Banana cake is Mark’s absolute Achilles heel. Actually, I love it too. Occasionally I would splurge and get a slice of banana bread as a treat. However, traditional banana bread is loaded with oil, and sugar and the only healthy part is the banana. Hence, I have developed a new recipe. It is actually surprisingly delicious. I have found though, that it is quite dense with a different texture. However, it is still very delicious and hits the spot especially for a completely oil free cake.

Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas mashed
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons of flax-seeds meal and 5 tablespoons of water)
• ½ cup of apple sauce
• ½ cup of maple syrup or white sugar
• ¼ cup of soy milk
• 1 and ¾ cup of whole wheat flour
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 3 tablespoons of chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and one of nutmeg

Extra optional

• Two bananas
• Strawberries
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and 2 tablespoons of water

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees
2. In a large bowl combine flax meal and water and let it rest for five minutes to achieve an eggy texture
3. Combine the banana, apple sauce, the replacement egg and maple syrup
4. Combine all the dry ingredients and make a well in the centre
5. Add the wet ingredients
6. Stir till just combined
7. Add the nuts and the cinnamon and nutmeg
8. Grease and line a loaf tin
9. Pour batter and bake for 45 minutes or until the tester comes out clean

Topping

• Slice two bananas diagonally and place on top of the cake
• Cut up strawberries or pomegranate and decorate on top
• Sprinkle with cinnamon
• Add two tablespoons of maple syrup and 2 tablespoons of water
• Allow to caramelize
• Drizzle over cake

Yum!