The first banana breads Stefan and I baked were as we both were eating Paleo style, which means without any grains, dairy and legumes. Why did we do that? First, I was suffering from weekly gut issues and had regular migraine attacks and a TCM doctor suggested me to avoid these products. In addition, we were both training Crossfit-style and it was very popular in those circles. The banana bread was our post-workout and probably the best part of it 😉 The old version of our banana bread was without flour and with plenty of nuts, delicious but a caloric bomb. Inspired by a lovely girl training at Das Gym with us, Kathi, we modified it and created a lighter version of it.
To finish the story arround our Paleo period: maybe it was not the best diet for performance but -placebo or not – together with eating fermented food it helped with my issues indeed. I rarely have a migraine attack and my gut aches are completely gone. It also taught us eating plenty of veggies which is really helpful not only when dieting but also during bulk, where people tend to eat a lot of crap to get calories in.
This cake is for sure not paleo but if you want you can turn it into it: just replace the flour with a nut flour such as almond or coconut flour. You may need to reduce the amount of flour or add some liquid. I’ve never worked with tapioca starch but some Paleo oldies always replace flour with it. The sweetener is not really needed if your bananas are ripe enough but you could replace it with a bit of honey, maple sirup or coconut sugar. Of course, if you are counting calories adjust accordingly.
The recipe is super robust: you can swap ingredients to taste. We love poppy seeds but you could also do it with dessicated coconut or walnuts. Use the flour you like most but pay attention to the texture: it should be quite liquid and not too sticky. Adjust with milk, joghurt, coconut milk, a plant milk of your choice or even a bit of water. Poppy seeds and lemon are a classic combination but lime could fit well to the above-mentioned dessicated coconut or orange zest to walnuts. If you want it richer add chocolate drops but do not overdo it as the cake could fall apart.
And now, finally, the incredibly easy recipe!
Ingredients
- 260g very ripe bananas (3)
- 240g eggs (4)
- 120g flour
- 125g crushed poppy seeds
- zest of half a lemon
- sweetener of choice to taste
- pinch of salt
- spice of your choice: cinnamon, allspice, vanilla or whatever you like
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 180°C.
- It is not a must, but for more taste roast the poppy seeds in a pan on low heat. Watch them carefully as they burn easily.
- Chop the peeled bananas finely and add all the other ingredients.
- Whisk/mix everything thoroughly. We use our Kitchen Aid but even with a hand whisker, food processor or even a mixer should work fine.
- Check the texture: it should be not too runny and not too sticky.
- Pour everything in an approx. 700ml cake form lined up with parchment paper.
- Bake for approx. 45 min at 180°C until moist but not raw. I would rather overbake it as underbake it as it is nearly impossible to make this cake dry.
- Let it cool down and enjoy best the next day (be patient 😉 )
Macros
Makes 8 portions of banana bread, each having the following macros:
- 211kcal
- 8,9g protein
- 18,2g carbs
- 10,2g fat
The macros are faboulus for a cake and the slices are satisfyingly big. It is a good carb source for your training although I would not eat it before if you have a sensitive gut. Bananas and poppy seeds have indigestible fibres making it harder to digest. Enjoy it after a lighter meal or -by adding some protein- for breakfast or with a cup of tea in the afternoon.
If you have any suggestions or made your own version please comment below, we are always looking for improving our recipes. Have a great time, train hard and eat your protein!
Beary Strong 