Flourless Plantain Cake Recipe (2024)

Idiscovered the alchemy of baking when I was6. After diligently petitioning Santa in numerous letters, Ireceived anEasy Bake Oven. When I pulled my first cake out of the pink plastic box, I felt as If I had participated in the birth of something radiant and sacred.A few years later, when I grew tall enough to reach the kitchen counters, Imy parents gave me generous freedom in the kitchen and I was soon makingfull-sized cakes in a full-size oven.

When I transitioned to a grain free diet after my autoimmune diagnosis, my love of bakingprovided a sense of purposewhile I struggledwith the monotony of a restricted diet. I was called to chase themagicthat happened between batter and baked good, and began experimenting with coconut flour. So. much. coconut flour.

In the process of developing and testing thisFlourless Plantain Cake, I felt thefamiliarfulfillment of baking each time I pulled it from the oven. This recipe is a short-cut to baking magic, becausethis blender-batterrequiresmere minutes of prep time.

Flourless Plantain Cake: The Ingredients

Ripe plantains – As plantains ripen, the peel softens from green to yellow to black. Green plantains have a high starch content, which partially converts into sugar as the plantain ripens.This recipe relies on very ripe plantains – they should be nearly all black, as you can see from the step-by-step photo above.

I’ve tested this recipe with plantains invarious stages of ripeness, andfoundthatgreen and yellow plantains resulted in a decidedly dry cake.

Eggs – Real eggs uphold the integrity of this cake, and no egg substitute is suitable here. If you cannot tolerate eggs in your diet, there are fortunately many plantain baked goods whichcan be made without eggs.

Here are some suggestions for egg-free plantain treats:

• Flourless Brownies from Purely Twins
• Plantain Tortillas from Fresh Tart (I love this recipe!)
• Carob Plantain Cake from A Clean Plate

Baking soda and apple cider vinegar – I use this duo in my baking recipes, as it provides a leavening agent that stands up to the denser quality of grain-free baked goods. Additionally, it allows me to bypass baking powder, which oftencontains cornstarch (an ingredient I avoid).

Vanilla extract – Vanillahighlights the natural sweetness of the plantains. If you prefer, use 1/2 teaspoonof cinnamon instead or in addition to the vanilla for a different flavor profile.