Last night we went out with our friends Debbie and Mike. They are quite the non-profit duo. Debbie founded the timely and super innovative Wellness Initiative, while Mike runs Progress Now. Two cutting edge organizations out to make the world a better place. What could be cooler?
Here’s what. Their son Lee will celebrate his first birthday next week. And they have another little one due any day now! We talked about children and of course, my favorite topic delicious, healthy food. They asked if I had any ideas for their son’s birthday cake and told me that little Lee loves bananas.
Here’s what I came up with. Bake it in a loaf pan and it’s a delicious, healthy gluten free banana bread; bake it in a and it’s a delicious, healthy gluten free banana cake. Either way, enjoy!
Banana Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup agave nectar or honey
- ¼ cup grapeseed oil or palm shortening
- 3 large eggs, whisked
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 bananas (about one cup) mashed
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together almond flour, salt and baking soda
- In a small bowl, combine agave, grapeseed oil, eggs and vanilla, then stir in bananas
- Mix wet ingredients into dry
- Place batter in either a 9 inch springform pan or two small 7.5 x 3.5 inch magic line loaf pans
- Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes
- Remove from oven and allow to cool
Enjoy this delicious gluten free, dairy free banana cake plain or indulge with some cream cheese frosting for a super rich dessert. Either way, happy birthday!
Robin says
I made this last night for my family and it was wonderful! I didn’t have enough almond flour so I made conversions (2/3 of recipe) and put in an 8-inch round pan for 35 minutes. I topped it with your vegan chocolate frosting. It was delish! Definitely making this one again! Thanks for all your wonderful recipes :-)
romaine says
This is a great recipe! I tweaked it a bit to suit my own preferences – added an extra banana and decreased agave to 1/8 cup but should have decreased more since a tad too sweet for me. I also decreased the vanilla since I made another banana cake recipe with that much vanilla and that was all I could taste (must be the vanilla I use). And lastly I subbed in melted butter for the grapeseed oil, but that’s just because I love butter thought if I had coconut oil in plenty, I would have used that – so good and healthy. All in all I think I kept proportions of fat, sweeteners, leavening, etc.. the same so that it still worked.
Sherry Lochner says
Delish! Here are the changes I made – 1/2 maple syrup and half Stevia in place of agave, coconut oil in place of grapeseed, 4 eggs, made into muffins, and baked for 20-25 minutes. I would probably cut the sweetness back next time some. Thank you so much for posting!
Tanya Winter says
Hi Elana,
i love this cake, I also add chopped dates into it yum!
hey i was just wondering if you have ever done a recipe for Sticky Date Pudding at all?
many thanks,
Tanya
anira says
I made this cake for my son’s 2nd birthday last weekend – it was a hit! With a child we’re trying not to load up with sugar and carbs, a husband gone quasi-paleo, and a friend with MS in the mix, everyone enjoyed a nice slice of cake without worry. I used your coconut cream frosting, which tasted great with the banana flavor. I also had tripled the recipe, and encountered no problems – I did end up baking it for an extra 10-12 minutes.
anira says
For every cake-baking event, I spend loads of time searching the net to find alternatives to the standard heavy sugar/flour load found in traditional recipes. I feel like I’ve happened upon a gold mind! Can’t wait to try out your recipes!! Thanks!
Amanda says
Mali, I think if you look, you will see another poster did omit the agave and add an extra banana.
Mali Korsten says
Oops, just noticed it says no substitution questions – apologies!
Mali Korsten @ The Korsten Chronicle says
Yay, exactly the kind of recipe I’ve been looking for! If I omit the agave do you think I would need to add some more liquid or an extra 1/4 cup banana to compensate? Thanks :)
Kendra says
I had a couple of soft bananas, and searched your site, knowing you’d probably have a good use for them. I was right, you did! I have always loved banana bread and this rivals any gluten-filled ones I made in the past. I spread a little almond butter on a slice and it was heavenly. :-)