Special occasions and celebrations seem to always include a sweet treat. Why is that, I wonder. If you think about it, birthdays, weddings, graduations, and anniversaries just wouldn’t be the same without a slice of pie, some ice cream, or a piece of cake. I would think it would feel as though the celebration was incomplete without the sweet accompaniment.
Not wanting to break with tradition, I baked a sweet (and healthy) cake to celebrate the four year anniversary of my blog, Spicie Foodie. Last year I cooked a spicy fusion meal of pork tacos spiced with red Indian chiles, this year the main dish was roasted chicken and a slice of this orange-banana cake for dessert, a very simple meal but one of our comfort foods. The cake is a new and recent recipe I developed a couple of months ago.
The development of this nutritious cake is actually something that happened as a result of a drink. Those of you that have juicer machines know how much pulp is left after juicing, and discarding it all is simply a waste of food and money. The pulp was leftover from an orange-banana juice and I just had to turn it into a dessert of some sort. Being that I am marking four years of blogging cake was in order.
This cake has a denser texture resembling something more like a banana bread than let’s say, a birthday cake. So I guess technically this is a quick bread, but made and presented like a cake. There is no wheat flour in my recipe only gluten-free whole grain oat flour and almond meal, making it safe for those with gluten allergy. Of course you’ll want to make sure that the oat flour hasn’t been harvested in a plant with wheat and thus certified gluten-free. The flavours mostly come from the banana with hints of orange, which also both help to sweeten the cake even more. The oat flour is what provides the denser texture but don’t be fooled as this cake doesn’t tastes like a bowl of oatmeal, nor is it a dry cake — it is very moist.
Nutritional Information
Using whole grain oat flour and almond meal gives the cake an additional nutrition boost. Whole grain oat flour is a good source of protein, dietary fiber, helps reduce cholesterol, and safe for diabetics because it will not raise blood sugar. Almond meal, which is created from unblanched almonds, is rich in vitamin E, magnesium, protein, dietary fiber, help reduce risk of heart attacks, and helps lower the rise in blood sugar and insulin after meals. So overall the use of these two flours is more nutritious than the use of white wheat flour.
But enough nutritional information, let’s get to the cake recipe.
- 20 gm almond meal (not flour), just under ⅓ cup
- 140 gm whole grain oat flour, about 1 cup (make sure it's GF if you have allergy)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- large pinch of sea salt
- 280 gm or around 1 cup of orange banana pulp after juicing
- 60 gm organic honey or just under ¼ cup, extra if desired
- 2 tbsp orange juice, either from fresh juice or non-sweetened 100%
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large eggs, out of shell weight is 125 gm in shell is 150 gm
- Preheat oven to 190C or 375F and butter a 15 cm or 6 in cake pan. In a large bowl stir the dry ingredients until well combined. In a separate bowl mix the pulp, honey, orange juice and olive oil. Then beat in the eggs until mixture is completely mixed. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients bowl, mix until well combined. Pour batter into prepared cake pan, place in center of oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out dry. Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving. Right before serving dust with powdered sugar.
Whether you use the juicing machine pulp or the other method it is important to remove as much of the white pith as possible, this will prevent bitterness in the cake.
Whole grain oat flour can be purchase at your local health food store, BIo shops, or online. Almond meal can also be purchased at those places or made at home. Simply place some unblanched almonds into a coffee grinder or food processor and pulse until it becomes a fine meal.
The cake has a crumbly texture outside, and inside it is moist like other cakes. The orange fibers can be seen speckled throughout, as can the banana and almond meal. The sweet smell is a mixture of orange and banana. The taste is like a soft quick bread, and there is no oatmealish taste at all.
These past four years that Spicie Foodie has existed wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my husband and you. To each and one of you thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedules to read my posts and leave your comments, for cooking my recipes, and for helping support the existence of this blog by purchasing my books, calendars and sponsored adverts.
I look forward to another year of sharing so much more with all of you. Cheers, and have a fantastic weekend!!
Happy 4th Anniversary and to many many more!
