bananas for babycakes.

After our last trip to Babycakes, my sister and I were waiting all week for the bananas to brown so we could recreate their delicious banana bread. I have yet to purchase the book, as I am trying to make it through my other vegan cookbooks first, but that didn’t stop me from searching for the recipe online. Erin, the Babycakes genius, shared her favorite recipe on the bakery’s blog, however, the books recipe varied slightly. Referring to another favorite banana bread recipe, the Veganomicon Lower Fat Banana Bread, I decided to go with the recipe with more flour (the books version), so we could have a larger loaf with more banana. Instead of Gluten Free flour, we used Organic Spelt, which meant we left out the xanthan gum since it wasn’t needed. I also used coconut milk yogurt instead of the milk, and only used 1/3 cup instead of the recommended 2/3. I am more drawn to a denser banana loaf than a cake-y texture, so I was in favor of using coconut oil (in the babycakes recipe) instead of unsweetened applesauce (in the Veganomicon recipe) to lower the fat. We figured there was enough fruit in the mix, considering we used 4 large bananas to get the 1 and 1/2 cups of mashed banana.

After impatiently waiting by the stove to remove the heavenly smelling loaf, I had to wait twenty more minutes to flip it out of the pan. Those were difficult moments.

Once the first bite hit my mouth, I was perfectly satisfied. The texture and taste were ideal, everything I imagine banana bread to be.

The vegan chocolate chips really bring it to a whole other level. You should make it. I would recommend the cookbook on the banana recipe alone. But, if you aren’t sold yet, try the banana bread from the blog or the the book recipe.

As the loaf dwindles, I savor each piece, but am anxious about what tasty treat to make next. Spelt flour continues to impress me, but I am interested in trying some new flours soon. This recipe using Kamut flour looks amazing.

you have a favorite flour? I am not gluten-free, obviously since I use spelt flour, but I am more and more interested in gluten-free flours like coconut, garbanzo, etc. I’d love a suggestion of what type to try next.