Chocolate Banana Ponderosa Cake

Posted on by llbalanced
Chocolate Banana Ponderosa Cake
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    [post_date] => 2016-08-12 08:29:27
    [post_date_gmt] => 2016-08-12 14:29:27
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    [post_title] => Chocolate Banana Ponderosa Cake
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    [post_modified] => 2016-09-06 14:01:51
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08.12

One of the best parts about writing a cookbook is hearing what recipes you would want to see healthified, and then making it a reality! Sometimes the road from childhood favorite to well-balanced dish is rocky, requiring multiple rounds of testing and mediocre leftovers (thanks to my hunny for dutifully eating them with me). Other times, universal culinary forces are on my side, and I emerge from my kitchen, bedraggled but victorious, after the first experiment. That was certainly the case with this gimme-all-the-cozy-feels chocolate banana cake!

I first heard about the famed "Ponderosa" University of British Columbia cake from a dear Canadian girlfriend. I was chatting with Katherine about my cookbook, and she jumped right in with a suggestion, nay, insistence on this cake. As she described its miraculous layers, I could see myself spreading the luscious batter in the pan, licking any remains of the spoon. I was sold.

Ponderosa cake wordpress 2My Ponderosa fantasy came to life a few weeks ago, and it was more delectable than I'd even envisioned! Why every single banana bread in the world isn't stuffed with chocolate-cinnamon filling, I can't possibly fathom. Alls I know is, I'll be hard-pressed to go back ever again.

The LL Balanced version of this cake still isn't a health food, nor is it intended to be. It is intended to be a moist, indulgent snack or dessert that uses high-quality ingredients like antioxidant-rich dark chocolate and grass-fed butter. and is free from refined sugar, flour or vegetable oils. Because of the fibrous oats, a square of this cake will fill you up instead of leaving you clamoring for more.

Ponderosa cake wordpress 3Enormous thanks to my sweet friend, Katherine, for this fabulous suggestion. Please let me know if you give this a try, and if you have any favorites you want to see receive an LL Balanced makeover!

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TOTAL TIME :50minutes20 minutes20 minutes
16squares
INGREDIENTS
  • 1 cup coconut sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 cups oat flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup canned full fat coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1/4 cup grassfed butter *feel free to use all butter or all coconut oil
  • 1 large egg (room temperature)
  • 1 cup mashed ripe banana (2 large or 3 small, look for brown & spotty)
  • 3/4 cup dark chocolate, chopped into 1/4 in pieces (sub chips. Recommend 72%)
DIRECTIONS
  1. To make oat flour: pulse 1 1/2 cups rolled oats in a high-powered blender (like a Vitamix or BlendTec) or a food processor until it reaches flour consistency.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup coconut sugar and cinnamon. Mix and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together oat flour, sea salt and baking soda.
  3. In a blender, combine coconut milk, remaining coconut sugar, coconut oil, butter, egg and banana in the order listed. Blend until smooth. Pour mixture into dry ingredients bowl and use a whisk to incorporate ingredients until smooth.
  4. Pour 1/2 of the batter into your prepared baking dish. Spread in an even layer. Sprinkle with 1/2 of your coconut sugar/cinnamon mixture, and top with 1/2 of your chocolate pieces. Add remaining batter to your dish, spread in an even layer and repeat with remaining toppings.
  5. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow cake to cool for 20 minute before removing from the pan and slicing. I suggest cleaning your knife with a damp towel between slices to keep it from sticking and getting messy.
  6. Cake will keep tightly sealed on the counter for two days, or in the refrigerator up to four days. To enjoy out of the refrigerator, microwave for individual squares for twelve seconds, or heat in the oven at 300 for five minutes.
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