Rustic, wholesome, delicious, nourishing and not overly sweet..

This recipe was inspired by a very bright 9 year old client. This little fashionista was very very fussy about eating vegetables. Her mum was understandably concerned that she wasn’t getting adequate nutrition. One thing that she loved to do was bake cakes.. and so we created a recipe together..

She called it “Yummy banana cake with ‘hidden’ vegetables”.

To bake this cake, and see whether it actually tasted OK was the perfect challenge. So, amongst a few other things this was my little client’s homework.. and 2 weeks later she returned with a beaming smirk.

Why this cake is so good..

Who doesn’t like banana cake? It’s generally well-loved amongst adults and children. Banana provides beautiful flavour and so much natural sweetness so small amounts of subtle flavoured vegetables blend in really well. Full of banana, zucchini and carrot, this cake is incredibly moist. We’ve included honey and sultanas for extra sweetness, as an alternative you could add dates instead. A piece of this cake is a lovely snack – it’s sweet but low in added sugar and high in fibre.

Preparation time: 20-30mins
Cooking time: 50- 60mins

1 cup mashed banana (3 ripe medium sized bananas)
3 Tbsp. honey or brown sugar
50g butter, melted
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup grated zucchini (1 medium zucchini)
1/2 cup grated carrot
A small handful of sultanas
A handful of walnuts (optional)
1 1/4 cups SR flour

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Grease and line a cake tin with baking paper and set aside.
3. Peel and mash the bananas and add to a large mixing bowl.
4. Mix in honey, butter, egg, vanilla and spices until well combined.
5. Add grated zucchini, carrot, sultanas and walnuts.
6. Soft flour into bowl, and stir until just combined.
7. Bake for 60 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
8. Allow cake to cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing.
9. This cake is nice on it’s own or with a little natural yoghurt. Individually wrapped slices also freeze well.

Variations:

– Instead of sultanas, try adding chopped dates
– Seeds also provide crunch, protein and healthy fats, try adding a handful of pumpkin and sunflower seeds

Enjoy.

Gestational Diabetes –

This cake can certainly be suitable for ladies with GDM. If keen to make I’d recommend using raw or coconut sugar and only 1 Tablespoon. I would also suggest omitting the sultanas. Once baked and cooled, I recommend dividing into 24 pieces (you can cut into 12 and then half each piece). If dividing into 24 pieces, one piece makes a suitable snack for most women with GDM (with good BGL management) to enjoy in between meals sometimes. We are all different however, so if unsure of what’s suitable for you I would recommend you speak with your Dietitian or feel free to reach out to me via email or social media.

Lara x