Back to Basics #4 – Banana bread,cake , whatever!

Hey there!

Finally, it’s here, my basic banana bread, no fancy nuts added, no special spices, just plain old delicious banana bread. Banana bread, a new love of mine, or should I call it banana cake? Is it a cake, a bread, what on earth is this delicious rich loaf of banana goodness I am looking at right now while I am typing this. I want to eat it so badly, but I told myself I’m going to write down the recipe first and then enjoy my afternoon snack. Fact is, I love this thing that is waiting to be eaten. Who cares about its name anyway. I mean I know that this is commonly known as banana bread, but me being Swiss and not having grown up with starbucks like coffeeshops on every other corner used to think this was a cake. It’s sweet, it’s dense and it tastes like dessert. So what’s the bread part about it? I mean bread is crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside and the fluffier the better. See the parallels? Well I don’t either. Anyways, I’ll stick with calling it banana bread to not confuse the hell out of you lovely people. So from now on I will stop doubting the name of this heavenly deliciousness and call it by the name the English speaking people call it, banana bread.

 

So, now that that’s clear I should probably tell you a little more about my version of a basic banana bread. Mine is sweetened with dates and made with spelt flour. I actually tried to make it with gluten free flour and although it tasted amazing it literally looked like s***. So sorry for all you people suffering of celiac disease, but I am just terrible at gluten free baking…

Anyways let’s get back on track. I decided to keep this super simple and only add a dash of vanilla. Yet I think , what makes this yumminess taste even better is the fact that I roasted the bananas prior to adding them to the batter. Credits to the amazingly talented Gloria from www.shanyraleonie.com for this genius idea. It really does make a difference, so try it!
 

 

• 3 bananas, baked
• 3tbs apple sauce
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 50ml soy milk
• 1tbs coconut oil
• 10 dates, soaked and pitted (preferably over night)
• 120g spelt flour
• 1tbs chia seeds soaked in 3tbs water
• 1tbs +1tsp baking powder (15g)
• 1tbs coconut sugar

 

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C.
2. Add the baked bananas, apple sauce, vanilla, soy milk, coconut oil and the dates to a food processor. Blend until smooth.
3. Mix the flour and the baking powder.
4. Pour the date mixture and the chia seed water mixture to the flour and mix until well combined.
5. Pour the batter into a lined loaf tin and sprinkle with the coconut sugar.
6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
7. When your banana bread has finished baking, take it out of the oven, let it cool down completely and then enjoy it with whatever kind of toppings you like.

Voila. A basic vegan banana bread, so simple, easy to make and absolutely delicious. Top with with peanut butter, soy yoghurt, agave syrup or jam, whatever your heart desires. Well people, it’s Friday again. Only one more week till I’m having my first exam at uni. Only another month till Christmas. Only 33 days till 2016 starts. As I said in last weeks post, time seems to be running…

 

Bisous