This is one wonderful cake! Great flavors and lovely texture.
Cheers,
Rosa
Thank you so much Rosa!
Congratulations and happy birthday!
Thank you Janie:)
So happy for you Nancy, we all love your recipes and pics ;)
This cake looks and sounds absolutely fantastic. My stomach is growling just looking at those beautiful pics. I love banana and orange and I”m sure it’s as moist and flavorful as it looks here. Wow, what a great way to celebrate 4 years….here’s to 4 more!
Thank you so much Angela! I hope you can give the cake a try sometime.:)
Happy Fourth Blog Anniversary, Nancy! Orange and Banana, very lovely combo. I can see that your cake is densely packed with goodness. Definitely a healthier choice with the use of wholegrain oat flour. It’s a delicious and fun way of getting more fibre and nutrients into our body :)
Thank you Phong, sometimes it’s good to skip the less healthy alternatives but still indulge.
Yay! Congrats on your four-year blogaversary! This recipe looks great – the perfect way to celebrate =)
Thank you so much Rose:)!
Oat flours… gotta try that now. :) Love this cake. :)
You really should sometime. Thanks so much Ramona!
Over the years I have somehow wearied of banana bread and cake. Not sure why. But this healthy recipe has revived my interest! Looks sensational.
Perhaps it will inspire you to give banana bread a try again. Thank you Victoria!:)
It looks so moist and delicious..Happy Blogaversary:)
Thank you so much Monique!:)
Happy 4th Anniversary!
Sweet and healthy…I love the combo! The cake looks beautiful.
Thanks so much Angie!:)
I have just fallen in love with the first picture of yours.. Happy Anniversary and wish you many more years of such extra ordinary work.. ! :)
Thank you so much Nupur!:)
Congrats on 4 years, that’s awesome! I love cooking with almond meal, this looks great :)
Thank you so much! Yes, isn’t almond meal wonderful?:)
Congrats Nancy! Cheers to many more years of cooking & blogging!
Your cake looks so delicious! I’m impressed there’s no butter in the recipe, just awesome
Thank you so much Shannon! No butter, goes to show us that it is possible to bake without it.;)
Congratulations to you! I always love stopping by to see your alluring and gorgeous photography.
Thank you so much Sarah!:)
Happy 4th Anniversary Nancy! I am always surprised how quick time passes. =) Glad that your blog is always around! I like dense cakes and your cake looks like a previous recipe. Love the “golden” hue and the flavors involved. =)
I too can’t believe how fast time has passed by. The golden light is from shooting during “The Golden Hour”. Thank you so much, Helene:)
Happy Anniversary, Nancy! You have always been so generous with your advice and friendship. Thank you for sharing such yummy pics and recipes for 4 wonderful years!
Thank you so much, Laura:) xx
Yay, happy anniversary! Wow, 4 years–you should be really proud of yourself! :D This cake looks like the perfect way to celebrate.
I sometimes can’t believe I’ve been at it this long, hehe. Thank you so much Kiersten!:)
Congratulations on your 4th year anniversary dear Nancy! I truly wish and hope you have many many more successful years ahead.
The cake looks stunning – I love the fact that it is made of oats and almond flour.. I am bookmarking this recipe as I always look out for ripe banana recipes
Thank you so much Shema, best wishes to you as well. Enjoy the recipe and have a great weekend:)
Congrats on 4 years Nancy!! That is one beautiful (and delicious sounding) cake!
Thanks so much Alyssa!:)
A very happy 4 year blog anniversary Nancy! Your beautiful cake is a perfect way to celebrate ;)
I’ve enjoyed following you for at least 3 years (!). I look forward to the next 4 years and all your wonderful recipes, stories and beautiful photos :)
Thank you so much Patty! Yes, I think we’ve followed each other that long.:)
Congratulations! You do a great job of sharing, educating and beautifying the blogging experience.
P.S. That is my kind of cake.
Thank you so much Joan!:)
Happy 4 years of blogging Nancy! And wishing you many more.
The cake using the banana and orange pulp is a brilliant idea…not to forget how healthy it is. A winner all through.
