Banana and chocolate are a match made in heaven.. you may agree?

And I must admit that I love plain simple banana cupcakes (flour, butter and all) with chocolate chunks.. however I have discovered that nut meal based banana muffins with cocoa powder (instead of chocolate bits) are really really beautiful, and a very nourishing delicious snack. These cupcakes are one example.

Why are they so good?

Almond meal (a gluten free, high protein, delicious and nourishing alternative to flour) is lovely to use in baking. With these, I also added LSA (a mix of ground linseed, sunflower seeds and almonds), because why not. Full of fibre, wonderful fats (Omega 3 and 6) and with a subtle flavour it combines really nicely with nut meal, plus when used in baking it behaves the same as almond meal in that it provides moisture and a moreish mouthfeel.

These cupcakes contain cocoa but you could also use cacao, which would give the cupcakes an even richer falvour. The chopped banana provides bursts of caramelised banana, natural sweetness, energy and extra fibre. I have also added a little honey for extra sweetness.

These cupcakes are very easy to make. A great chocolatey snack for both adults and kids (for those without any nut allergies of course).

Serves 12
Prep time: 10mins
Cooking time: 20mins

¾ Cup almond meal
¾ cup LSA
1 tspn baking powder
½ tspn cinnamon
¼ cup cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
¼ cup oil (eg. olive oil)
1 Tbspn honey
2 bananas

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees (or 160 fan forced) and grease a muffin tray or place paper cupcake moulds onto a baking tray.
2. Mix together almond meal, LSA, cocoa powder, cinnamon and baking powder in a large bowl.
3. Add eggs, vanilla, oil and honey, and mix in well.
4. Peel and chop 1.5 bananas into small pieces (keep the extra ½ banana to use for decorating cupcakes), and mix into batter.
5. Spoon batter into 12 cupcake moulds.
6. Slice the remainder ½ banana into 12 pieces, and place on top of each cupcake
7. Bake for 20mins, or until a skewer is removed clean.
8. These cupcakes are especially delicious eaten warm. They are nice on their own, with natural yoghurt or vanilla ice-cream.

Variations:

1. You don’t have to use LSA, just substitue it for more almond meal or hazelnut meal.
2. Instead of banana, try adding 3/4 cup raspberries (frozen are fine).
3. If you like icing on a cupcake- try these:
a) Mix together the flesh of 1/2 a ripe avocado, 1/2 a mashed ripe banana, cocoa powder and a little honey or maple syrup. This is a light, low sugar and very yummy icing option.
b) Mix together fresh ricotta with cocoa powder, cinnamon and a little honey or maple syrup.

Gestational Diabetes –

These muffins are a great option for many ladies with GDM. If keen to try these, I’d suggest using maple syrup instead of honey (just the one Tablespoon). If you make 12 muffins, one muffin makes a suitable snack (enjoyed in between meals, occasionally) for most women with GDM (with good BGL management).  If unsure of what’s suitable for you however I would recommend you speak with your Dietitian or feel free to reach out to me via email or social media.

Lara x

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