Ginger & Spice Banana Bread Cake

Ginger & Spice Banana Cake (inspired by banana bread) - gluten free, paleo, dairy free, can be made nut free by omitting pecans from the top.

This lovely paleo-friendly tea cake is inspired by humble banana bread. It’s full of subtle flavours of ginger, orange and winter spices, and to me, it’s something my European grandma would have served on a cold and rainy afternoon.

This is a grain and dairy-free banana cake, with no added white sugar. Instead, it’s sweetened with dried fruit and bananas. It’s also essentially tree nut-free (minus the pecans used to decorate, which you can omit) so it’s safe for kids lunch boxes and those of your avoiding nuts. I used coconut flour and tapioca flour as the main starches in the batter.

Handy tip: Instead of making it as a cake, you can try using the batter to make single banana bread muffins instead. Adjust the cooking time as they will take less time to bake.

Try my paleo banana bread and my quinoa flour banana bread here.

Pin from here.

banana-cake-with-ginger-spice-recipe-900

Want to Save This Recipe?

Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!

Save Recipe

By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Cooked & Loved

Ginger & Spice Banana Bread Cake

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Dessert
Print Pin Save
5 from 1 vote
Calories: 300kcal
This lovely paleo-friendly tea cake is inspired by humble banana bread. It’s full of subtle flavours of ginger, orange and winter spices, and to me, it’s something my European grandma would have served on a cold and rainy afternoon.

Ingredients 

  • 3 medium whole eggs
  • 2 large bananas ripe, peeled and broken into pieces
  • 4 tablespoons coconut oil I measured it in its solid form
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger ginger powder can also be used
  • 10 Medjool dates pitted
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • Zest of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Generous pinch of nutmeg
  • 1/3 teaspoon allspice or Chinese five-spice
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla essence optional
  • 1/2 cup tapioca flour
  • 2 tablespoons coconut flour
  • 3 tablespoons desiccated coconut unsweetened
  • 1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda + 1 tablespoon orange juice
  • 1/3 cup pecans optional
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • Medium spring form or cake tin baking paper
  • Maple syrup for shine (optional)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 170° C / 335° F (conventional oven).
  • Add eggs, banana, coconut oil, ginger, dates, orange and lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, five-spice and vanilla, if using, to a blender or a food processor. Process for 10 seconds until thick and smooth.
  • Then add the tapioca, coconut flour and desiccated coconut. Add bicarb soda and drizzle it with orange juice so it foams slightly. Whiz a few times until well blended.
  • Cut out a round piece of baking paper, brush it with coconut oil and line a round spring form or a cake tin. Grease the sides of the tin with coconut oil as well. Pour in the mixture and flatten.
  • Reserve some whole pecans and cranberries to decorate the top and use the rest to add inside. Break pecans into smaller pieces and leave cranberries whole. Sprinkle over the top and then use a spatula to sink them below the surface. Place the tin on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then remove the tin and arrange the rest of the whole pecans and cranberries on top but don't sink them. Place back in the oven for 45-50 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and let it sit on an open oven door, where it's still a little warm. This less drastic change of temperatures helps to reduce the collapsing of the cake. Cool for 5 minutes, then brush the top with a little maple syrup for shine. Let it cool completely and then slice as needed.

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 98mg | Potassium: 402mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 165IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg
Keywords: healthy baking, Cake, Banana Bread
Tried this recipe?Mention @cookedandloved or tag #cookedandloved
Irena Macri
By Irena Macri

About the author: Hi, I’m Irena Macri. I share delicious recipes that I have cooked and loved. I am a published cookbook author, have been food blogging for over 10 years and have a Diploma in Nutrition. You will find many healthy recipes as well as my favourite comfort food. More about me here | Subscribe to my newsletter and freebies

Comment or Rate This Recipe

Made the recipe? Please leave a rating as it helps other readers to discover this dish. You don’t need to leave a comment if rating a recipe, unless it’s 3 stars or below.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

3 Comments
  1. Hi there,

    This recipe was great. I replaced the dried cranberries with fresh figs (since I had too many at the time). I’ll be making the recipe again tonight. Thanks.

  2. 5 stars
    My whole family loved this cake. I left out the dried cranberries (for my kids) and just used 1 tsp dried ginger instead of fresh, and we all loved the flavour of the spices. Thanks for a wonderful recipe Irena.

    1. Thank you Sarah 🙂 Glad you all enjoyed it. I have to remember to bring it out for Easter this year.

See all comments »

You Might Also Like

358 Shares
Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap