Ever since I tried the Rosemary and Olive Oil cake in one of Stacey’s recent posts, I have been searching for other quick, no-fuss cakes. With Winter well and truly here this week, a pot of home-brewed chai tea or freshly brewed coffee with a slice of cake is definitely one of those moments that nourish the soul—as long as there is a bit of dark chocolate added.
My new food mission is to ensure that any treats, whether savoury or sweet, that enter my house must be of all-natural ingredients and ones that you would most likely find in your fridge or pantry. I read an article recently on wholefood, and the suggestion was if a food item has ingredients you would not find in your great-grandmother or great-great-grandmother’s pantry (depending on your generation), be wary. Most bought biscuits have all manner of interesting ingredients that are definitely not natural or have been contorted away from their natural source. Hydrogenated vegetable oil, vegetable oil (usually a saturated fat or palm oil, which is highly refined), flavour and colour additives are just to name a few.
I discovered this banana cake in Jude Blereau’s Wholefood – 300 Recipes to Restore, Nourish, and Delight, a treasure in Stacey’s recipe collection that has now been added to my own. Hand-mixed in one bowl, wet added to dry, cannot get much quicker than that. Loaded with raisins, dates, walnuts and of course, banana and a little spice, a comforting and nourishing food this is. In the Rosemary and Olive Oil cake, I loved the little pockets of melted and hard chocolate bits that appeared in each slice, so I had to add it to this one. It’s a personal preference, of course. It will still be measured as comfort food. And, as a bonus, this is a no-sugar cake (minus the dark chocolate), as the dried fruit provides its sweetness. It is probably more banana bread than a cake.
BANANA CAKE
makes 1 loaf
ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour (wheat or spelt)
1 cup unbleached plain (all-purpose) flour (wheat or spelt)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/2 cup golden raisins (or dark)
1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts
1/2 cup fresh dates (or dried), pitted and roughly chopped
3 very ripe bananas, roughly mashed with a fork
1 – 2 bananas (extra), cut into small bits
5 tab unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup natural yoghurt
1/2 to 3/4 cup milk (dairy or soy)
100g dark chocolate (min. 70%), roughly chopped (optional)
preparation
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 F). Lightly grease a 4-cup loaf pan and line the base and sides with baking paper.
- Place the whole wheat flour in a bowl and sift in the unbleached flour and baking powder. To distribute the fruit evenly, add the cinnamon, mixed spice, raisins, walnuts, and dates. Mix gently with the mashed bananas and all other ingredients except the chocolate. (You may need to add an extra tab. or two of milk so that the batter moves well over the spoon as you mix it.) Add 2/3 of the chocolate and mix gently through.
- Place the cake in the loaf pan and sprinkle the remaining chocolate over the top. Gently drag a fork across the top to cover the chocolate bits. Bake for 50 to 70 minutes or until golden and cooked in the centre. Leave to cool for 15 minutes, then turn onto a cake rack.
Goodness shared from Donna
