chill the tin overnight in the fridge and then whip it up for 3 minutes until fluffy.
- Coconut custard: or another dairy-free custard. I like the Natures Charm one as it’s naturally quite thick.
- Coconut caramel sauce: this is also from Natures Charm, but you can use another vegan caramel sauce or make your own. I have a few caramel recipes like this one.
- Cookies: like digestive, ginger or Biscoff cookies.
- Banana: for slicing and layering up.
Is this gluten-free and nut-free?
This is easily gluten-free, as long as your oats/oat flour are gluten-free, you use gluten-free flour inside the cake and check that your cookies and other layer ingredients do not contain gluten. To keep this nut-free, swap the almond butter for sunflower seed butter or tahini and check your other ingredients.
How do I make this?
This dessert is ready in a few steps:
- Make the cake first: starting by mashing the banana.
- Whisk together the wet ingredients: and then sift in the dry ingredients.
- Pour into a small loaf tin: and bake until risen and an inserted skewer comes out basically clean.
- Allow the cake to cool fully: and then slice and cube into squares of cake.
- Chill the whipping cream: and then beat until fluffy.
- Start creating the dessert: alternating between layers of coconut custard, cake pieces, banana, caramel and cookie crumbs before topping it all off with whipped cream.
- Add on extra banana and cookie crumbs: and serve.
How long will this last?
Once made, keep this in the fridge sealed for 2-3 days.
What other desserts can I try?
For more dessert ideas:
- Chocolate Berry Dessert Pizza
- Mango Turmeric Cake
- Golden Lemon Cheesecake Bars
- Double Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake
- Chocolate Strawberry Mousse Tart
Banoffee Trifle (Vegan Gluten-Free)
This vegan, gluten-free and healthier Banoffee Trifle has layers of homemade banana cake, caramel sauce, coconut custard and cookies all topped with coconut whipped cream and more banana. It’s the perfect summery dessert to share.
Ingredients
For the Banana Cake:
- 2 ripe medium-sized bananas, mashed (200g)
- 60g runny, smooth almond butter
- 30g thick coconut yoghurt
- 30ml maple syrup
- ½ tbsp ground flaxseed
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 50g oat flour
- 35g plain or GF plain flour
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- A pinch of salt
For the Trifle:
- 1 x tin Natures Charm Coconut Whipping Cream, chilled
- 1 x tin Natures Charm Coconut Custard
- 6 large tbsp Natures Charm Coconut Caramel Sauce
- 6 cookies, crushed
- 2 bananas, slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160Fan/180ºC and line a small 5-inch loaf tin with parchment paper.
- For the banana cake, mash the banana and add to a mixing bowl with the almond butter, yoghurt, syrup, flaxseed and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Now add the oat flour and sift in the plain flour, cinnamon and baking powder. Add the salt and whisk to a thick, smooth batter.
- Pour the batter into the tin, and smooth over the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes, covering the top with foil after 25 minutes. An inserted skewer will come out almost fully clean when baked. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin and then remove from the tin to cool fully on a wire rack.
- Once cool, slice the cake into slices and chop into cubes.
- When ready to assemble the trifle, tip all of the contents of the cream into a standing mixer and beat until really light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. You can now spoon the cream into a piping bag with a round nozzle.
- To put the trifle together, choose a bowl about 20-cm diameter and layer up the dessert. Start with half of the custard, and arrange most of the bananas around the edges. Add on most of the cake pieces, drizzle caramel sauce all over and top with some crushed cookies. Add more cake pieces around the edge of the bowl and top with more custard, the caramel sauce and cookies. Now pipe on the whipped cream and decorate with more crushed cookies and banana slices.
- Serve straight away or keep covered tightly in the fridge for 2-3 days. Leftovers will also keep for 2-3 days in the fridge in a sealed container.
Shop the recipe
Stay in touch
I look forward to hearing what you think of this Banoffee Trifle so please do let me know in the comments below. If you do make these cupcakes, I’d love to see them so please tag me in your creations, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest – please say hello!
With banoffee love x
p.s. this recipe was first made with Natures Charm but this blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own.
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