WCW Cocoa Banana Bars

If you are like me, you always have one or two bananas that get left behind in the fruit bowl. At the end of the week, they usually get made into banana omelettes or banana bread, but this week I decided to try something a bit different for the school lunchboxes.

Cocoa Banana Bars

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 2 medium)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat an oven to 180 degrees C. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg and the vanilla and beat until well combined. Stir in the mashed banana, set aside.

Stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate large bowl, and make a well in the center. Pour the banana mixture into the well and stir just until combined.

Remove half of the batter from the bowl. Mix the cocoa powder into the batter remaining in the bowl and stir well. Spread the cocoa batter in the bottom of the prepared pan. Spoon the remaining batter on top and use a knife to swirl the batter into a marbled design.

Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are golden, about 25 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting.



This recipe also makes great bread or muffins! It gets the thumbs up from both my husband and 5 year old, and is a deliciously moist bar that will keep for a week in an airtight container.

How do you use up your leftover bananas? I would love some recipe inspiration!

WCW Tropical Teacakes

Those pesky bananas are still lurking in my fruit bowl as my 2 year old insists on buying them every time we go to the supermarket! 

I decided to whip up these teacakes instead of the usual muffins or bread. I used a pretty baking mold but you could use a mini loaf pan or muffin trays instead. These are dairy and egg free, and perfect to whip up for a quick afternoon tea.

Tropical Teacakes

2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

4 tablespoons Healtheries Black Chia seeds

4 tablespoons ground flaxseed

1/4 cup cold water

2 small bananas

1/2 cup orange and mango juice

1/2 cup dessicated coconut

extra 1/4 cup orange and mango juice

Preheat oven to 160 degrees celcius.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together. Create a well in the center and set aside.

Mix the water, flaxseed and Black Chia seeds to form a paste. Mix in mashed bananas and juice and add to the dry mixture. Mix well.

Fold in the coconut and add extra juice if needed. You want the mixture to be quite runny, about the consistency of pancake mix.

Add a dessertspoon full of the mixture to each mold or muffin tray. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until tops are lightly browned.

Serve warm or keep in an airtight container for up to three days.

One Bowl Cinnamon Cream Banana Bread

Due to request, I am sharing a recipe with you today instead of Wednesday. I made up a delicious bread over the weekend due to languishing ingredients in my fruit bowl and fridge, and I was very pleased with the results!

Best of all, this recipe only uses one bowl and so minimal clean up is required.

Cinnamon Cream Banana Bread
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat bran
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup cream
3 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
TOPPING:
1 banana, sliced
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix together the sugars, flours. wheat bran, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.



Add in the cream, eggs and vanilla; stir to combine.



Fold in the mashed banana, walnuts and raisins.



Place into a loaf pan and then top with sliced banana, Mix cinnamon and sugar together; sprinkle over the top.



Bake at 180 degrees C for 1 hour until golden and cooked through.



This is delicious served warm or cold, and a great way to use up those ripe bananas!



This was a great way to use up some leftover cream, and I also feel happy that my kids will eat this with no complaints even though I have snuck in some healthy alternatives to our regular banana bread.