There’s something supremely comforting about banana bread. Every single time I smell, see, or taste it, all these feels and memories rush to me. Memories from before I even had banana bread, I think.
Maybe that’s because bananas are such a quintessential childhood food. Even now, they are practically perfect. Portable, sweet, nutritious, a satisfying snack all on its own. Add some nut butter, put it on a sandwich, or turn it into cake and it’s so much more.
Banana bread, therefore stands for every banana I found in my lunchbox at school, every bowl of three different cereals mixed together and topped with slices, every slice of banana bread with that caramelized outside and impossibly moist and rich inside.
That’s a lot of pressure for banana bread. But this sweet treat can handle it.
So can this Paleo Fruit Sweetened Banana Cake. That’s right, there is so much banana goodness in this cake that it doesn’t need maple syrup or honey or coconut sugar. Just the magic of bananas.
That means this cake really tastes like bananas, but isn’t that what you want from a banana cake??? I can’t take credit for the stunning and welcoming banana topping … that goes to the original recipe creator. But I love that topping. It makes me want to reach right through the screen and grab a piece right now. I hope it does the same for you.
Paleo Fruit Sweetened Banana Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
2/3 cup olive oil
3 large eggs
4 large ripe bananas, mashed
2 teaspoons vanilla bean powder
1 ½ cups paleo flour blend
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
4 large bananas, for topping
Juice of 1 lemon, for topping
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil an 8 or 9 inch square pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, and mashed bananas. Whisk in vanilla, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan.
Slice each of the remaining bananas in half horizontally. Then slice each half in half again, but this time lengthwise, following the natural curve of the banana. Press the banana pieces decoratively into the batter, cut side up. Generously brush the bananas with the lemon juice.
Bake the cake about 40 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Serve warm or cool completely in the pan. Cake may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or frozen, wrapped in parchment and foil and placed in a zipper bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature about an hour or in the microwave about 1 minute.
Notes
Recipe adapted from The Kitchen McCabe
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