Plantain Cake with Lemon and Orange Zest – Paleo, GF, Refined Sugar Free
Disclaimer: Y’all know I like to share my recipes with nuggets of wisdom based on my personal health journey, research and interest in the world of holistic nutrition and functional medicine. This blog is the place where you’ll learn about new recipes and knowledge about the food we eat, their health benefits, and your own intuitive habits around food, whether or not a recipe calls for certain ingredients. Remember that only you have the potential to change your life and health for the better, no matter what me or other external resources suggest. Alway check in with your body and your medical and health-care practitioners.
One of my recent discoveries in life has been the multifaceted and dynamic starchy fruit, plantain. I know this fruit is a staple in the Caribbean cuisine and it’s used extensively by other cultures in South America, Africa, and beyond. On their own, they are neutral in flavour and have a mild banana-like aroma, but when mixed in recipes as a source of sugar, fibre, or replacement for any type of flour, they give a distinct flavour to your recipe. And for that reason, I believe plantains are the shape shifters of the banana family.
What I love about these delicious and versatile fruits is their texture and resistant starch content, especially when unripe and green. If you know anything about resistant starches, you know that they are indigestible fibres, or prebiotics that feed good gut bacteria known as probiotics in our digestive tracts. Resistant starches pass through the stomach and small intestine untouched, until they reach the colon for elimination. (source: https://www.bulletproof.com/diet/bulletproof-diet/resistant-starch/) Moreover, studies show that plantains have incredible health benefits, especially for those with digestive problems. They are rich in antioxidants, electrolytes, and B vitamins.
You can learn more here:
https://draxe.com/nutrition/plantains/
and
Here: https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/plantain-nutrition-benefits
Another reason why I love plantains is their versatility. When green, you can use them fried or baked, and when ripe you can use them as you would your regular bananas in crepes, waffles, cakes, and breads. You can eat them raw or use them in your favourite baking recipe as well.
Plantains are naturally sweet, aromatic, and starchy. They also have a distinct flavour that resembles bananas, though they sugar content is much lower and they make great substitutes for potatoes and other starches. In the ripening process, plantains convert some of their starch into sugars. Hence their sweet flavour. Plantains make a substitute for anyone minimizing their sugar intake or on a cleanse.
Moving on.
This recipe calls for both orange and lemon zest, monk-fruit sweetener, stevia extract, of if you’re craving any other sweeteners of your choice like maple syrup.
You also need a blender, as we’re going to be mixing the wet ingredients in a blender to have a sooth, velvety, and perfectly blended batter.
If you’re a fan of using almond meal, this is also called for. But this isn’t merely a plain almond meal. You will be so happily surprised by the delicious and aromatic taste of roasted almond flour in this recipe. This is how I create my roasted almond meal flour:
a) washing almonds
b) gently roasting them on a stove top for 15 mins on medium-low heat until their aroma and colour start to be noticeable. Roasted almonds smell nutty, warm, and incredibly tasty
c) then grinding the roasted almonds in a food processor especially designed for processing nuts, seeds and coffee. But if you have any other type that would get the job done and give you a nice floury texture for the almond meal, please go ahead and experiment.
I also recommend you using an oven-safe pyrex container, steel container, or non-toxic ceramic cookware, chlorine-free parchment paper, and silicone spatula. There are many toxins and chemicals found in cookware that cause hormonal disruptions, heavy metal toxicity, or immune dysfunction. And we are very exposed to these chemicals on a daily basis.
Remember, eating well is a huge component of of a holistic and healthy lifestyle. But there are more ways to detox our lives that are as important. The truth of the matter is, your body would react and show you symptoms after enduring long-term and gradual, yet consistent, exposure to chemicals and other substances that may cause disruption. This is in fact one of the factors we need to take into consideration when looking at environmental factors that cause certain genetic expressions. Genes get activated once they are in the right, fertile environment. It’s crucial to remember this and be mindful of what we eat, how we eat, and what we are exposed to on a daily basis.
And lastly, I recommend you using or buying plastic free spatula, zip-bags, and food containers. There many reusable silicone alternatives that work way better than the plastic counterpart. In fact one of the reasons I hate plastic has to do with the BPA content and other chemicals that leak causing many issues starting from hormonal imbalances, estrogen dominance being one of the biggest in that category, skin problems, endocrine disruption, heavy metal toxicity, and more. I’ll share a link with you below to further read into the biggest problems associated with plastics.
https://ecologycenter.org/factsheets/adverse-health-effects-of-plastics/
Now, let’s talk about the recipe.
