Whole Wheat Banana Cake With Avocado Chocolate Frosting

Words & Photography
by Madeline Hall



You probably read the title of this cake and rolled your eyes. I'm not one for healthy desserts normally, either. I eat them and make them rarely enough. Why go through all the trouble to make it healthy?

Well, this was a request from my mom, who is on a very healthy diet right now, but has a major sweet tooth. When I saw a version of this on Gather and Feast, I thought I would give it a try, since it is refined sugar-free, and almost vegan/dairy-free (just the eggs). And guess, what? It was really good!! And I'm not just saying that...my entire family loved it. Avocado frosting and all! Plus, I did not feel nearly as bad as I do after eating a normal slice of cake. Double-win!







Whole Wheat Banana Cake With Avocado Chocolate Frosting
adapted from Gather and Feast

makes 2 8-inch cakes


Ingredients
3/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp. vanilla powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
6 large bananas, mashed
1 cup almond milk
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp. salt

For the frosting
3 large avocados, peeled and deseeded
1/2 cup coconut oil
3 tbl. cacao powder
1/2 cup maple syrup
8 oz. dark chocolate
1 tsp. vanilla powder
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper.
2.In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or using a hand-held mixer), whisk together coconut oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla powder. Add in eggs, banana, and almond milk, and continue mixing until well combined.
3. Next, add in the dry ingredients: baking powder, baking soda, whole wheat flour, and sea salt. Mix until well combined.
4. Pour cake batter into prepared cake pans and bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
5. Let cool in pans for 15 minutes, and then flip out onto a cooling rack until completely cooled.

To make the frosting
1. In a food processor or blender, cream together avocados until very smooth (about 2 minutes). Make sure it is completely smooth as this will make up the frosting and no one wants to eat a hunk of avocado while eating a slice of cake.
2. Once avocados are blended, add in coconut oil, maple syrup, cacao powder, vanilla powder, and sea salt. Blend together. Add melted chocolate last, and cream together until completely mixed in.
3. Pour frosting into a bowl and place in refrigerator for 1 hour until completely chilled. Frosting may puff up a little in size which is a good thing!
4. Frost cakes with a spatula. Feel free to slice in half to make four cakes or keep it as two cakes.