Our family’s Vietnamese banana and bread cake or banh chuoi in Vietnamese, is one of those hidden gem recipes. The cake is somewhat similar to a British bread pudding but has the consistency of a baked cheesecake. It has delicious caramelised banana chunks on the top which gives it an amazing golden brown colour. This banana and bread cake is perfect for using up stale white bread and for when you’re on a tighter budget.
I am the first person to admit that I am not a natural baker. I have never particularly had an interest in it until recently where I made a Vietnamese honeycomb cake. This cake was challenging since it was riddled with booby traps. So for my next baking project, I decided to make something much simpler. My mother suggested this banana cake recipe because according to her it is impossible to stuff up. Immediately, I am thinking to myself that this is a trap. I know my mum is a God-fearing Catholic but she undoubtedly gets her kicks outta seeing me make an absolute dog’s breakfast out of an easy recipe.

So, not wanting to look like a weakling in front of my one-year old daughter I took on the recipe. Admittedly, the cake was very easy to make. It was also very easy to burn! There is a lot of natural sugar from the bananas that just wants to get lit up like a bonfire. Fortunately, after a few tweaks here and there, I am now confident that the methodology is pretty much bullet proof.
The Main Differences With Our Recipe
Our family recipe for this banana cake is noticeably different from many other versions you may find on the internet. My mother assures me that this recipe is authentic since it has been handed down through the generations. The main differences you will see with our recipe is that:
- Ours is a very moist cake with a cheesecake-like texture. This will also cause the cake to sink slightly in the middle. Other versions tend to have more flour and/or bread which makes the cake more even on top but is also a lot firmer and drier.
- Ours is not layered like a bread and butter pudding. The bread slices are mashed into a thick paste and the banana slices are suspended in the mixture. We find that the cake holds better this way.
- We only serve this cake after it has been chilled in the fridge.
- Our recipe is egg- and dairy-free, making it a vegan-friendly cake.
My Tips for Vietnamese Banana and Bread Cake
The Bananas
Just-ripe bananas are ideal for this recipe since you want it to be sweet but still hold its shape. Over-ripe will still work but will blend into the cake mixture and it may look completely uniform when the cake is cross-sectioned.
Do not cut the banana pieces too small since you want them to be visible.
The Bread
Bread that is 3 + days old is ideal, but if you only have fresh bread then you will need to put 1 more tbsp of flour to help the cake hold its shape.
Don’t Line the Cake Tin
Do not use baking paper to line your cake tin since it has a tendency to stick to the bottom of the cake. It can be very painful having to manually remove bits of paper from each piece of cake.
The Baking Process
There is a decent amount of sugar in the mixture so it does have a tendency to burn a little. If it looks like it is burning at any time, loosely cover the cake with a piece of aluminium foil.
Cooling the Cake
It is important to leave the cake to cool in the oven for 15 minutes before taking it out. You may find that the cake will severely collapse on itself if this step is missed.
Do not cover the cake when it is cooling in the fridge. This is to prevent condensation turning your caramelised cake top into mush.
Serve the Cake Chilled
The banana cake is best served when it has been chilled overnight in the fridge. Do not serve it warm or it will be very mushy.

Recipe Costings
This table shows how much this recipe will cost if you had to go out and buy everything on the ingredients list (“Shop Price”), as well as the value of ingredients actually used in the recipe (“Recipe Cost”).
With the “Shop Price”, we’re assuming you’re buying the smallest possible quantity to make this recipe. Obviously if you’re buying things in larger quantities the price will be higher, but you’re also more likely to be paying less per unit. We haven’t bothered with things like salt and pepper as the cost would be negligible.
All prices are in Australian dollars and are based off what was published on Coles Online or Woolworths Online as at time of writing.
Ingredient | Quantity Bought | Shop Price | Recipe Needs | Recipe Cost |
Sliced white bread | 1 loaf (650 gm) at $1.25 | $1.25 | 200 gm | $0.38 |
Coconut Cream | 1 can at $1 | $1.00 | 1 can | $1.00 |
Bananas | 5 at $4.90 / kg | $4.40 | 5 | $4.40 |
Plain flour | 2 kg packet | $1.80 | 2 tbsp | $0.01 |
Brown Sugar | 1 kg packet | $2.80 | 1/3 cup | $0.20 |
Vanilla extract | 200 ml bottle | $11.50 | 1/2 tsp | $0.29 |
Sesame seeds | 100 gm packet | $2.50 | 1/2 tsp | $0.04 |
Canola oil | 750 ml bottle | $2.25 | 1 tsp | $0.02 |
Total | $27.50 | $6.34 |