Ingredients:
1• 3 large Ripe Plantains
2• 4 Medium or Large Room Temperature Eggs – Free range and pasture raised
3• 1/4 cup Arrowroot or Tapioca Starch – Bob’s Red Mill Brand
4• 1 & 1/4 cup Almond Flour – or you could make your own with a delicious twist by a) measuring 1 and 1/4 whole almonds b) wash them to get rid of any dust particles c) once washed pour the almonds into a stainless steel pan or cast iron without any added oil or salt d) turn on your stove on medium low heat until they dry and become slightly roasted e) get a food processor especially great for grinding coffee and nuts and turn your roasted almonds into almond meal/flour – remember they may not be perfectly flour like, but they need to have a smooth, perfectly blended and floury texture nonetheless.
5• 1/4 cup Coconut Flour – Nutivia Brand
6• 1/4 cup Tigernut flour – Ecoideas Brand
7• 1/3 Cup Monk fruit sweetener – Lakanto Brand
8• 2 Teaspoons Organic Vanilla Extract – 365 Whole Foods Brand
9• 1/4 Teaspoon Sea salt – Redmond Salt or Himalayan Pink Salt both are great
10• 1 teaspoon Aluminum Free /Corn-Free/GF Baking Soda (Bob’s Red Mill Brand)
11• 1 teaspoon Aluminum Free/Corn-Free/ GF Baking Powder (Bob’s Red Mill Brand)
12• 1 & 1/2 Teaspoons Pure Ceylon Cinnamon Powder
13• Orange peel – 1/4 of a medium sized orange
14• Lemon peel – 1/4 of a medium sized lemon
15• 1/3 Cup Water
16• 1/4 Cup Melted Unfiltered/Cold-pressed Coconut oil – Ecoideas or Nutivia Brand
Instructions:
1• Add 1/3 cup water, lemon, and orange zest to a high speed blender and mix on until the peels are well mixed, blended, and without any lumps. Leave the mixture in as we’re going to be adding the remaining ingredients to the blender
2• Add all wet ingredients to the mix including plantains and eggs and blend everything on high speed until your batter reaches a smooth and velvety texture
3• In a separate bowl, add all the dry ingredients including almonds, all leavening agents, sea salt, flours, and cinnamon and mix well until you have a unified dry mixture
4• Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F
5• Transfer your batter to your dry ingredients and using a spatula, fold everything in until you have a smooth, unified and perfectly blended mixture. The batter is rather thick and dense but it will rise and have a beautiful texture.
Fun fact: I get reminded of Schitt’s Creek episode where David and his mom attempt to make dinner and epically fail at the idea of folding the cheese into the dish they’re making – I’ll share the episode with you here! HAHA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUnCyxS1ixA
6• Line your non-toxic loaf-pan of your choice with parchment paper and then transfer your cake batter into the baking pan. Make sure you smooth the top and give it any patterns you like. The final result will blow your mind.
7• Bake your cake for 45-50 minutes uninterrupted until you can stick a toothpick or chop stick into the cake and it will come out without any crumbs attached to it. The cake will also look golden and doubled in volume. If your batter needs more time, don’t hesitate to give it another 5 or 10 minuted until it is fully baked. Make sure you don’t burn the top. We’re aiming for golden brown.
Voila! There you have it. A delicious and comforting packed full of health benefits for your mood, mind, and body. This is my favourite cake to-date and I can’t wait for you to give it a try. So please take time to get those ingredients and make this tasty plantain loaf at home. This would make an amazing idea for breakfast as well. Once you’ve given it a try, make sure you leave your comment and share your feedback. I’m always available for any questions you have and would love to help you on your healthy journey reach your goals and visions.
Happy baking loves, until next time!
XO
Behnaz
P.s. I ate this cake the first time I baked it as soon as it came out of the oven, without any hesitation, patience, or attention to the fact that I needed to style, photograph, and post it for my website. It was a passionate love-affaird and very worth the trouble of making it a second time. So just letting you know, this cake is a BOMB!