Banana and Almond Butter Cake | Easy Vegan Recipe

Are you tired of tossing away those overripe bananas that have been sitting on your counter for a bit too long? If so, get ready to be amazed by this scrumptious banana and almond butter cake recipe! This delightful treat combines the natural sweetness of ripe bananas with the creamy, nutty richness of almond butter to create an utterly mouthwatering dessert. 

Not only is this cake incredibly delicious, but it's also an ingenious way to make the most of those browning bananas, reducing food waste while satisfying your sweet tooth. So, tie on your apron, grab your mixing bowl, and let's get started...

Notes:

• If you are using plain flour or all-purpose flour, add 2 teaspoons of baking powder and half a teaspoon of baking soda to create self-raising flour.
• The more ripe bananas you add to the cake mixture, the more gooey the final cake texture will be. If you don't mind that, feel free to add in an extra banana or two.
• The vegan yoghurt is optional but definitely add it if you have some on hand, as it gives the cake added richness.
• Try to use unsalted or lightly salted almond butter, such as this one, so that you don't throw off the taste of the cake. If you're only able to find salted, you can omit the added salt in the recipe.

Ingredients

(Serves 10-12)

2-3 ripe bananas, peeled

1 cup granulated sugar or coconut sugar 

3/4 cup soya milk 

2 tablespoons plain vegan yogurt (optional)

1/2 cup sunflower oil 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups self-raising flour 

1/2 teaspoon mixed spice

1/2 teaspoon salt 

Almond butter

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Add the bananas to a large mixing bowl and use a fork to mash until smooth. Add the sugar, soya milk, vegan yoghurt, sunflower oil and vanilla extract. Mix with a wooden spoon until well combined.

Add the self-raising flour, mixed spice and salt. Mix until you have a smooth cake batter (although it's perfectly fine if there are a few banana lumps).

Pour the batter into a lined or lightly greased 20cm cake tin. Use a teaspoon to drop 8-9 dollops of almond butter over the top of the cake and use a knife to swirl them into the batter. 

Bake in the middle of the oven for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool completely before cutting and serving. If you are really impatient, you can serve it hot/warm with a scoop of ice cream on the side. For extra richness, drizzle some room temperature almond butter over the top. 

Planet Health Podcast x The Vegan Nigerian

I recently joined Chris Carra on his podcast, Planet Health, to discuss all things Nigerian cuisine, and I would love it if you could give the episode a listen! It's the perfect thing to have on while you cook up your next meal, or while you're winding down for the day. 

On the episode we discuss some of Nigeria's famous dishes, creative ways to cook with plantain, and I even share a bit about highly nutritional ingredients such as fonio.

So intrigued was Chris by fonio that he wrote a comprehensive blog post on this ancient African superfood and it's health benefits. Be sure to read the full article HERE.

Easy Vegan Cornbread Recipe

I made this cornbread recipe for the first time when I was visiting Texas back in 2022. They are perfectly moist, with a hint of sweetness, a satisfying gritty texture, and are ridiculously easy to make!

They are honestly so delicious on their own, served warm with a dab of vegan butter, and can also be served alongside any stew or soup of your choice. If you're attending a potlock, they are perfect for sharing with a crowd and a worthy contribution to any food spread.

Watch the recipe video HERE. Scroll down for the written recipe.

Ingredients

 (Serves 8)

1 cup cornmeal or corn grits 

1 cup (plus 2 tbsp) plain flour 

1 tsp baking soda 

1 tsp salt 

2/3 cup caster sugar 

1 and 1/4 cup vegan milk 

1/3 cup sunflower oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until you have a lump-free batter. 

Pour the batter into a lightly greased baking tin and use the bake of a spoon to smooth out the top.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick poked in the centre comes out clean.

Soupy Beans and Sweet Plantain

Spring is finally here in the UK and with the sporadic April showers we've been getting, soup season is not quite over in my mind. This black-eyed bean soup is comforting and delicious; a true hug in a bowl. Paired with some extra sweet fried plantain, it's completely irresistible. 

For this recipe, I used dried beans which I soaked overnight and cooked until tender but if you want to cheat or save time, you can certainly use tinned black-eyed beans and skip the first step.

As always, if you give this recipe a try and you like it, share your feedback with me over on Instagram. I love seeing and hearing about your food attempts :)

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

- 250g black-eyed beans (soaked overnight and drained)

- 1 large red bell pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped

- 1 tin plum tomatoes

- 1 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped

- 3 cloves garlic, peeled

- 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger

- 1 scotch bonnet chilli

- Sunflower oil

- 1 tbsp all-purpose seasoning

- Salt, to taste

- 1 ripe plantain, peeled and diced into cubes

Method

1. Place the drained beans in a large cooking pot and cover completely with water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer, partially covered, for about 1 hour or until the beans are tender. Check the beans halfway through the cooking time to ensure the water hasn't dried up. This shouldn't happen, but if it does, simply add a bit more water. Once the beans are cooked, drain any excess liquid. 

2. While the beans are cooking, blend the red bell pepper, tomatoes, onion, garlic, ginger and chilli in a food blender (with 1 cup of water) until very smooth.

3. Add the blended mixture to the pot of beans, along with the sunflower oil, all-purpose seasoning and salt. Adjust the water quantity to make it as soupy as you would like. Taste as you go and add more salt/seasoning if needed. Simmer over medium-low heat, covered, for 20-25 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, heat some sunflower oil in a frying pan (enough to deep-fry) and fry the diced plantain. Use a slotted spoon to turn the plantain in the oil, to ensure they don't stick together, cook evenly and turn golden on all sides. Drain the plantain on some kitchen paper.

5. Serve the beans hot with the diced plantain on top. Enjoy!