Black Bottom Banana Bread

I’m not going to lie; every few weeks we intentionally allow a few bananas on our counter to over-ripen, just so we can bake this bread. The original recipe comes from the Whole Life Challenge, and while it’s great as-is. I wanted to make a vegan version. To make this recipe vegan, I used flax eggs; we love the deep, earthy flavor that flax seeds add to baked goods. The two layers of this bread have distinct flavors; the “vanilla” top is quite sweet, and the “black” bottom is rich from the cocoa and not as sweet. Spread some almond butter on a toasted slice and sit down with a cup of coffee for a perfect breakfast or afternoon snack!

Print Recipe

Black Bottom Banana Bread

The original recipes comes from the Whole Life Challenge; this is a vegan version using flax eggs. I replaced stevia with unsweetened organic applesauce; we don’t like the taste of stevia and we prefer breads like this to be moist. Almond and coconut flours are dense and they can produce dry baked goods unless you find the right balance of wet ingredients. Unsweetened applesauce does the trick and it adds natural sweetness. The “vanilla” top is quite sweet and the “black” bottom is a rich from the cocoa and not as sweet.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 10 mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Keyword: banana, flaxseed, Whole Life Challenge

Servings: 8

Calories: 294kcal

Author: planfulcook

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 1/2-2 cup banana very ripe
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 flax eggs
• 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts chopped

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F and grease a loaf pan with coconut oil.
• Make flax eggs. This is a simple 1-3 ratio; 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal for 3 tablespoons of water. Allow to sit for at least 15 minutes; stir occasionally to help the eggs combine.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond and coconut flours, baking powder, and kosher salt.
• In a blender or food processor, combine the bananas, vanilla, and flax eggs. While running, add the melted coconut oil. (If you just add the coconut oil to the bananas, it will become hard again.)
• When the oven is heated, combine the dry and wet ingredients into the large bowl and mix well. Divide the batter in half.
• Stir the cocoa powder and unsweetened coconut flakes into the “chocolate” half of the batter; stir the chopped hazelnuts into the other “vanilla” half.
• Pour the chocolate batter into the loaf pan and spread it evenly in the pan. Pour the vanilla batter evenly on top. You can tap the pan against your counter to help even everything out.
• Bake for an hour or until a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean. The vanilla layer develops a deep golden brown coloring as it bakes.
• Let the bread cool in the pan on a rack for about 10 minutes before you turn it out. Allow it to cool on rack for another 15-20 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!

Notes

We use unrefined coconut oil for baking; it has a hint of coconut aroma to it, which seems to enhance the natural sweetness of baked goods. Adding unsweetened coconut flakes adds even more natural sweetness.

If you’re having a hard time finding coconut oil, almond flour, coconut flour, and flaxseed meal at your local grocer, you can purchase them in bulk to save money. We use Boxed and have our orders delivered. This referral link gives you $15 off your first order.

Use a kitchen scale to measure our quantities of dried goods when baking with non-traditional flours and ingredients. This will produce a more consistent and successful final product. You don’t need a fancy scale, and it should be small enough easily to slip into a drawer for storage.