Earl Grey Banana Loaf Cake (gluten free)

A really lovely gluten free earl grey banana loaf cake made with wholegrain flours and naturally sweetened with coconut sugar. Healthy, dairy free and easy to make!

For the last few weeks I’ve been playing around with a new gluten free flour range made by Vicki Montague, aka The Free From Fairy. She’s a talented recipe developer and blogger who specialises in coeliac-friendly food. And now, she’s also put her brand name to a bespoke flour blend. Free From Fairy’s gluten free flour is quite a unique product in that it’s not based on rice flour; instead it combines whole grain teff, buckwheat and sorghum. These flours are richer in fibre and protein; excellent for a GF blend, which typically tends to come more starchy than anything else. (It’s why you hear some people describe gluten free baked goods as “unhealthier” than regular wheat baked goods; the flour base is usually more starchy and calorie-dense).

In this earl grey banana loaf cake, I’ve used Free From Fairy’s Gluten-Free Wholegrain Plain Flour, though you can also get a self raising version, which is really convenient. Combining it with some lovely almond flour and mashed bananas, it makes a sweet, dense loaf cake. It’s studded with chewy dried fruit for total indulgence (which also makes it a nice easy-to-make substitute for a fruit cake at Christmas time!).

I initially made this loaf cake for an event which asked me to incorporate tea into my food (ah catering fun!). So, I added a few teaspoons of finely ground earl grey tea leaves right into the batter. They add a subtle, malty flavour; I’ve been told the final flavour of this earl grey banana loaf cake is reminiscent of the old-school malt fruit loaves you find in the supermarket. I love a slice of my loaf lightly toasted in the oven and spread with salted butter, or cashew butter for a dairy free option. It keeps well in the fridge for up to a week and you can slice it up and freeze it too (where it should last about 3 months).

If you’d like to purchase Vicki’s amazing flours, you can do so directly from Vicki by visiting her online shop here.

Earl Grey Banana Loaf Cake (gluten free)

A gluten free earl grey banana loaf cake made with wholegrain flours and naturally sweetened with coconut sugar. Healthy, dairy free and easy to make!

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Course: Healthy Baking

Cuisine: bread, dairy free, gluten free

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 slices

Ingredients

• 200 grams gluten-free flour; I use Free From Fairy's Wholegrain Plain Flour (1 1/2 cups)
• 75 grams almond flour (3/4 cup)
• 2 tbsp tapioca or arrowroot flour
• 60 grams coconut sugar (1/2 cup loosely packed)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1-2 tsp mixed spices
• 2 teabags Earl Grey (or 4 tsp loose tea)
• 3 large, overripe bananas (320-340 grams peeled)
• 3 eggs
• 3 tbsp olive oil or melted coconut oil
• 3 tbsp almond milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 150 grams dried fruit of choice

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 190 C and line a medium-sized loaf tin with baking paper along the base and sides (I used a deep loaf tin which is approximately 17.5cm x 8.5cm measured at the base).
• Mash the bananas into a smooth puree, and set aside.
  
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the gluten free flour, almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut sugar, baking powder and mixed spice. Give it all a good stir so there are no lumps. Empty the tea leaves from the tea bags and add these to the dry mixture too - if the tea leaves are in large pieces, grind them finely using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder first.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, almond milk, olive oil and vanilla extract.
  
• Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredient mixture and pour in the whisked egg mix and the mashed bananas. Stir everything thoroughly until it's combined into a smooth thick batter. Fold in the dried fruit.
  
• Scoop the mixture into the lined loaf tin and smooth it so it's spread in the tin evenly.
  
• Pop the tin into the oven and turn the oven heat down to 160 C. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until the top of the loaf has turned a dark golden brown and the centre feels firm to touch.
  
• Allow the loaf to cool in the tin for about 20-30 minutes, then place on a wire rack, uncovered, to cool completely; the cake will firm up a little more as it cools so it will become easier to slice. Once it's cooled to room temperature, slice and serve (or store away for later).
  

Notes

*I used (organic, sulphur dioxide-free) sultanas and dried dates in my loaf cake. For larger dried fruits like dates and dried apricots, dice them into smaller pieces before using them in this recipe.

Have you made this recipe?I love seeing your creations! Take a photo and then tag me @nourish.everyday on Instagram!