Whole Wheat Vegan Banana Chocolate Cake with Roasted Peanuts | Vegan Baking



A robust curry leaf plant stands in a corner of our small lawn. Fed by the monsoon showers, the plant is lush, bearing new leaves in every stem. We have often noticed larvae of Mormon butterfly feeding on the tender juicy leaves. But we have always been intrigued by the fact that the larvae slowly disappear from the plant before completing their life cycle. Lately, we started keeping a watch and the culprit was found. It was a Magpie Robin.


 A gusty bird that sings beautifully at dawn. She has been feeding on the caterpillars. 


Though one should not intervene with nature, out of sheer affection and concern for the remaining caterpillars, we cut thin strips of paper and wrapped around a stick, with an adhesive. The stick has been fixed in the ground next to the plant, perhaps the flapping of the strips will deter the bird from attacking the future butterflies.


Some overripe bananas in the kitchen were salvaged yesterday. I baked a whole wheat banana chocolate cake.

Whole Wheat Vegan Banana Chocolate Cake with Roasted Peanuts | Vegan Baking

Ingredients

 Dry ingredients


  • 1 ½ cup whole wheat flour (scant)
  • ½ cup to ¾ cup unrefined sugar (depending on your preference for sweetness)
  • ¼ cup + 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 pinch salt
  • A handful of roasted peanuts.

Wet ingredients


  • 2 medium-size ripe bananas mashed
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • ½ cup of warm water

Instructions


  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees centigrade. Grease and line one 6 inch round cake pan.
  2. With the help of a roller, crush the peanuts coarsely. 
  3. In a large bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients except for sugar and peanuts.
  4. In another bowl, take all the wet ingredients and stir well. Add sugar.
  5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix till well combined. Do not over mix.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle crushed peanuts evenly on top
  7. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven after 10 minutes. Remove from the pan after 5 minutes.
  8. Cool in the rack. Slice the next day.



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13 comments:

  1. That looks deliciously divine! I have been itching to try wholewheat cakes.. i think its time! Loved the addition of roasted peanuts! Anything with peanuts makes me go nuts :D hehe... would love to try this combination, which I am sure would be super yum! btw... that culprit Magpie is adorable!!! Love your bids pics Namita... keep them coming :)

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  2. awesome cake... so good this looks...

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  3. Delicious cake... and I hope the little robin gets an alternative breakfast, and the caterpillars survive too.

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  4. Your magpie robin looks a lot like our grey shrike thrush that eats spiders and insects from all around our awnings. I think your magpie robin is doing you a big favour eating all of the caterpillars as that leaves you with delicious curry leaves for your cooking :). That cake is a perfect use for ripe bananas. It looks like it would go amazingly well with a nice cup of tea. We are very busy at the moment building fences and what keeps me going is the knowledge that I get a nice cup of tea at the end of every hard day. I might make this cake as a little reward to go with it. Goodness only knows, I am burning off enough calories building the fence to pay for it ;)

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  5. Hi! Im new to baking..basically learning to bake from blogs.
    when i mixed all the above ingredients according to yopur proportions,the batter was dry so added little more water and milk..
    also,i wanted to know whether this batter tends to be sticky as lot of it got stuck to vessel n a little messy...
    Have kept it for baking,will let you know the end result

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    Replies
    1. Hello Darshana, cake batter could be of pourable consistency or a little dry depending on the recipe. However if it feels too dry, adding water or milk is a good idea. I suggest that you line your cake pan with a parchment paper at the bottom and sides. How did the cake come out? did it taste well?

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  6. Hi Binu, do share your experience.

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  7. Hi Namita

    Happy to have bumped on your site. I have a 7'pan which is 4" deep. Not sure what impact it will have on cake texture if I do not alter the measurements (I find it v hectic to alter the proportions) Any guidance on this will be great. Thank you

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    Replies
    1. Hello Swati, You can use your pan for the cake. The will bake well. It will not be a high cake as the pan is wider. ! Happy Baking

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  8. Hello Binu, Yes, I add Boora (unrefined sugar) which is in powdered form. Binu, I recommend that you always use powdered sugar in cakes.

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  9. Wow! I love your baking experiments!

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  10. Hi, Which Olive oil did you use? Extra Virgin or Pomace? Can we substitute with any other oil?

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    Replies
    1. I used extra virgin olive oil. You can also use any neutral oil for baking.

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