Every once and awhile I will make a dessert that meets that comfort cravings for something sweet, delicious and okay, maybe a bit rich! This is one of those recipes. If you wish to cut down on the richness (fat) use a rice or almond plant milk and use safflower or applesauce in place of coconut oil. In order to get the light texture of this cake I resorted to using some white rice and tapioca flour (AWWW). Not a lot of nutrients in those...however, did I say this was dessert? Yes, this recipe will have you coming back for seconds, thirds......At least I can say it's gluten free, dairy free and half healthy! Great for birthdays and celebrations where you still want something healthy without a lot of refined sugars and processed want-nots you can't pronounce or spell ingredients!!!
Coconut Banana Cupcakes (or Cake)
Prep Time: 30 minutes Bake Time: 25 minutes- 30 minutes Yield: 2 (9” inch cake pans) or 17-18 cupcakes
Ingredients:
5 ripe bananas or 2 cups, mashed with fork
1/2 cup of white rice flour
1/2 cup of tapioca flour
1/2 cup of coconut flour
3/4 cup of brown rice flour
1/2 cup of plant based milk (almond, rice or coconut)
2 eggs, yolk and whites beaten separately
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/8 cup of coconut oil (or safflower or 1/4 cup applesauce)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of baking powder
1/4 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of ginger powder
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of chocolate chips
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (optional)
Preparation: Preheat oven 325F for cupcakes/ 350F for cake pans
prepare muffin tins with parchment paper cups or line baking pans with parch
ment paper and oil sides for easy removal.
mash ripe bananas with a fork
using a measuring cup, add the plant milk with 2 tbsp of lemon juice, stir. Set aside.
in a mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients (not coconut sugar) together using a whisk to incorporate (flours, baking soda, baking powder, ginger powder and salt)
using two bowls, separate the egg yolks and the egg whites.
beat the egg yolks with the coconut sugar until creamy and velvety; once creamy and light in color, add vanilla extract and then very slowly add the oil or applesauce and beat till incorporated. Set aside.
beat the egg whites till fluffy, set aside.
hand mix the banana puree with the plant milk and egg yolk mixture into the dry ingredients. Add chocolate chips and walnuts if using. Stir till well combined.
fold in egg whites and incorporate into batter just till mixed, do not over mix.
place into muffin tins or cake pans (dividing batter evenly between two pans)
bake cupcakes at 325F for 22-25 minutes.
for cake pans bake at 350F for 30 minutes
Test for doneness with toothpick
remove from oven, let rest for 5 minutes, remove from pans and allow to cool completely before frosting.