Gluten-Free Choc Banana Cake

This is one of those recipes that I at one stage of my life did actually use a recipe – where I got it from nobody knows and over the last 10 years it has changed and evolved so many times I couldn’t give you the original recipe if I tried.

One of the reasons I love this recipe is because it’s what forms the base of any type of cake or muffin I make (oats and almond meal) and because I process the oat flower in the food processor I just mix the whole cake in there which for some reason, makes the whole thing easier in my head.

You could process the oats in a blender or if you haven’t got either – buy oat flour.

So here it is in its current evolution. It was soooooo exciting for us that we got to make it with bananas from our very own tree!

Although I used two eggs in it this weekend I have been making it as a vegan cake for years, all you have to do is trade off for your favourite egg substitute.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups of oats
• 2 cups of almond meal
• 2/3 cups of cocoa
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla essence
• 1 cup of milk of your choice (I used macadamia milk this weekend and would just use whatever I had in the fridge)
• 6 over ripe bananas
• 2 eggs (or suitable egg substitutes, I would usually use flaxseed or chia seeds and water)
• pinch of salt
• 2/3 cup of maple syrup or raw sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda

* If making the vegan version of this cake I would use about 1/4 cup of coconut oil on top of the ingredients listed above.

METHOD

Pre-heat the oven to about 180 (I put mine on 200 degrees celsius but I think it runs cooler).

Place the oats and almond meal in the food processor or blender and process so the oats become like flour.

Put all the other ingredients in the food processor and blend.

Taste test (let’s be real – who doesn’t make the cake to eat the cake batter).

You know all those recipes that tell you to grease the pan before you start mixing? This is not one of those recipes. I just line a loaf tray with a single sheet of baking paper so I can lift the whole cake out once it’s cooled a little. If you want to grease your tray, even before you start mixing it – you go for it. All the power to you!

Put it in the oven and take it out once it’s cooked – I have no idea how long that is. I mean it”s probably 40 minutes, but I’m not prepared to take responsibility for this part of the recipe. It’s your oven, your cake. This parts on you.

If you feel like getting extra fancy you can always throw in some walnuts or some choc-chips for extra yumminess.

Let me know how you go in the comments below.