Hi, I made this cake a week or so ago as a trial for my daughter's 18th birthday cake. She is a coeliac, allergic to eggs, dairy, soya, and almonds, so as you can imagine it has been a very taxing trying to find a birthday cake recipe... however, this recipe turned out to be the closest thing to cake she had tasted in a long time (she hasn't had a decent birthday cake since she was 13) The texture is perfect, the only thing I would say is we're not too keen on the taste of the banana in the cake, so was wondering if you had any suggestions? How much does half a banana weigh? (as they are all different sizes). I have read previous reviews, but would like to stick with using the banana... is there something we could add to take away the taste? Is it possible to use an under ripe banana instead, or does this recipe rely on a ripe banana for texture and rising? Or could we use unsweetened applesauce instead, or would that have an effect on the rising of the cake, the texture and it turning golden brown? I would really appreciate it if you could answer all, if not most, of my questions. I do apologise for the long review; I am so desperate to find a sponge cake recipe before my daughter's birthday that tastes close to the real thing. Thank you very much in advance and I hope you can help.

I've baked this several times and sadly failed. I can't use bananas due to allergies. I used applesauce in one and chia seeds in another. What am I doing wrong. It's a bit too sweet, so will use less sugar if I attempt it again. I'm desperate for a cake to work HELP!

I don't understand the other reviews. I followed the instructions and the cake didn't rise at all. It ruined my daughter's birthday cake.

Hi, with regards to your query; due to the nature of this cake and without the addition of baking powder and eggs, the only rise should be from the raising agents contained within our Self Raising Flour and also the bananas which will in turn help for a deliciously moist cake. Many thanks, Doves Farm. 

I am using this recipe to make excellent cupcakes. It is a very good base to add different flavors.

Is there a simple way to figure how much ingredients I need to make this for a 9"square tin

Love this recipe although it is too sweet. I use less sugar - about 80 or 90g. I use it as a base for different flavours and it works well. I use 2tbsp soya milk in place of 2tbsp of the water for a richer flavour. Also substitute 50g of the flour with cocoa powder, adding half a teaspoon of gluten free baking powder and adding 2tbsp more soya milk.

Hi there, my daughter is not meant to be having any additional sugar in her diet, along with no gluten/dairy/egg white or yeast....I would love to make her a nice sponge but substituting the sugar for a suitable sweetener or maybe more banana? Any ideas would be gratefully received! Thanks.

Hi there, I was wondering how much liquid to use instead of the banana. I am hoping to replace the water with a cherry liquor. Thanks

Hi Rachel. Umm, sounds good. We haven't done this but we suggest you perhaps try a small teaspoon of xanthan gum and a teaspoon of flax seeds to replace the banana. All the best, Doves Farm

Is this soya free too please?

Yes this recipe is soya free. ~ Doves Farm

I'm going to try this recipe this weekend but only have GF plain flour, please could you advise how much bicarb and baking powder I would need to add? Thanks!

Adding 2tsp of baking powder to plain flour will create a self raising flour. So for this recipe you will need 3 level tsp

I tried this last night without banana and with extra water instead - it was VERY sweet. But it did work. Can it be frozen?

Sponge cake can be successfully frozen. Allow to defrost completely at room temperature before eating. Top Tip: if you want to decorate a gluten free sponge cake with royal icing, freeze it first then decorate. The sponge will thaw underneath the icing keeping the celebration cake from drying out or losing shape.

I see a banana is added to this cake. Surely the cake does not then taste like a Victoria sponge but a banana cake? I wanted a recipe which is purely a vanilla flavour, is this one OK?

Adding half a banana in this recipe helps to keep this cake moist during cooking. It will impact on the flavour very little. You could swap for grated apple, courgette or carrot instead if you preferred, or omit altogether, replacing with just slightly more liquid. - Doves Farm

It works! Delicious! I used it with the DF wheat self raising and it really was a yummy cake! Served with organic raspberry jam & soy cream...!!!

Very easy to make with excellent results. I too was surprised at the amount of vanilla extract used but it is delicious and moist.

Sorry I have just realised I typed 2 tablespoons in my previous review. This was because I made double the quantity of mixture.

I made this cake today and it tastes excellent but I was a little surprised to see how much vanilla extract was used in the recipe. Is this correct, 2 tablespoons? It was easy to make which is always a bonus! :)