Thank you so much Taruna!:)
Congratulations on 4 years of blogging, Nancy! So glad I found you along the way :). I love our cake, it would be perfect with my afternoon coffee!
I’m glad we found each other Laura, thank you so much!
Congratulations on 4 years!!
You have achieved so much!
What a gorgeous cake and absolutely delicious images… I want cake for breakfast now :)
Thank you so much Julie!:)
What a great cake for an anniversary!
Thank you!
Cake doesn’t have to be healthy for me to eat it, cake is cake, if you make I will eat……but the texture and appearance of your cake makes me want to make it straight away. The pictures are beautiful Nancy. Congratulations for reaching 4 years on your blog. The hard work and hours spent show. You have been very supportive and helpful to me and I hope this can continue into your fifth year x
That’s true for me too, Tania:) Thank you much xx
Happy 4th Anniversary! How kind of you to bake us this terrific cake to celebrate! Love the cake and your blog, and I wish you continued success.
Thank you so much John, I love your blog too.:)
Congratulations!! Four years – that is awesome!!!! That means I’ve missed almost 3 years. Need to spend more time here surfing around! Delicious looking cake and what a way to celebrate. The almond meal and the oatmeal sure give this cake and very interesting texture. Love the looks of it!
Thank you so much MJ! I need to browse through your archives too to see what I’ve missed.
Nancy, Very happy 4th blog anniversary to you and your wonderful blog! I’ve been enjoying your recipes and posts and I look forward to your post every time. Such a gorgeous cake to celebrate this special occasion and your blog career. :)
Thank you so much Nami!xx
Happy 4th blog anniversary. That is awesome. You really have a fabulous blog and this cake looks great.
Thanks so much Evelyne!
Congratulations on 4 fantastic years. It’s always a treat visiting here. I always thought there had to be something useful for the juice remnants, thanks for the recipe.
Yes, Sandra there are so many great uses for the leftover juicing pulp. Thanks so much!:)
Congrats on four years. Found this AMAZING recipe as I was searching for Almond Meal recipes. Will you please share with me the juice recipe for making the pulp so I can try it on my juicer and then use the pulp for the recipe. Appreciate you sharing this very yummy banana orage cake. Warmly – Debbie
Thank you Debbie! I used 3 large oranges and 2 large bananas to make the juice. The pulp was nearly all used for the cake. Enjoy both the juice and cake!
Thankyou ,Nancy,What a wonderful cake .you have also given me the the idea that oats were gluten free,I had no idea. I addded walnuts to the mix to offer a texture change as oats tend to have a soapy effect.It worked well.YUM ,Great recipe.
Hi Fiona,
Yes, oats can be gluten-free, the ones not processed alongside wheat. I love your addition of walnuts and I’ll try that next time. Thanks, glad you enjoyed it:)
What a beautiful cake! Yes, I’d definitely like a slice for breakfast! Pinned. : )
I have made this cake numerous times and it is very adaptable. I have substituted several different pureed fruits and vegetables with great success. Applesauce, zucchini, carrots, and pumpkin all work well. Tonight, I used pumpkin in the batter and cinnamon. I used an 8 inch square pan, melted 1/12 TBL butter in the bottom, sprinkled 1/3 cup brown sugar over that, layered apples and pecans on top of that. I sprayed the pan with non-stick spray and poured in the batter and baked. I let it cool about 6-7 minutes and then dumped it out on a plate an had a lovely apple/pecan pumpkin upside down cake. My husband ate 2 pieces! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Hi Nancy,
I just wanted to let you know that I tried your recipe with cantaloupe and banana and it turned out excellent. It is very moist and tastes great.. nothing like the taste of oatmeal.. I really liked the oatmeal and almond meal replacement for white flour.. Thank you for sharing..
-Farha
Hello Farha,
Wow, I love your cantaloupe and banana combination — it sounds fantastic! Yes the moistness of the cake is also one of the reasons why I love this cake so much. Thank for testing the recipe and for sharing your take on it. :)
~N