Healthy Banana Cake

Confessions of a sweetaholic: I love to bake. To complicate things, I have a sweet tooth. I literally fantasize about desserts in my sleep. Now that is a very dangerous combination for my waistline. To reduce my guilt (read: weight), I began furiously looking into healthier eating options. Thanks to my nutritionist, I now have better control of things. However, my love for baking lives on. Here’s my take on an old fashioned banana cake. Using whole wheat pastry flour instead of refined flour packs a healthy punch and gives it a subtle, nutty flavor. The warm spices are guaranteed to fill your kitchen with inviting, mouth-watering aroma. The more mollasses-y, less processed turbinado sugar takes the taste to the next level! This hearty, healthy cake is super moist from the goodness of greek yogurt, olive oil and bananas. Substituting Olive oil for butter is a heart healthy alternative, not to mention the fruity taste of Olive oil accentuates the cake. Bananas are high in potassium, fiber, vitamin C and B6 – which are regulate your blood pressure and support heart health. Whereas walnut is a top nut for heart health. All in all, a win-win combination. Adapted from Ina Garten’s Old Fashioned Banana Cake recipe, this recipe is guaranteed to convert even the persnickety eaters into healthy way of eating without compromising on taste. Bon Appétit :-)

Ingredients:

3 fork mashed ripe bananas
3/4 cup turbinado sugar (or granulated sugar)
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup olive oil
2 large eggs
1/2 cup greek yogurt
2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour (available at Whole Foods)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a round or a bundt cake pan with oil and flour.

Beat bananas, turbinado sugar and brown sugar until well combined. Add oil, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until smooth and creamy.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Add the dry ingredients gradually into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. (Do not over mix the batter. It will result in a tough cake). Stir in chopped walnuts.

Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 mins, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10-15 mins, turn out onto a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Substitutes:

I like to believe things can be easily substituted so that you don't have to run to the grocery store if you have the whimsy to whip up one of these on the fly and are falling short on anything.

Granulated sugar for Turbinado sugar
All purpose flour or whole wheat flour (the texture will be a bit denser) for Whole wheat pastry flour
Sour cream for Greek yogurt
Vegetable oil for Olive oil
8 oz of lemon-lime soda pop for 2 eggs (I made this recipe for my friend’s son who had egg-allergy, hence the egg substitute)
Pumpkin spice for Cinnamon and Nutmeg