Peanut Butter Banana Bread (Gluten-Free)

I often make banana bread but this is the first time I have added peanut butter. It is seriously yummy.

My brother in law is in town hence the PB. He is crazy for it. We both love a banana peanut butter milkshake for breakfast so this is my attempt to turn that into a cake. Andrew hasn’t tasted it yet as he is away until tomorrow so I await his verdict. I suspect he is going to like it a lot.

Considering I just made this up I am really pleased with the flavours. The balance between nuts & fruit is great & the crunchy topping was a last minute addition which I am really happy with. The basic batter mix is one I have developed over time & usually I add dates & walnuts but peanut butter might win out every time after this. Next time I will probably add chocolate chips.

If you don’t want a gluten free version then just substitute the flours for regular wheat flour. I really recommend the oat flour though as it gives a lovely texture & slight chew to the cake. Ground almonds are a good substitute of you can’t eat oats. Using just gluten free flour results in a much lighter texture but for me it is too light. I think banana bread should have some bite to it.

If you don’t have almond milk just use regular milk. I don’t use butter, just a little oil as it keeps the cake from becoming too heavy. It looks quite dense but is actually really light when you eat it. I also add chia seeds as a substitute for gluten. They are not essential but do add elasticity and they are extremely nutritious.

Banana bread is a great way to use up over ripe bananas that nobody wants to eat. That hardly ever happens in our house so I often hide a few away until they are really brown. The softer & more ripe they are the better for this recipe. If they are yellow & hard then the cake will not have much of a banana flavour.

Other than that this is a very forgiving recipe. It is easy & quick to make and really satisfying to eat. Enjoy.

You will need:

A loaf tin, greased & lined with parchment

125g gluten free flour
100g gluten free oat flour (or ground almonds)
100g sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3-4 really ripe bananas
150g peanut butter
25g chia seeds (optional)
50g maple syrup (or honey)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 eggs (beaten)
1 tsp vanilla extract
60 ml almond milk

Topping
1 handful roasted peanuts
25g dark brown sugar

Only use really dark, over ripe bananas

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees.

2. Weigh the dry ingredients into a bowl & mix them.

3. In another bowl mash the bananas & 100g of the peanut butter together.

Mix the dry ingredients

When you mix chia with water you get a gloopy substance

Combine all the wet ingredients

4. If you are using chia, weigh the seeds into a cup and cover them with boiling water. Mix them vigorously and add more boiling water until they have a thick gooey consistency. Add this to the bananas & peanut butter then add the rest of the wet ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

5. Combine the wet & dry mixtures and beat the batter until everything is incorporated. You should end up with a fairly runny cake batter. Pour this into the prepared loaf tin.

6. To add the remaining peanut butter, separate it into 6-7 chunks and push these into the cake at intervals. They should be covered over with batter. They add extra hits of peanut butter to the finished cake.

Add chunks of peanut butter to the finished batter

7. To prepare the topping. Partly crush the roasted peanuts & mix them with the brown sugar. Sprinkle this over the cake.

8. Bake the cake for an hour at 180 degrees and then turn it down to 170 degrees for another 15-20 minutes.

The usual cake test is not really appropriate here. The consistency of the cake is very moist so if you insert a probe or stick it will not come out clean even when it is cooked. If you do have a probe the internal temperature should reach about 90 degrees. If not just insert a toothpick or something & wiggle it around. You should feel some resistance if the cake is cooked. If you are not sure give the it another 10 minutes, it is so moist that it will not come out dry even if you over cook it a little.

You should wait until it is almost completely cooled before removing the cake from the tin. Gluten free cakes usually need more time in the tin than regular ones.

Serve as it is or I just tried it warm with ice cream & chocolate sauce. YUM!

by Sally