Hello, my name is Angela and I hoard black bananas.
(Eric made me tell you this today.)
Every time I go to the grocery store, I head straight for the ‘Reduced’ produce section just so I can see if there are any bananas that I can save. I see people passing by perfectly good bananas and I want to leave a sticky note on the bananas saying ‘I’m great for BANANA BREAD!’ or ‘try me in a GREEN MONSTER!’ and then hide behind the bins to see their reactions. I’m afraid they would ban me from my beloved grocery store and that would never be a good thing for a food blogger.
When I finally admitted to Eric that I had a problem, I agreed that the bananas were beginning to pose a health risk to all parties involved. I had several spotted bananas on the counter and a stash of black bananas in a paper bag in the fridge.
Over 10 of them…solid black and starting to leak juices.
When Eric exposed my stash of bananas in the paper bag I knew it would all be over soon if I didn’t take action.
But health risk or not, these babies are at the PEAK of their lives! Yesterday morning, I celebrated by making a chocolate chip banana cake. It would taste so delicious our heads would spin.
Because you really can’t screw up a banana cake when using bananas that look like this…
It’s just not possible.
Rustic Chocolate Chip Banana Oat Cake with Peanut Butter Banana Glaze
Yield
8-10 servings
Prep time
Rest time
15 minutes
Cook time
Total time
This rustic looking banana cake blew our socks off with an intense banana flavour and sweet bites of chocolate. It has a wonderful chewy texture from the oats and a little bit of crunch from the nuts. You’d never guess it has just two tablespoons of oil and it can easily be made gluten-free by using GF oats!
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 cups regular oats, processed into a flour
- 1/2 cup regular oats (not processed)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed firmly
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8th tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/16th tsp ground cloves (optional)
- 2 tbsp cane sugar (or regular white)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted (or other light tasting oil)
- 2 medium very ripe bananas, peeled
- 1/3 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Fold in: 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips; 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped; 1 ripe banana, cut into chunks
For the PB Banana Glaze (makes 2/3-3/4 cup)
- 1 ripe banana (but not too ripe, you still want it solid!)
- 2 tbsp peanut butter (I used White Chocolate Wonderful flavour)
- 1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
- Pinch of kosher salt, to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease a 8 inch (4 cup) casserole dish or 8” cake pan. Take 2 cups of regular oats and process them in a food processor until flour like in consistency.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (processed oats, regular oats, sugars, spices, baking powder, and salt).
- In another bowl, mix together the oil, applesauce, almond milk, and vanilla. Add in the two peeled bananas and smash into the wet ingredients until smooth.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir until just combined. Now fold in the chips, optional walnuts, and the chopped banana.
- Spread into prepared pan and bake for 36 minutes at 350°F (175°C) or until a toothpick comes out clean. The cake must be cooled for at least 15-20 minutes before attempting to remove.
- Once fully cooled, slice and top with PB Banana Glaze (see below). Store in the fridge for up to 3 days (without Glaze).
- PB Banana Glaze: Mash banana in a bowl until smooth. Add in peanut butter and mash until combined.
- Sift in the salt and icing sugar and stir until fully combined. Makes about 2/3 cup glaze. Store in fridge in a sealed contained for 1-2 days.
Tip:
The great thing about this recipe is that I used regular oats and processed them into a flour, so this recipe can be easily made gluten-free if you use GF oats.
It also contains just 2 tbsp of oil, but it is a very moist and flavourful cake. The unsweetened applesauce and ripe bananas replace most of the oil in this recipe. This is not your average banana cake by any means.
it takes just 10-15 minutes to throw it together and pop it in the oven.
Add wet to dry:
Fold in chopped banana, chocolate chips, and nuts:
Scoop into baking dish or cake pan.
My sister Kerrie gave me this baking dish on the weekend! Does she know me or what? I’m in love. :)
Bake for 36 minutes at 350F or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes so it can firm up and set otherwise it will fall apart when you try to get it out.
While you are waiting you can make the delicious glaze.
After cooling, slice and serve!
This rustic cake turned out so much better than I thought it would, especially because I just winged the recipe by the seat of my pants. The result is a dense, moist, and extremely flavourful cake with a lovely chewiness from the oats and nuts.