Other Recipes You May Like
- Vietnamese Honeycomb Cake (Banh Bo Nuong)
- Vietnamese Pig’s Ear Biscuits – Banh Tai Heo
- Layered Pastry and Mung Bean Cake (Banh Pia)
- Crispy Almond Biscuits
- Vietnamese Snowballs – Banh Bao Chi
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-Scruff

Vietnamese Banana and Bread Cake – Banh Chuoi
Ingredients
- 1 tsp canola oil (or any neutral oil)
- 200 gm stale white bread slices (3+ days old) ( Note 1 )
- 400 ml coconut cream
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 5 peeled Cavendish bananas (approx total weight is 900 gm with the skin on)
- 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Add 1 tsp of oil to a non stick 20 cm / 8 inch cake tin and leave it in a preheated oven at 180 C / 356 F.
- In a mixing bowl, tear the bread slices into small pieces.
- Add the coconut cream and let it sit for a few minutes. With a wooden spoon, mash the bread and coconut mixture into a thick paste.
- Add the sugar, salt, vanilla extract, flour to the mixing bowl and combine well.
- Peel and cut all but one of the bananas into thickish slices ( 1 cm / 1/3 in ) and add it to the mixing bowl. With a wooden spoon, gently combine without mashing the banana slices.
- Cut the remaining banana into thin slices to decorate the top of the cake.
- Take the cake tin out of the oven and pour the mixture in. Arrange the sliced banana on the top.
- Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the cake and cook in the oven for 60 minutes on fan force.
- At 30 and 45 minutes, check the cake top is not burning. If it looks like it is going to burn, loosely cover the cake tin with a piece of aluminium foil. Do not seal the cake.
- After 60 minutes, turn off the oven ,and leave the cake in the oven for a further 15 minutes. (Remove aluminium foil if used.)
- After 15 minutes take out of the oven and allow to cool at room temperature for another 30 minutes.
- Leave the banana cake in the tin and let it cool uncovered in the fridge for at least 3 hours (preferably overnight). Serve chilled.
Notes
- If your white bread is still fresh, put in an extra tbsp of flour.
Looks like a huge amount of effort there Scruff.
what is “fan force”?
Hi Rosany! Fan force is a setting on my oven similar to convection. It uses a fan to distribute the heat evenly inside the oven. I hope this helps.
This recipe looks fabulous! What a creative way to use leftover bread. I’m assuming it was traditionally made with Vietnamese baguettes? Is it fine with normal Aussie white bread? Or even the ends of bread loaves? We tend to have a lot of the latter in our house.
Thank you Serina! Yes, it is traditionally made with Vietnamese baguettes but I just use normal stale Aussie white bread from Coles, including the crusts and ends. I hope you like the recipe and thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I made this exactly to the recipe and it tasted pretty good but was really soft and mushy, more like a pudding. I think it needs more bread. I’m going to try it again but with an extra slice or two of bread and see if that helps. Thanks
Hi Christina! Thank you for letting us know. We are sorry the cake turned out that way. Off the top of my head, the most common reasons this banana cake could turn out mushy would be:
1. The bread was too fresh. In this case, the best option is to either add more bread (like you’ve suggested) or more flour.
2. The cake was still warm/served warm. This cake needs to be served chilled so it holds it shape.
3. The cake was not left to chill uncovered for long enough in the fridge – leaving it in the fridge overnight dries the top out which makes it pleasantly chewy.
Please tell us how you second attempt goes because I do want this recipe to work for you!
This cake was so delicious! It turned out perfectly – I only had light coconut cream but it didn’t seem to matter. The caramalised banana and edges were the best part. It also tasted great with ice cream for dessert 🙂
We’re glad you liked it Fi! That’s good to know it works with light coconut cream, and yes we love the caramelised bananas at the top and the chewy edges too. We will have to try it with ice cream!
What temperature should I cool this at? I do not have fan force.
Hi Lee! Just cool the the cake at room temperature. The “fan force” term is a setting on the oven while cooking. Sorry if it was confusing.
love the cake! really delicious, and despite my 2 bananas being not ripe enough it still came out good
Thank you for the kind words! We are really happy it worked out well for you!!!
Hi Scruff, just to confirm. Do we remove the banana skin or leave it on? In your ingredient list, you mentioned skin on. If I don’t have Cavendish banana and use other types of banana instead, should I still keep the skin on?
Thanks Scruff. Vietnamese banana bread was something I grew up with so it would be nice if I can make it myself.
Hi Tram! The skin on is only for measuring the weight. So yes, you must peel the skin off for this recipe. Honestly, you can really use any type of bananas as long as it’s sweet. My mum uses lady finger. Hope that helps and good luck!
What temperature in Fahrenheit will the cake need to cook in. I only have a regular oven and not an Air Force setting.
Hi Dominique! Cook it at 356 F on normal setting should be fine. Hope it turns out great!