Gluten Free Dulce de Leche Banana Cake

This gluten free dulce de leche banana cake is one of the best cakes I’ve ever made. It’s soft, moist, and has that perfect banana flavor with a rich caramel sweetness on top.

If you think gluten free cakes are dry or crumbly, this one will change your mind. The combination of almond flour and gluten free baking flour gives it a tender texture that honestly rivals any regular cake.

The frosting is where things get really good. It’s made with dulce de leche, which gives it this incredible caramel flavor that pairs so well with banana.

It looks impressive enough for a birthday or special occasion, but it’s actually pretty simple to put together. No fancy techniques or hard to find ingredients.

Whether you eat gluten free out of necessity or by choice, this is the kind of cake that everyone at the table will enjoy. Let me show you how to make it.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Incredibly Moist and Tender – The combo of ripe bananas and sour cream makes this cake so soft and moist it practically melts in your mouth.

That Dulce de Leche Frosting Is Everything – Rich buttery frosting swirled with caramel-like dulce de leche creates a flavor that is absolutely heavenly.

You Would Never Guess It Is Gluten Free – The almond flour and baking flour blend gives this cake a perfect crumb that rivals any traditional bakery cake.

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 1 1/2 cups Almond Flour
• 3/4 cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 3 large Very Ripe Bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup Brown Sugar, packed
• 2 large Eggs
• 1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Dulce de Leche Frosting

• 1 cup Unsalted Butter, softened
• 1 cup Dulce de Leche (store-bought or homemade)
• 3 cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 tbsp Heavy Cream
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• Sliced Bananas, for garnish
• Dulce de Leche, for drizzling

How to Make

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

Step 2

Whisk together the almond flour, gluten free flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.

Step 3

In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas, brown sugar, eggs, oil, sour cream, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until just combined with no streaks of flour remaining.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Step 4

Bake for 28 to 33 minutes until the cakes are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Step 5

Make the frosting by beating the softened butter on high speed for 3 minutes until very pale and creamy. Add the dulce de leche and beat until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar on low speed, then add the cream and salt. Beat on high for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy.

Step 6

Place one cake layer on your serving plate and spread a thick layer of frosting over the top. Place the second layer on top. Frost the top and sides of the entire cake with the remaining frosting, using an offset spatula to create smooth sides.

Step 7

Drizzle extra dulce de leche over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Garnish with a few banana slices. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set before slicing.

My Tips

Use Really Ripe Bananas

You want bananas that are covered in brown spots or even fully brown/black on the outside. These bananas are sweeter, softer, and way easier to mash into a smooth consistency.

If your bananas aren’t ripe enough, the flavor will be weak and you’ll get little chunks in the batter that don’t break down. A good trick is to freeze ripe bananas when you have them and thaw them out when you’re ready to bake. They get even mushier after thawing, which is perfect.

Whip the Butter Long Enough for the Frosting

The recipe says to beat the butter for 3 minutes on high, and you really need to do the full 3 minutes. The butter should go from yellow to almost white and look super creamy and fluffy.

This step is what makes the frosting light instead of dense and heavy. If you skip ahead and add the dulce de leche too early, the frosting won’t have that smooth, airy texture.

Also, make sure the butter is truly softened before you start. It should dent easily when you press it with your finger but not be melty or greasy.

Add the Powdered Sugar on Low Speed

When you add the powdered sugar to the frosting, keep your mixer on low until it’s mostly incorporated. If you turn it up too soon, you’ll get a cloud of powdered sugar all over your kitchen and your clothes.

Once the sugar is mixed in and there’s no dry powder flying around, then crank it up to high for the final 2-3 minutes. That’s when everything comes together into a smooth, fluffy frosting.

More Tasty Recipes

• Gluten Free Dulce de Leche Cheesecake
• Gluten Free Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies
• Gluten Free Banana Bread
• Gluten Free Tres Leches Cake
• Gluten Free Banana Split Dump Cake

FAQ

Why does the frosting need to be refrigerated before slicing?

The dulce de leche frosting is soft and creamy at room temperature, which makes it wonderful for spreading but a little tricky for clean slicing. Chilling the cake for 30 minutes firms everything up so the layers hold together nicely and each slice comes out looking neat.

After you’ve sliced what you need, you can let the individual pieces sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before eating. This brings the frosting back to that smooth, melt-in-your-mouth texture.