Until very recently, I’d never tried baking anything with bananas other than a few simple variations on classic banana bread—with nuts and without nuts was about as radical as I got. Except for maybe that time I shockingly baked the batter in muffin cups instead of a loaf tin.
But when there was an enormous sale on overripe bananas at one of the organic vegetable stands at Marché Jean-Talon and my freezer began to fill up with bananas, I wondered whether there was anything else you could do with them.
And I discovered this.
Chocolate and bananas, it turns out, are a match made in heaven. (I’m sure the rest of the world is aware of this, but I am a deprived creature who has never had a banana split.) Mashed into a cake, the bananas bring sweetness, fragrance, and a beautiful moisture. This is a wonderful thing to take to a party or potluck, and also keeps and freezes well if you want a supply of snacks. If you’re feeling extravagant, try swirling 1/4 C peanut butter into the batter.
Chocolate Banana Cake
Adapted from the Chocolate Banana Quick Cake in Tish Boyle’s The Cake Book, p. 125.
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1 C coconut sugar or raw cane sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3-4 overripe bananas, mashed well
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 C plain yogurt
- 1 1/4 C sprouted whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour, or even all purpose)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, bananas, vanilla, and yogurt until you have a smooth batter. Slowly sift in the dry ingredients, mixing well. Pour the batter into a buttered 9×9-inch cake pan.
Bake for about an hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
24 servings.
