This cake is part bread, part cake, part gooey and all parts delicious! As the weather turns and the temps start to cool off you crave those cozy homey comfort flavors. This is just that. Warm spices of cinnamon and cardamom combined with the banana and date make for the perfect fall dessert or brunch! It has bread pudding like quality in that it is super moist (sorry it’s a totally necessary adjective here) soft, a bit gooey and caramelesk with the date pieces and the banana and spices pair perfectly to satisfy your fall cravings!
So, truth be told, and, in all honesty, I was jumping on the banana bread band wagon. Apparently, banana bread is all the rage. Well, I decided I wanted to be a part of the rage. So, I developed what I thought was going to be banana bread. I wanted it to be gluten and grain free, refined sugar free and lactose free. I also love dates and cinnamon so naturally that would go into my banana bread. For the un-refined sugar, I am obsessed with D’Vash Date Nectar. It’s so good and has rich caramelly undertones and it’s good on just about anything. So that along with date sugar (I went a little date bananas…;)) and coconut sugar provides just the right amount of sweetness. So basically, this dessert is good for you… :). Also, word to the wise, if you ever get stranded on a deserted island, try to get stranded on one with dates. Apparently, you can live on a diet of only dates because of their vitamin, mineral and sugar make-up. So there, a little bit of trivia for you.
Any who, long story short, I added too many wet ingredients and not enough dry for a true bread. Hey, so sue me, my recipes that I create don’t always come out the way I intended on the first try, I’m not perfect! Ok, so I didn’t get the banana bread that I had in my head, what I got, and dare I say, is something better! Blasphemy hold your ears banana bread, I like my banana bread PUDDING CAKE better! Yeah, I said it. Better. It’s a bread pudding cake because the texture is so moist and delicious, and the date bits are divine and served warm it just warms your heart and your belly with these amazing fall flavors!
Look at those bits of gooey date pieces!
Caramelized banana slices on top are so yummy! Caramelized anything on top is so yummy!
This happy accident comes at you just in time for all your fall fun food festivities (I do love an alliteration). It’s perfect for dessert after any meal or a delicious brunch item, heck eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I’m not the boss of you. Drizzle more date nectar over it or salted caramel (my Achilles heel) a scoop of ice-cream, or au naturel. Any way you slice it (get it, slice it, sorry for all the cheesy puns), it’s delicious!
Let the fall flavors begin!
Enjoy!
Diane
- 1 cup almond flour
- ¼ cup cassava flour
- ¼ cup arrowroot starch
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon (1/2 tsp. if you like less cinnamon flavor)
- 1½ tsp. xanthium gum
- 2 large eggs
- 3 large ripe bananas plus 1 for slicing
- ¼ cup date sugar (can sub all coconut sugar)
- ⅔ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup date nectar (I use D'Vash)
- 1 stick lactose free butter/ghee (I used Green Valley Organic Lactose Free Butter)
- 1 cup chopped pitted dates
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease and line loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients and whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl mash the bananas until mostly smooth and no large chunks remain. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk to combine.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment cream the butter and sugars until fluffy and incorporated, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the date nectar and combine. Add the banana and egg mixture and combine. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Stir in the copped dates.
- Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth over to make even. Slice the remaining banana into thin slices and place on top and in the middle of batter. Sprinkle with a little date or coconut sugar.
- Place in the oven on middle rack and bake for 50 to 60 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pan on wire rack for at least 30 minutes before removing.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. Store left overs covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Gently re-heat in the microwave before serving.
- Enjoy!
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