GF, DF.
Ingredients - Date and Sapote Cake:
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8 large eggs/ 430gms
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2 cups/ 480gms black sapote fruit
(Blended into a puree) this can be substituted for over ripe banana
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1 cup/ 230gms coconut oil (melted into a liquid but not hot)
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½ cup/ 160gms honey (gently warmed into a liquid but not hot)
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1 ½ cups/ 230gms medjool dates (chopped into 1cm pieces)
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1 cup/ 120 gms almond meal
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½ cup/ 125gms pecans (roughly chopped)
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½ cup/ 40gms desiccated coconut
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½ cup/ 120gms green banana flour
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½ cup/ 60gms coconut flour
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1 tbsp/ 3gms cinnamon powder
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1 tsp/ 2gms ginger powder
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2 tsp/ 12gms bicarb soda
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½ tsp/ 2gms salt
Ingredients - Coconut Caramel Sauce:
- 1 can/400 ml coconut cream
- 1 cup / 130gms coconut sugar
- 1/4 tsp/ 1g salt (or to taste)
Ingredients - Honey Roasted Pecans:
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1 cup/ 110gms whole pecans
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1 1/2 Tbsp/ 30g honey
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½ tsp/ 1gm cinnamon powder
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¼ tsp/ 1gm salt
Method:
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To make the cake, first grease your cake tin with softened coconut oil and line with baking paper. Preheat your oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
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In a large bowl, sift together the banana flour, coconut flour, bicarb soda, cinnamon powder, ginger powder and salt
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Next add in the almond meal and desiccated coconut, use a whisk to mix ingredients together until well incorporated
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In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut oil, honey and black sapote puree
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Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk together well to combine all ingredients until there are no remaining lumps of flour
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Add the chopped pecans and dates and stir well to combine
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Fill your cake tin until ¾ full and put in the oven until the top springs back to your touch, golden brown on top and a knife comes out with no wet batter, this should take about 40-50 minutes depending on your oven
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Once cooked, let the cake cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing and put on a wire rack. This cake is best served slightly warm
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To make the coconut caramel sauce add all ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to the boil
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Turn the heat down to a low and gently simmer uncovered, for 30 minutes, making sure to use a spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan regularly to prevent burning
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Take the caramel off the heat after 30 minutes or as soon as the mixture has reduced by half and become a rich, dark, golden brown colour
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Serve the caramel warm, drizzled over a slice of cake and enjoy!
Any left over caramel will keep well in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks
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To make the honey roasted pecans add all the ingredients together in a small bowl and use a spoon to mix well until all pecans are covered with the honey and spice mixture
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Lay the pecans on a lined baking sheet and put in the oven at 160 degrees for roughly 20 minutes, or until the pecans and honey have gone a deep golden brown
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Toss regularly with a spatula to ensure even colouring on the nuts and prevent burning
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Let the nuts cool completely to room temperature to ensure the nuts to crispen, roughly chop and serve on top of the cake.
History and Benefits:
In this cake recipe, we use black sapote fruit for depth of flavour and to create a moist, rich texture with added natural sweetness.
The black sapote is a soft, sweet and rich fruit native to Mexico, Central America and Columbia. This fruit is delicious, versatile and incredibly nutritious. You can find this fruit in tropical areas around the world. In Australia you will find them in tropical climates between August-December, at most organic shops, farmers markets or health food stores. If you cannot find black sapote you can substitute the black sapote in this recipe for super ripe bananas which results in a delicious, moist and nutritious banana cake.
In this recipe we are also using green banana flour which is really high in prebiotic fiber. It helps to nourish beneficial gut bacteria and support our immune system by promoting a healthy microbiome. Plus it’s delicious in baked goods!
