The Plant-Based Community Cookery School
The Plant-Based Community Cookery School
This decadent paleo vegan chocolate bread is free from gluten, grains, eggs, dairy, nuts, sesame and soy. It is rich, moist, soft and so delicious. Photography by Sarah Doig
375g (1 1/2 cups mashed) ripe banana
182g (3/4 cup) boxed coconut milk
110g (1/2 cup) extra virgin olive oil
85g (1/2 cup) coconut sugar
195g (1 1/2 cups) cassava flour
28g (4 Tbsp) coconut flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
55g (1/2 cup) cacao powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine salt
Optional 1/2 cup choc chips or choice or dark chocolate (*choose a chocolate that suits any dietary needs, eg soy free, dairy free, paleo).
Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a standard baking loaf and set aside. For best results it is best to test your oven using an oven thermometer to get consistent results as many ovens run hotter/cooler than they appear.
In a large mixing bowl add bananas, milk, oil and sugar. Use a stick blender to blend until smooth. You can alternatively put these ingredients into a blender first and then transfer to a bowl. If you have neither a blender or a stick blender first add the banana to a bowl and mash very well. Next, add milk, oil and sugar and whisk together until smooth.
Sift in flours, cinnamon, caca/cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Use a large wooden spoon to very gently fold together the wet and dry mix and stop once the batter is almost uniform. Add the chocolate chips and fold through gently- it should only be just mixed through. At this stage the batter will be very thick- this is completely normal. You will see the baking soda and powder starting to bubble meaning you need to gently yet quickly transfer the batter to your prepared tin. Use the back side of a spoon to carefully spread out the batter to form an even layer.
Transfer to the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. Test with a skewer, looking for many moist crumbs but no wet/runny batter remaining on the stick. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
You can begin to cut this loaf after 1/2 hour while still warm (just use a large sharp, seated knife). The first 2 days this loaf is light, fluffy and moist. On day 3 it becomes more dense and is almost like a cakey brownie slice. Once fully cool, store in an airtight container in 10 minutes pantry (up to 3 days) or fridge (5-7 days). This loaf is freezer friendly. Wrap individual slices and freeze, storing for up to 3 months.
