Sugar-free Banana Carrot Loaf

To be honest, the reason why I don't bake a lot is because I can't bring myself to measure out the cups of sugar or mounds of butter that are so often required in most traditional baking recipes. So when I find a sweet-thing recipe that has minimal amounts of either, I'm almost immediately sold.

These days, there's no shortage of recipes accommodating the 'sugar-free' lifestyle, but I find it interesting to note how they substitute other ingredients for regular white or brown sugar. Often, I find it's honey, maple syrup, or dates; but even more often it's slightly obscure (read: expensive) options like agave syrup, rice malt syrup, stevia (a plant-derived sweetener), or coconut sugar - to name a few.

Without a doubt, I prefer recipes which use the former, mostly for cost and even familiarity to an extent, and seeing ingredient lists things like rice malt syrup, I'm almost immediately turned off. So for those reasons, I love the following recipe because it uses good ol' fashioned dates and bananas.

I discovered this recipe a few months ago on My New Roots - an inspired, natural foods and nutrition-based blog by Canadian, Sarah B., who bases herself in Copenhagen. She writes incredibly accessible healthy recipes with thorough nutritional information about key ingredients. To be honest, I haven't made much from her blog - reading it more for inspiration and guilt-free food porn - but her 'Best Friends Banana Carrot Cake' inspired me to get baking.

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Sugar-free Banana Carrot Loaf makes a 9"x13.5" loaf

// from My New Roots //

I've renamed this a 'loaf' instead of 'cake', as I never feel the need to ice the finished product as Sarah B. does in the original recipe. If you feel lost without icing, I'd recommend cream cheese swirled through with maple syrup or honey; otherwise, I love it plain, or with a dollop of full-fat organic yoghurt and some honey for a comforting spike of sweetness. A perfect option for breakfast or an anytime-of-day treat.

2 c wholemeal flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp fine sea salt (*less if using salted butter)
3/4 c finely chopped walnuts
110g unsalted* butter, heated until just melted
1/2 c dried dates, seeded & finely chopped into a paste
3 ripe bananas (1 1/4 c), mashed well
1 1/2 c grated carrots, about 3 medium
handful each of raisins, dried pineapple, coconut flakes - or anything like it that you fancy (chocolate included)
1/2 c plain yoghurt
2 eggs, lightly whisked

Preheat oven to 180degC / 350degF. Line a 9x5x3" loaf or 8x8" cake pan with parchment paper. Sift flour, b.p., cinnamon, and salt together in medium bowl. Stir in walnuts and set aside. Stir dates into melted butter, breaking up dates slightly.

In large separate bowl, combine banana and carrots, and add date/butter mix, stirring together and breaking up dates as you go. Whisk in yoghurt and eggs. Add flour mix and stir until everything just comes together. Spoon into prepared pan. Bake for about 50-70 mins (with a loaf pan, mine is ready around 60-65 minutes, it will be less if using a cake pan where the thickness of the cake is less), or until a toothpick tests clean in the centre. Remove from oven and cool.

Instead of icing, serve simply with full-fat natural yoghurt.

Spiced Roasted Almonds

I have a notebook of collected & created recipes, as well as food ideas & memories, which I started around four years ago. It continues to build, with the dream of one day publishing something, though unfortunately, it contains the odd recipe to which I can't recall the inspiration: a book, a cafe, the internet, or my pantry? The guess is anyone's. 

This is one of those. However, with the way the food world works, there are undeniably plenty of similar and good recipes out there, meaning: 1. I have no fear of committing plagiarism, and 2. This is simply mine. Yours will be the same recipe with a slight tweak, and your friend's another. What matters is: it's delicious (and in this case, very addictive).

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Spiced Roasted Almonds

Approx. 1 c of raw, unroasted and unseasoned almonds (skins on)

3/4 tsp turmeric

3/4 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sweet smoked paprika

1/2 tsp hot smoked paprika (or cayenne pepper)(however, if you are averse to heat, stick to more sweet smoked paprika)

3/4 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Preheat oven to 180degC/350degF. Toss all ingredients together thoroughly with 1 tablespoon of water.  Spread out in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined baking tray. Roast for 12 minutes, or until golden and crunchy. Remove from oven and cool slightly before eating. 

These store well in a clear, airtight jar. 

Spiced Roasted Almonds