After trying my hand in Homemade Pure Cocoa powder, I thought of using Cocoa powder in several recipes; I first wanted to include it in my all-time favourite banana cake. It is an ideal recipe to finish off overripe bananas and the perfect tea time snack for anyone, including small kids. The cake, which has whole wheat flour, natural cocoa, natural vanilla as well as milk. If you want to make it vegan, replace it with vegan milk and proceed to bake.
Let us see how I have done it –
Ingredients:
Whole Wheat flour – 1 1/3 cup ( I took 1 cup of whole wheat flour + 1/3 cup of Emmer wheat flour)
Fresh/Desiccated coconut – 2 tbl sp
Baking soda – 1 tsp
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Salt – ¼ tsp
Milk – ¾ cup
Coffee powder – 1 tsp
Pure Cocoa powder – ½ cup (unsweetened cocoa powder)
Brown Sugar – ½ cup
Oil – 1/3 cup
Vanilla – 1 tsp (I have used pure powdered vanilla)
Bananas – 2 ( ½ to ¾ cup of pulp)
Chocolate chip or Cocoa nibs – 3 tbl sp
Method:
-Mix dry ingredients like flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, desiccated coconut in a bowl and keep aside.
-In a saucepan, heat milk, mix in cocoa, coffee powder and make a concoction. Add in vanilla, Sugar and oil one by one. Beat well.
-Next, make a puree of banana and mix in, beat well. Now, the wet ingredient is ready.
-Fold in dry ingredient to wet ingredient. Don’t over mix.
-Pour the mixture into a lined loaf pan, top it with the choco-chip or cocoa nibs and bake at 180°C preheated oven for 40 minutes or until it is done.
-Take out, cool the cake and slice it and enjoy. It stays good for 3 to 4 days under refrigeration.
-Reheat the cake for 30sec in the microwave and enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea.