Some credit for this recipe must go to Mollie Katzen of Moosewood cookbook fame as I have been using her recipe for years. My version celebrates a healthier outlook and St. Lucian spices. It also features St. Lucian bananas, which are the second most important income for the island after tourism.
Heat oven to 180° and prepare 2 loaf pans by coating with coconut oil and sprinkling sesame seed on the base. This will look pretty and taste great in the finished loaf.
Makes 2 loaves
227g Butter
300g Brown sugar (I used Demerara)
Cream together in the trusty food processor:
then add:
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp almond extract
2/3 cup black coffee
Then pulse just enough to incorporate:
284g ripe bananas (this was 5 small St. Lucian bananas)
Add all the dry ingredients which are:
115g quinoa flour
135g cassava flour
110g spelt flour
1tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
3 tsp baking powder
2tsp cinnamon
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 tbsp sesame seeds for sprinkling in base of pans
Pulse just enough for everything to mix nicely. Share evenly between the 2 loaf pans and bake for 30 to 40 minutes keeping a close eye after 30 minutes. They should come out of their pans quite easily onto a cooling rack. I tend to freeze one loaf while my family demolish the first one, bringing it out in a “voila” sort of way when unexpected visitors come around.
4 Comments
Vonnie
February 18, 2014 at 7:33 amsounds great and almost (?) gluten free. I guess I could sub the spelt for tapioca flour – will give it a try some time and let you know how it turns out. I have bananas galore being eaten by bats, birds but mostly by dogs! 🙂
Germaine
February 18, 2014 at 10:48 amThanks Vonnie. I’d love to hear about/see your tapioca version. What about maybe ground almonds, coconut, flaxseed meal. I might have to give this a go too.
Christine
October 11, 2015 at 8:39 amI really like the black coffee in this cake. I can imagine the smell!! ..gotta try this.
Germaine
October 11, 2015 at 12:16 pmThanks Christine. I look forward to your comments…