Oh, and the bites of banana are out of this world!
If you want to make this into a dessert, serve it with the PB Banana Glaze.
If you want to make it into a breakfast cake, you can leave out the chocolate and use more nuts. Or just leave in all the chocolate! ;)
Eric said this one is ‘in the vault’…
Oh and I still have about 7 black bananas to use up….what to make….
Are you a banana fan? What are your favourite meals or recipes that include bananas?
Delicious! I’ve had a couple of black bananas go completely liquid on me because I waited too long before, so now I know what to do with them before that happens.
You never cease to amaze me! This looks unbeleivable! I want this NOW!
Oh my….I must say that those black bananas look pretty gross! But you’ve absolutely redeemed them with your amazing recipe.
Oh my goodness, I want this NOW! I’m a banana fan, but don’t normally eat them on their own. Like you, I usually let them get far too ripe, then freeze them and use them in Green Monsters, banana bread, or banana pancakes. This sounds divine! :)
That looks amazing! I am hosting a brunch next Sunday and might just have to whip this up! PS – I also check for the bags of bananas set out for a quick sale. I buy whatever is in the cart and freeze them for oatmeal, GMs, etc.
I love bananas! I could eat multiple ones every day.
Woow that looks amazing! I have a stash of frozen smoothie bananas!!!!!!!
Thanks for posting the recipe!
I have a constant battle with my beloved over this – he’s American and paranoid and refuses to eat fruit that doesn’t basically look like plastic. Not even a few brown spots will be allowed on his banana! I on the other hand am British, grew up in the country (there is still no cell phone reception where I grew up, it’s that remote) and share your love and appreciation for the blackened ones – they’re so ripe, so much flavour! Sadly I have yet to convince the other half, though I do sneak them into his smoothies and banana bread…
Hahaha Anna, love the sneaking in of the bananas…you could also peel them and freeze them in chunks and eh wouldn’t know :)
This looks amazing! Chocolate and bananas can do no wrong. I always buy extra bananas to freeze and make banana soft serve or smoothies.
Um, delicious!? I’m starving right now– and this looks amazing. My favorite banana recipe has to be banana walnut bread!
Ange, this looks delicious. I have starred it in my Google Reader and will be making it in the VERY near future. Thanks!
Question, though: How long can you keep bananas? I really should know this. You mentioned keeping them in a paper bag in the fridge. How long? Also, are those bananas OK to freeze for green monsters or OK to mash up for oatmeal, etc.? Advice is greatly appreciated, dear!
I always stash a few bananas in the deep freezer as soon as I buy them, because I can’t stand running out of them. I have frozen them for up to a month or two and used them. Sounds gross, but peak flavour!
So I realize that you always use frozen bananas in your green monsters… so the other day we had black’ish bananas on our counter and my husband was about to throw them out when I yelled WAIT, save them, lets put them in the freezer to use later. He thought I was crazy. So, take comfort in: 1. you are passing along your crazy which is a good thing :) and 2. Your husband is not the only one who looks at his wife in that way… Happy Monday!
I don’t think I have ever seen bananas that black! LOL But if it makes banana bread like you described….I have seriously been missing out.
I am SUCH a banana hoarder! I love waiting until they are perfectly ripe and black, then I make TONS of banana bread and soft serve:) This recipe looks divine!
Oh wow. Oats, bananas, pb and chocolate chips are four of my favorite things! This cake is right up my alley : )
Yum!! I love black bananas too. And it’s funny because I used to only like them GREEN!!
Oh my God, the name of this cake already send me straight into heaven! must. make. this. blgh I only have yellow bananas, worthless :p
I think it is so fun that we all are hoarders of bananas- but alas, since I have kids, I must peel and freeze them as they think black bananas are…… gross. what ever have I done wrong as a mom?? BUt that being said- they do love them in the smoothies and banana baking!!
HOLY. YUM. I am now in desperate need of black bananas!! I so admire your creativity. This recipe takes banana recipes to a whole new level! :)
Oh, I can’t wait to try this recipe but I have to wait til the bananas are ripe (the ones I have at home are not ripe enough yet).
Thank God for ripe bananas!!! I love them in Overnight Oats, cakes, muffins, cookies – I just don’t like eating them on their own ;-)