This dessert is soft, super moist, and full of chocolate and banana flavor. It's really good, despite being low in processed sugar! The cake is sweetened with bananas and date puree, and it has a good amount of fiber and protein. Rather than butter, canola oil provides the needed fat in the cake. The cake is great if you're on a diabetic diet (in moderation, as always) or want to "eat healthy." You can mix up the cake in minutes by hand rather than hauling out a mixer. I typically make the cake in the air fryer, which takes about 25 minutes. The cake is wonderful warm and is equally good cold, from the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Low Sugar Fudge Bottom Banana Cake -- Makes an 8-inch Cake
2 cups of mashed bananas (about 3 large bananas)
1/3 cup of plain Greek yogurt (fat free is fine)
1/2 cup of canola oil
1/3 cup of date puree (barely cover 1/3 cup of pitted dates with boiling water, let them
sit until cool, and mash or blend the dates well with the water)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 cup of white whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup of almond flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 tablespoons of baking cocoa
1/4 teaspoon of espresso powder (optional, but good)
1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips (optional, but good)
1/2-3/4 cup of chopped nuts, divided (I use walnuts)
Spritz an 8-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray or line the pan with foil and spritz the foil with spray for easy removal and cleanup. To a large bowl add the mashed bananas, Greek yogurt, canola oil, date puree, egg, and vanilla and mix them together well until thoroughly combined. Add the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon to the bowl and mix them into the wet mixture until fully incorporated. Remove about 1/2 cup of the batter to a separate small bowl and add to the 1/2 cup of batter the baking cocoa, 1/4 cup of nuts, and, if you're using them, the espresso powder and chocolate chips. Mix everything in the small bowl together well until thoroughly blended. Scrape the chocolate mixture from the small bowl into the bottom of the prepared pan and smooth it out evenly with a spatula. Scrape the remaining batter from the large bowl--the banana batter--on top of the chocolate layer and smooth out the banana layer evenly. Sprinkle the remaining nuts on top of the banana layer.
Air Fryer: Air fry the batter at 320 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until set and a pick inserted in the cake comes out with no wet batter attached.
Oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the cake for 35-40 minutes or until set an a pick inserted in the cake comes out with no wet batter attached.
Let the pan cool in its pan before removing it to serve. You also can serve pieces of the cake slightly warm directly from the pan.
Store any uneaten cake, well wrapped, in the refrigerator.
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