THE BEST CHOC-CHUNK BANANA LOAF EVER! | wholefood & plant-based

Guys, it's been tough. If you could only know how much banana cake/bread I have 'HAD' to eat to get this recipe right... lol

Well, ok. Not tough at all! But seriously, I road test all of my recipes SO many times and this one has been a particularly tough one to crack. 

Banana cake/loaf/bread is nothing new of course, you can pick yourself up a slice from almost any cafe. 

But....

A whole food plant-based version free from ultra processed stuff, refined oil and more than up to scratch? That is the little puzzle I have been working on. 

So here we have it. As usual I have included the cooks notes at the bottom of the post! I really cannot wait to hear what you think! 

x Harry

Makes: approx 19cm diameter, 4cm high cake or standard loaf tin 
Prep time: 10 minutes 
Cook time: 45 minutes
Equipment: Blender or food processor

6-8 medjool dates, pitted (these are fresh dates, not dried) 
3/4 cup (70 g) rolled oats 
1 cup (100 g) almond meal 
2/3 cup (95 g) buckwheat flour 
1/3 cup (35 g) chickpea flour 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
Pinch of salt 
1 cup (250 ml) coconut milk or cream (I used 3/4 cup (75 g) coco milk powder 125 ml boiling water)
2 medium / 1 large (220-250g approx.) ripe bananas, peeled 
80g chopped plant-based chocolate or chopped frozen berries of choice  

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius fan-forced (200 degrees celsius conventional). 

Cover the medjool dates in boiling water while you prepare the rest. 

Place oats, almond meal, buckwheat flour, chickpea flour, baking powder and salt in your food processor and blend together until a flour is formed.

Transfer the dry mixture to a large mixing bowl.

If you are using powdered coconut milk, combine hot water and coconut milk powder in a bowl or jug and mix well. 

Drain your dates and add them to your food processor with the coconut milk and peeled banana. Blend until well combined. 
Hot tip: only blend as long as you need to combine the mixture well. There will still be flecks of date which adds character. Blending for too long will make the banana taste bitter! 

Add the liquid mixture to the dry and mix until evenly combined. 

Roughly chop chocolate and add to the mixture, saving a little for the topping. Mix into the batter. 

Line a cake or loaf tin with non-stick baking paper and pour the mixture into the tin. 

Top with your choice of frozen berries, chocolate or even slices of banana. 

Place in the oven to cook for 45 minutes. 
Note: Ovens vary a little so you may like to check on it every now and then if it is the first time you are making this. It will rise a little and brown on the top. 

Once cooked, set aside to cool in the tin. Once cooled enough to touch, remove it from the tin and paper and pop it on a cooling rack. 

This banana loaf is so delicious toasted and smothered in your topping of choice. See cooks notes for suggestions. 

COOKS NOTES

Medjool dates - Medjool dates are the fresh kind. Not dried packaged dates. These act as the binding agent in this recipe as well as the sweetener. 

Chocolate - Chocolate is one of many options to add to this yummy loaf. I also like the addition of stewed apple or pear pieces, additional banana, berries, ginger, coconut, pineapple, vanilla, cinnamon...the list goes on. 

Shape - You can also make this mixture into a round iced cake. It is so good with the 'cream cheese' frosting from this recipe for a special celebration cake. You can also pour it into muffin moulds. Just make sure you watch them closely as they will cook faster in smaller portions. 

Toppings - Honestly, this loaf is SO delicious topped with anything you like. I have tried plant-based butter (a simple natural version made of clean ingredients), cashew butter, almond butter, chia jam, coconut yoghurt, choccy spread, tahini and fresh sliced berries - all were amazing.

Icing - If you want to get a little (or a lot) fancy pants, I recommend trying my 'cream cheese' frosting from this recipe. It's super delicious. Add in a sprinkling of lemon rind and some dried rose petals to the top and you have yourself a pretty special creation! 

Coconut milk - As I have mentioned in the ingredients list, I used coconut milk powder, which is totally optional. You can replace this with canned or fresh coconut milk or cream. I buy my organic coconut milk powder from a bulk wholefood store to avoid packaging.
 

For many, many super easy, quick and clever plant-based wholefood recipes like this one, check out my book WHOLE by Natural Harry ....

WHOLE by Natural Harry

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