banana walnut snacking cake

makes 9 squares

It was about this time last year that banana bread went viral. Did you make it? I fell in love with one by Aran Goyoaga and made the banana bread from her book Cannelle et Vanille once a week. It was decadent and delicious. It made me wonder though if I could make a quicker version of banana bread. Enter Snacking Cakes by Yossy Arefi. Her book is made up of one-bowl cake recipes for 8 inch baking pans, and her recipe for “almond butter banana cake” is what provided the framework for this quick and simple version.

This cake is sweetened from the super-ripe mashed bananas and golden sugar. Has a blend of rice and almond flour (inspired by Aran’s recipe) which gives it a gorgeous crumb, uses coconut oil as the fat, and just one egg to bind it all together. It’s a homey, moreish snacking cake and so good with a cup of black coffee in the morning or as an afternoon pick-me-up. You could also substitute chocolate chips for the walnuts if that’s more your jam. I love baking with whole ingredients, but I also want to bake things everyone, meaning my kids, will happily eat. This cake hits that note for me. It’s loved by everyone in the family. Let me know if you make it!

ingredients:

½ cup golden sugar or coconut sugar,

plus 1 tsp more for topping

1 large egg 3 very ripe medium size bananas,

1 1/3 cup mashed (300 g)

½ cup almond milk

¼ cup coconut oil,melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp kosher salt

¾ cup almond flour

¾ cup fine brown rice flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ cup walnuts,chopped

directions:

Step 1: Heat the oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8-inch square pan with a little coconut oil and line with parchment, leaving a 1-inch overhang on two sides.

Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and egg till the mixture turns a glossy pale yellow colour – about 1 minute. In a small bowl, mash the bananas till they’re almost pureed. Add the bananas, almond milk, melted and cooled coconut oil, vanilla, and salt to the sugar/egg mixture. Whisk everything together till blended.

Step 3: Add the almond flour, rice flour, baking powder, and baking soda to the bowl and whisk till fully incorporated and smooth. Next, add chopped walnuts and give everything a couple of stirs.

Step 4: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top so it’s distributed evenly. Sprinkle about a 1 tsp of sugar over the top.

Step 5: Bake the cake till it turns golden-brown, starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean – 35 to 40 mins. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then using the parchment paper ends, lift the cake out and set it on a rack to cool for another 20 minutes.

notes:

This cake keeps well in a sealed container on the counter for 3 days. Store the completely cooled cake in a single layer, as the tops will get a little soft the next day. I like to use the pan I baked it in!