Chocolate Orange Banana Cake
Vegan, Oil-free & Refined-Sugar Free
This baked delight uses my favorite combination of chocolate and oranges to make the perfect bread/cake. It's also packed with LOTS of hidden vegetables, and tastes so wholesome! I promise that all these vegetables combined with chocolate combined with fruits tastes amazing, it has honestly become my favorite cake ever and it is completely guilt-free!
I used carrots, beets, and zucchini to kick up the nutrients and that may turn you off but trust me, you hardly notice or taste it. I was actually hoping that my ingredient choices would weird my family out into not eating it so that I could have it all to myself, but they loved it, so I had to share it with everyone else!
I opt for chopped orange peel rather than zested orange peel in this recipe because I like the fuller taste of the chunks of peel- it really adds to the earthiness of this cake.
I personally love to eat it when it has cooled and been refrigerated overnight because it tastes so rich and fudgey and cold-perfect on a hot, summer day!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup aquafaba (water from pan or can of cooked chickpeas)
1/4 cup applesauce
2 ripe bananas
1/4 cup chunky jaggery*
2 cups of shredded raw vegetables (carrots, zucchini, and/or beets)**
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp dry split chana/chickpea*** (or chopped nuts)
1 tbsp chopped orange peel (or zested)
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
Steps:
1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. .Blend the oats, cocoa, aquafaba, applesauce, bananas, and jaggery until thick and fully blended.
3.. Add the shredded vegetables to the blender or to a bowl with the blended batter. Mix it all in until fully incorporated.
4.. Add the salt and dry split chickpeas to the batter. Next, add the ACV and the baking soda and powder and gently stir it in so that the batter retains its air bubbles. Let the batter sit for about 5 minutes.
5.. Add to a greased cake pan or a silicone cake pan and bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
NOTES:
*Jaggery is unrefined cane sugar commonly found at South Asian supermarkets. If you do not have it you can use 2-3 tbsp of coconut/other sugar
**If you use more zucchini than carrots or beets, either squeeze some water out of the shreds or use less aquafaba as the cake will become too watery
***split dry chana/chickpeas are a great and cheap alternative to chopped nuts, however you can use nuts. Chana has a pretty nutty taste itself.