Dense gluten-free and paleo chocolate banana cake sandwiching a deliciously cream almond butter frosting. What is not to love about this Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Cake. If you love thick and creamy desserts, then this easy cake is for you!
The other day, I was cleaning out some kitchen drawers and I happen to fall upon one of my very first cookbooks.
Before each one of my sisters and I went away to college, my mum compiled a recipe book filled with all of our favourite recipes.
Throughout the years, I gradually added more and more recipes to the book.
Then, the internet came, recipes became only a click away, and my cookbook got lost in a drawer, only to be recently rediscovered!
As I was flipping through my cookbook, I realized how much I missed my old recipes.
Why hadn't I been making my all-time favourite recipes anymore?
- my nutritional lifestyle no longer accommodated most of my recipes.
- Wheat, gluten, all-purpose flour and sugar are only a few of the ingredients that I try hard to eliminate from my everyday diet.
With that in mind, I decided to see if I could possibly take these once-loved recipes and adapt them to my current clean eating lifestyle.
Since I had some bananas that were well past their due date, I decided to start with a recipe that was given to me by an old college roommate.
As bananas were going to be my primary ingredient, I knew that trying to make this recipe officially "keto" was going to be impossible.
So, I opted for a "healthier" version by creating a Paleo Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Cake.
What did I need to substitute to make this a PALEO Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Cake?
- All-Purpose Flour - I swapped out the AP flour with almond flour.
- Peanut Butter - This was easily converted to almond butter in an even exchange.
- Sugar - I used coconut sugar instead of processed white sugar but stevia or erythritol could also be used to help decrease the number of carbs from sugar in the recipe.
- Canola Oil - We all know how much I dislike this oil so I quickly replaced it with coconut oil. If you don't know why I dislike canola oil so much, read this and especially this post and you will be shocked that people are still using canola and vegetable oils today!
How to make this Paleo Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Cake
STEP 1:
- Combine all the cake ingredients and divide the mixture evenly between 2 cake pans.
- If you don't have 2 cake pans, simply use a 9 x 11 rectangular pan which you will then cut in half.
- If you choose a different cake pan size, make sure you monitor the cake carefully.
- Dividing the cake by two took approximately 30 minutes to bake.
- Check to see if your cake is done by inserting a knife in the center and if it comes out clean, it is cooked. If not, add 5 minutes and recheck the cake until the knife comes out clean.
STEP 2:
- Allow the cakes to cool and then invert them onto a wired rack to allow to cool completely.
- In the meantime, prepare the almond butter frosting.
- Combine the almond butter, extra mashed banana, honey, vanilla and salt in a large microwavable glass measuring cup.
- Microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring in between until the mixture becomes runny.
- Place mixture in the refrigerator to cool slightly.
STEP 3:
- Once cakes have cooled, slice cakes in half crosswise to get a total of 4 layers.
- You do not need to do this step but I find that the cake is easier to store this way.
- Spread ¼th of the almond butter frosting on half of a cake.
- Layer with the other half and repeat until the final piece of cake is on top.
- For the final "ganache", place 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in the remaining frosting and microwave for 20-30 seconds.
- Stir to combine and gently pour liquid frosting over the top of the cake, allowing it to dribble down the edges.
STEP 4:
ENJOY!
What if you want to make this Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Cake into only 2 layers?
If you chose to make the cake into 2 layers instead of 4, simply divide the frosting in half. Spread the first layer of frosting on top of the cake, top with the second cake. Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to the frosting and place in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or until liquefied. Stir to combine and pour over the top of the cake.
This cake is super delicious and decadent so a little goes a long way. We divided the cake into 10 servings.
If you like this Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Cake recipe, you may also enjoy:
- Chocolate Souffle (Low Carb, Keto, GF)
- Cappuccino Swirl Bars (Keto, Low Carb)
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake (Low Carb, Keto, Gluten-Free)
- Chocolate Coconut Almond Joy Cheesecake (Low Carb, Keto, GF)
- Simple Chocolate Cream Cheese Roll Cake (Keto, GF)
Paleo Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Cake with Banana Almond Butter Frosting (Gluten Free)
This paleo, gluten-free chocolate almond banana cake is to die for. Super moist and dense, this combination of flavours is irresistible. Easy to make with simple ingredients such as almond flour, eggs, almond butter, cocoa powder and bananas.
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices 1x
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ⅔ cup almond milk (or other milk of choice)
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 ⅔ cup coconut sugar (or stevia)
- 2 eggs
- 2 small over-ripe bananas (about ½ cup)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups almond flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp salt
For the Almond Butter Banana Frosting
- 125 g (½ cup) almond butter
- 113 g mashed banana (about 1 banana)
- ¼ cup honey (or other liquid sweetener of choice)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- pinch salt
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease 2 9 inch round cake pans.
- In a small bowl, combine milk and vinegar to form buttermilk. Stir to combine and set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and continue to mix until fully incorporated. Stir in mashed bananas and vanilla. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Alternate adding banana mixture and milk to dry ingredients, making sure to fully combine all ingredients. Pour half of mixture into each cake pan and bake for 30 minutes or until knife comes out clean when checked. Remove from oven, let cool and then invert onto a cooling rack.
- While cakes are cooling, prepare frosting by combining all the ingredients (except for 1 tablespoon of coconut oil) in a large glass measuring cup. Microwave in 30 second intervals until fully melted. Stir to combine and let cool slightly.
- Once cakes have cooled, slice each cake in half and place ¼th of frosting on cake. Continue layering cakes with frosting in between layers until final cake layer. With ¼th of the frosting remaining, add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and place in microwave for 20-30 seconds or until melted. Stir to combine and pour mixture over top of cake, allowing frosting to dribble over the edges.
- Place in fridge to cool and store in fridge or freezer.
Notes
- This could easily be made in a 9 x 11 baking dish and cut in half to form 2 layers instead of 4.
- To decrease carbs, you can replace sugar with stevia and honey with sugar free maple syrup.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Paleo, Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 10 slices
- Calories: 425
- Sugar: 12.1 g
- Fat: 36.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 22.1 g
- Fiber: 6.4 g
- Protein: 9.9 g
Leave a Reply