Ingredients

• 250g Cups Paleo Flour
• 100g Cup Raw Cacao Powder
• 5 large Bananas, mashed (works with ripe or firm)
• 4 x 65g Organic, Free Range Eggs
• 250g Whole Milk
• 100g Unsalted Butter, softened (grass fed where possible, organic at least)
• 1tsp Cinnamon
• ½ tsp Pink Murray River Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 75g Cup Raw Cacao Nibs

Method

• Preheat oven to 160° Celcius, fan forced.
• Put all ingredients except cacao nibs, into a bowl and combine until just brought together.
• Place batter into a lined and greased loaf tin, and gently pack down until evenly distributed, sprinkle over cacao nibs and gently press in with the back of a spoon.
• Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
• Allow cooling before slicing and serving with lashings of butter and more fresh banana.

Recipe Notes

I slice the whole loaf and freeze in pairs for later – it’s always nice to have a back up for unexpected visitors or cravings!

Substitute Ingredients

• Ready-made paleo flour can vary with combination and quantity of ingredients, if you can’t get it or don’t like it, I tend to use a 2:1 ratio of almond meal to buckwheat flour as an alternative.
• Unsweetened almond milk can be used instead of dairy, but you may need a little extra on standby if the mixture appears too dry without it.
• Coconut oil can be used to replace the butter of the same quantity for a dairy free option.
• Walnuts can be used in place of cacao nibs, but I would advise pressing them in slightly to reduce any possibility of burning.

Substitute Equipment

• Whilst this calls for a loaf tin, and I usually use silicon, you could use any kind of cake tin or slice tray, the slices and toast-ability may alter, but all are delicious.  Beware, whenever alternating the shape and depth of the vessel you’re cooking in, you may need to adjust time and temperature of your oven.

Waste Tips

Banana Skins:

• Feed them to your worm farm to or add them in to your DIY Fertilizer – The potassium helps plants build up resistance to pests and disease, aids fruit developments, strengthens cell walls and aids uprightness of stems.  The phosphorous influences fruit and flowering, strengthens root and shoot growth, pollination and seed germination.  The calcium aids cell walls with root development and growing stem points and opens up soil to access more oxygen.
• Rubbing the insides of the skins over large waxy plant leaves can clean and offer a healthy glow.
• Great feed for chickens, rabbits, and pigs – drying them out slightly and grounding up and tossing through other feed is ideal.
• The insides of the skin can be used as nourishment and exfoliation on our faces too.

Egg Shells:

• Pulverise dried eggshells with a mortar and pestle to a fine powder, whisk in an egg white and use for a facial. Allow drying before rinsing off.
• Pulverised dry shells can be used as a non-toxic abrasive when cleaning pots and pans.
• When crushed and used in conjunction with used coffee grounds and banana skins is a an awesome DIY fertiliser

Note: While this is refined sugar free, the bananas still contain fructose, however because they are being consumed in combination with fat and protein, their blood-sugar-spiking effects are lessened.  Having said that, I don’t think it’s a great idea to eat this choc banana bread all day, everyday, still treat it as a sometimes food.  The salt counteracts the bitterness of the dark and raw chocolate and the bananas help satisfy sweet cravings.  Baking I also find, can be incredibly therapeutic, as can sharing a cup of tea and a slice of warm buttery banana bread with a mate. Snack wisely!

Diet and Lifestyle Notes