Showing posts with label banana bread. Show all posts

Vegan Banana Bread | Also Oil, Sugar and Gluten Free

A vegan friend from university has been visiting us in Switzerland, and I really wanted to make a banana bread recipe that he would like. Since I love banana bread for breakfast, I wanted it to be like my original healthy banana bread recipe but without the eggs and white flour.  This recipe can easily be made decadent by adding sweeteners. I would suggest about 6 tbsp of maple syrup.




Ingredients 

Dry ingredients 
300g of finely ground gluten free oats (use a food processor or blender)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

Wet ingredients
5 very ripe bananas
10 dates
6 tbsp apple sauce (unsweetened)

Preparation
Preheat your oven to 150C or 300F. Prep a loaf tin with a bit of oil. Add your dates, bananas and maple syrup (if using) into a food processor or blender. Pulse until almost smooth. A few lumps of banana will make for a lovely texture once baked. Alternatively, you can mush your bananas with a fork and finely chop your dates.  Pour your wet ingredients into a large bowl. Mix in the apple sauce. In a smaller bowl combine all of your dry ingredients (baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and oatmeal). Fold in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently pour or spoon the banana bread mix into the prepared loaf tin. Bake for 40-50 minutes in the centre of the oven until fully golden and fully baked. A toothpick should come out clean from the middle. If around 30 minutes you feel the banana bread is browning too quickly, simply cover the loaf with some aluminium foil. Enjoy as is or lightly toasted! Peanut or almond butter is a great vegan topping :) 
banana bread breakfast dessert
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Healthy and Delicious Banana Bread (No added oil or sugar)


I've always heard that banana bread is just as good without added sugar because over ripe bananas are just so sweet. I have the biggest sweet tooth on the planet or at least second to my dad. So unsurprisingly I have been skeptical of banana bread with no added sugar. However, I have really been craving something more exciting than just plain toast for breakfast, so I thought I would give it a try. This banana bread can be made sweeter with a tbsp of honey and some chocolate chips (I added the chocolate as you can tell). Honestly though, you don't need either one. If you feel like you want the honey then go ahead and add it or drizzle some one the finished, baked product. I tried this recipe out on my family and a few friends. The general consensus was that no one believed it was healthy. This banana bread is still super sweet and packed full of potassium. I'm kind of craving some now. Too bad I don't have any bananas at home. Crap.

FYI: If you have a nut allergy, the almond meal can be substitute with just more regular, plain, old, white flour.



 Ingredients










2.5 dl or 2 (US) cups of plain flour
2.5 dl or 2 (US) cups of almond flour/meal
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
10 pitteded dates
8 very ripe bananas
2 eggs

Optional:
1 tbsp of honey
a handful of dark chocolate chips

Preparation

  1. Preheat your oven to 150C or 300F. 
  2. Prep a loaf tin with baking spray and line with baking/parchment paper. 
  3. Add your dates, bananas and honey (if using) into a food processor or blender. Pulse until almost smooth. A few lumps of banana will make for a lovely texture once baked. Alternatively, you can mush your bananas with a fork and finely chop your dates. 
  4. Pour your wet ingredients into a large bowl. 
  5. In a smaller bowl combine all of your dry ingredients (baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and flours). 
  6. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the larger bowl with the wet ingredients. Combine with a spatula taking care not to over mix. Then add one egg. Combine. Add another 1/3 of the dry into large bowl. Then the last egg. 
  7. Finally add the final 1/3 of flour and combine with the spatula. 
  8. If you are using chocolate chips toss them in some plain flour, then fold into the mixture as well. Take care not to add too much additional flour.
  9. Gently pour or spoon the banana bread mix into the prepared loaf tin. 
  10. Bake for 60-70 minutes in the centre of the oven until fully golden and fully baked. A toothpick should come out clean from the middle. 
  11. If around 30 minutes you feel the banana bread is browning too quickly, simply cover the loaf with some aluminium foil. 
  12. Enjoy as is or lightly toasted! I like mine with fresh raspberries. Cream cheese is a naughtier but delicious topping too!
banana banana bread breakfast
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Banana and Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

I absolutely love cupcakes. They are much simpler to make than a cake. Plus it comes in individual serving sizes, which means no sharing! Banana and chocolate chip is a classic flavour combination, and for a lighter option these cupcakes are great without the frosting. Bearing that in mind, cream cheese frosting is a delicious accompaniment. These recipe can also be baked in a loaf tin for a classic banana bread. You can frost bread too; don't worry.

 Ingredients
2 bananas
1 1/2 dl sugar
1 egg
50g melted butter
2 tsp of baking powder
4 tbsp of cream
2 1/4 dl of milk
1 tsp of vanilla essence, sugar or extract
150g (or more!) of chocolate chips, optional

Frosting Ingredients 
This frosting is based on this recipe, and it makes a great cream cheese frosting. 

110g of unsalted butter, at room temperature
110g of cream cheese, at room temperature 
250g of icing sugar
1tsp of vanilla essence or extract 

Baking Time!

  1. Preheat the oven to 175C. 
  2. Mush two bananas with a fork and then mix them with the sugar. 
  3. Add one pre-mixed egg. 
  4. Pour in the melted butter and cream. 
  5. Add 2 1/4 dl of flour with the vanilla and baking powder. Mix well at a low speed. 
  6. Finally, add the chocolate chips. Make sure to mix some flour with the chips prior to adding them to mix to prevent sinkage. 
  7. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. 
  8. A knife show come clean out of the cupcakes when they are finished. 
Frosting 
  1. Cream together the butter and cream cheese. 
  2. Use a medium speed on a standing mixture or high on a hand mixer for about 5 minutes. 
  3. The finished produced should be smooth, airy and a lighter colour than the original mixture. 
  4. Slowly add the icing sugar to prevent spillage. 
  5. When you have finished the frosting should be thick and be able to hold a peak. 

NB: This recipe can also be used make a delicious banana bread or muffins. For banana bread simply add the mixture to a bread tin and bake for approx. 40 minutes. For muffins simply leave off the frosting. 
baking banana banana bread
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