Healthy Banana Cake by Nicola

With a New Year comes health objectives and cooking impulses that we need inspiration for. After a few weeks of indulging in endless platters of cheese, chocolate and mince pies, something’s gotta give. Combating the sugar monster that’s been lurking in the fridge throughout December isn’t easy. Nibbling on carrot sticks and stocking up on exotic fruit is a good start but sometimes all we need is a big ol’ chunk of cake. Cake doesn’t always mean guilt, though. Try your hand at some home baking to discover that there are lots of ways to omit the naughty bits of cake eating and still leave a delicious, satisfying treat. Cutting down the refined sugar content is a good start, as well as replacing fats with healthier options that are even more delicious. You’ll be pleased to know that my healthier banana cake is so good for you, you can tuck in at breakfast time, elevenses and for dessert!

This cake recipe uses honey and ripe bananas to give it crave-busting sweetness- and the coconut and sunflower oils create a moistness that will have you coming back for seconds…. which is totally allowed this time! The addition of nuts and spelt flour will top you up on fibre, protein and calcium- and don’t forget the good stuff that comes with eating potassium rich bananas! Stir it up, bake and tuck in whenever you have the urge for a sweet snack.

HEALTHY BANANA CAKE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

3 ½ tbsp of sunflower oil

2 tbsp of coconut oil

2 eggs, beaten

1tsp of vanilla essence

300g of ripe bananas, mashed

200g of spelt flour

1tsp of cinnamon

1tsp of bicarbonate of soda

4 tsp of hot water

65g of roughly broken pecans

METHOD

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160°c
2. Grease and line a 1lb loaf tin
3. In a mixing bowl, thoroughly beat together the honey and oils
4. Beat in the eggs and vanilla
5. Stir in the bananas until fully combined
6. Sift in the flour and cinnamon and gently stir until just combined
7. In a mug or small jug, mix the water with the bicarbonate of soda and add to the cake mixture
8. Mix everything together and quickly pour the mixture into your prepared loaf tin
9. Bake for 55 minutes until golden and a knife comes out clean
10. Set on a cooling rack and serve warm or cold with a big mug of tea

Nicola is a writer living in Bristol. You can find her over on her blog www.threadpressed.com, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Find more posts by Nicola here...