A Banana Bread is a Banana Bread is a BANANA BREAD!!!

Delightfully Delicious, Guilt-Free-Banana-Bread with Chocolate & Walnuts 

Since the world has gone under lockdown, home cooking/baking has spiked up like never before, and if we are to go by Google reports, searches for banana bread are at an all-time high, making it the globe’s most-sought-after recipe. 
Seems life is throwing bananas at us, and we are busy baking banana bread out of it..haha!

 Interestingly, it is believed that banana bread/cake was a by-product of the Great Depression as resourceful housewives did not wish to throw away overripe bananas. Coupled with the mass production of baking powder and baking soda for home use, the soft and sweet, overripe ‘Banana’ suddenly became a hero, perfect for baking with the widely available leavening agents. By the early 1930s, banana bread recipes were ubiquitous. Rest is history.

Mention banana cake and there comes a little twinkle in my eye, as I go back to my favorite version from childhood. (when 'calories' were non-existent in my dictionary). I’m sure you too must be in possession of your own favorite banana cake memory!
 Whatever version of BB gets you salivating, this simple yet delicious sweet treat has one thing in common - of course BANANAS! Buy them green and leave them to ripen in your home at room temperature. When they're the perfect shade of yellow, zip them open and devour as a snack (a perfect fuel for exercise), or slice some to sit atop your breakfast bowl, blend into a smoothie, or let it land on your pancake – so many scrumptious ways to get a naturally sweet fix. If they turn a shade too brown, just whip the skins off and freeze them for when you're ready to bake your banana bread.

Whenever I buy bananas, I secretly hope for it to get too ripe to the point of rotting and no longer good enough to eat, so that I end up with the perfect excuse to bake banana bread! That’s how this square got baked too and I must tell you, it will hardly get to live beyond this weekend! 

There can never, ever be enough banana bread/cake recipes. My favorite one has changed so many times over the years but this one being healthy, is my latest craze, hence wins for being the one to be shared! 

Ingredients:
2 cups Emmer wheat flour
200 gms amul butter or nutralite
1 & 1/2 cup mashed, overripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 tbsp organic honey or (for vegan, use maple syrup)
1/2 cup milk (for vegan, use soy or almond)
3 eggs (for vegan, use 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed dissolved in 3 tablespoons of water)
1/2 cup Winola dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup of walnut halves
pinch of pink himalayan salt or any salt you use
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Let’s Bake The Banana Bread…
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade. Toast the walnuts on a tray for 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside to cool before roughly chopping. If not using eggs, then combine the flaxseed and water, set aside to thicken.

Soften the butter and whisk until smooth and creamy. Add honey and vanilla essence, beat for 3-5 minutes until lightened in color.
Add one egg at a time, mixing to combine. (or divide the thickened flaxseed mixture in three parts and use one part if not using eggs)
Add mashed banana and use an egg beater to beat for 5-10 minutes. Divide the liquid mix in three equal batches.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt & powdered cinnamon. Do it three times so that the flour mix becomes light and aerated. Divide into three equal batches. 
Take one portion of the liquid mix, add a portion of flour mix on top and beat with an egg beater. Repeat till you use all liquid and flour mix, ending on the flour mix. 
In-between add little milk if you feel the batter is too dry. 
Once the batter starts to come together, fold in the chopped chocolate and walnuts.
Pour the batter into a parchment-lined greased baking tin. (for the perfect rise, use 5x7 inches loaf pan)
Bake in a preheated oven for approx. 60 minutes at 180 degrees centigrade..
Check by inserting a skewer into the center and if required, bake for a while more.
Once baked, remove the cake from the baking dish and let it cool on a wire rack.
Just enjoy a warm slice with a cup of coffee and your loved ones. 
Or you can slice and refrigerate in an airtight container for it to last long but I haven't ever seen it last for more than two days!

To enjoy this Banana Cake you don’t have to wait for any special occasion or party. Just enjoy a warm slice with your favourite cuppa coffee!!

A few of my favorite things about this banana bread:
First is the quality, and source, of the flour we consume, which is incredibly important for our health. Freshly milled, whole grain flours are full of flavor that is otherwise lost in the refining process. I have used Emmer wheat flour which is basically non-GMO, chemical-free, organically grown, khapli wheat. The loaf comes out even better when I add almond flour because then I don't need to add any butter or oil as almond flour is a whole-food fat source, and it makes the loaf really moist and ‘buttery’. It even browns the edges to make truly the most desirable crust. Next, I made sure that the bananas were absolutely ripe, soft-to-mushy with black speckles on their skin. (Frozen bananas, thawed, make excellent banana bread.) This bread is sweetened naturally with acacia honey (or you can use maple syrup or dates) with just the right balance to compliment the sweetness of bananas. Not too sweet, but still a treat! And lastly, replacing eggs with a thickened flax seeds mixture, makes this cake vegan and equally delicious if not better! Not a fan of frosting, I prefer my cakes to be simple and this cake as it is, is too good. Moist and flavorful, made with overripe bananas and natural sweeteners, it has the right amount of sweetness and perfect texture! Try this recipe and do drop a comment if you like it.

Lastly for the variations:
I strongly recommend that you try toasted walnuts and dark chocolate combination once but feel free to swap with any other toasted nuts like almonds or pecan; trade the chocolate chips with roasted cocoa nibs or some berries! Many a times, I skip grounded cinnamon and add a shot of espresso to the batter, which adds a nice background note of coffee, but it can be omitted. Try any combination, I’m sure it would turn out equally delicious. Enjoy the mix-ins or you can leave them out completely and relish your banana-bread on its own!