Chocolate Cake with Banana Frosting
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I started blogging when I was 13. At first, I just shared art, poetry, and short stories. When I took up veganism at the age of 15, I started sharing recipes. And I kept on sharing them as well as my personal experiences as I was diagnosed with autoimmune diseases and took up the AIP at the age of 22. All my life, blogging has been a fantastic way to combine my interests in web design, art, writing, and cooking. I never imagined very many people would stumble across my little corner of cyberspace and I definitely never imagined that very many people would actually like what they saw. I don’t know where all of you came from, but I’m glad you’re here. Because of you, this blog has become more than a fun little hobby: It’s become a full-time career I’m passionate about, one that affords me the opportunity to connect with other autoimmune patients, share incredible stories of healing, and keep doing creative things. So I wanted to celebrate this blogiversary with an AIP Chocolate Cake! Baking on the autoimmune protocol is a necessarily creative endeavor, but I like to keep things simple. With carob for flavor, plantain, banana, and pumpkin for binding, a few fall seasonings to add some depth, and a creamy banana-avocado frosting, you might be thinking “this cake sounds weird”. But it’s everything you want in a cake: Moist, rich, and decadent with just the faintest banana flavor.
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Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 medium plantain green and peeled
- 1 medium banana peeled
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup carob powder
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 5/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mace
Frosting
- 1 whole avocado
- 1 whole banana
- 2 tablespoons carob powder
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly grease a 8″ square pan with coconut oil or any other cooking fat.
- Combine all cake ingredients in a high-powered blender and process until smooth.
- Spread the batter into the cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
- Combine all ingredients for the frosting in a blender and process until smooth.
- Allow the cake to cool before frosting. Store in the fridge.
Hi – do you have any suggestions on what might be a good substitute for the plantains? We just cannot buy them anywhere in New Zealand 🙁
Thank you!
You might be able to find them in local Asian markets. I’m told that very green bananas may work, but I haven’t tried it myself and can’t guarantee you’ll get good results.
Try Countdown for Plantains. My local Countdown in North Canterbury had them last week.
I buy plantains in Auckland. Some vege shops call them “green cooking bananas” 🙂
Thank you so much we LOVED THE CAKE! IT WAS AMAZING!!! In fact it was so amazing that we had to have some for breakfast this morning as well (why not-nothing in it to hurt us). I did change the icing a little to make it more like the icing that I used when baking cakes. Always put a little salt in the icing to take away some of the sweetness. I had some icing left over and added coconut flakes and ground dates to it and made a candy.
I used 2 avocados, 1 banana, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 4 tablespoons carob powder, 1/3 cup palm oil and 3 tablespoons of honey
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!!
Linda, I am waiting for the cake to bake and standing at food processor eating the frosting that I made according to your recipe! So good!!! I need to watch myself, as my cake needs frosting !!! LOL Thanks so much , ladies for your creativity! This cake is turning out awesome!
So glad you’re enjoying it!
I’m currently doing AIP, and have a birthday coming up. So thank you very much.
I made this cake last night and could not believe it turned out so much like actual cake! It’s a plantain miracle. I put a photo of mine on my blog. It was really good. Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂
Do you think this would work with ripe plantains? Actually I was thinking of using 1 green and 1 ripe plantain. Would that change the texture?
Thanks for a lovely recipe.
Minna
It will probably change the texture, flavor, and cooking time – ripe plantains cook faster than green ones. I haven’t tried it though, so I can’t really say for sure.
I usually use medium ripe plantains (yellow and firm) and it works great, but have also done a mix of green and ripe. Just in case anyone is wondering g in the future.
I tried this recipe over the weekend. If you are craving banana bread, it’s delicious and moist but I was a bit disappointed as I was wanting a chocolate cake. That being said, the recipe calls for green plantains but all that was available were yellow plantains. I’m not certain how much that would affect the end result. Thanks for sharing these recipes.
Yellow plantains will result in a very different texture and flavor, much sweeter and softer. Still, I’m glad to hear it’s delicious either way, if different! 🙂
Tastes fine but tastes like banana not chocolate.
Your plantains may have been too ripe, imparting a stronger banana flavor.
Can I substitute carob with cacao? Is cacao aip?
Cacao is not AIP, and though they can be substituted for each other, you will wind up with a sharper, more bitter flavor using chocolate.
Absolutely amazing! I can’t wait to try this! What a gift — an eggless, nutless cake!
Question: I have some green banana flour. Do you have any suggestions on how to use this in place of the two green plaintains?
I am not familiar with banana flour, sorry!
I cannot eat bananas, due to latex allergy. Would adding an extra plantain as a substitute work?
I haven’t tried it, so don’t know how it would work out. The plantain would have to be very ripe.
They are in the same family so I’d think cross reactivity!
I just made this cake for a friend who has to follow the AIP and cannot have bananas- I used a 1/3 cup measure (bc that’s the volume of an average banana) filled halfway with pumpkin and halfway with unsweetened applesauce. It worked great!
Thanks for this! I have A LOT of AIP recipes, but none for cake. So excited to make this. Do you think I can skip the cream of tartar? I don’t have any. Or can you suggest a replacement (would arrowroot powder work)? If no, do you recommend a brand (Amazon link? affiliate is fine w/ me)? Same for ground mace.
Congrats on your job w/ Sarah. I also LOVE her!
Best,
Devona
Thank you! Cream of tartar does not have any AIP substitutes, as it is itself a substitute for baking powder. The link in the recipe will take you to the brand I use online.
So if I do not need these to be AIP – can I use baking powder for the cream of tartar?
Sure! You would also probably reduce the baking soda. I’ve never made it that way, so I’m not sure of the exact amounts you would use. If you give it a try, let me know how it works out!
Thank you for this recipe Christina :o). The prospect of following the AIP has seemed like just another leg of this impossible, never-ending, never-fun-again health ‘journey’ for me…but this combination of ingredients (basically a salad…come on…right? ;-)) was ACTUALLY GOOD AND I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!!! The frosting made such a huge amount that I have a little pot of “pudding” (which will also now be a go-to idea for treats), and the cake-with-frosting itself is a delightful set of textures and flavors.
I mean it — I can’t believe that it’s good and I like it and it gives me hope. It just does :-). Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear it!!! 🙂
Hi,
I am Philomena from Germany. I have got a question about your recipe. Musst the ingredients for the Frosting be cooled in the freezer cabinet bevor mixed?
I am note sure If I understand Step 5.
The Frosting is mixed. Musst it be cooled now and then put on the cake or put the Frosting on the cake and then put everything in the Freezer cabinet?
I am confused. Please can help me?
Thank you!
Philomena
Let the cake cool to room temperature before putting the frosting on it. The frosting can be room temperature too. Then, after it’s frosted, store any leftovers it in the refrigerator.
Du kannst alles in der Raumtemperatur verarbeiten aber wenn Du den Kuchen nicht sofort essen moechtest oder es ist etwas uebrig, dann halte es in dem Kuehlschrank 🙂
I saw your recipe last year and kept it filed in my head for my birthday. Now I’m a few days away from my birthday and excited to try this! If only I had someone to make it for me too ;). Thank you for this!
I hope you enjoy! Happy birthday!
This cake is great! I am very grateful to be able to enjoy this cake which; unlike other flour based cakes; agrees with my stomach. It is such a blessing to be able to enjoy a piece of chocolate cake after years of going without. Thank you very,very much!
I’m so glad you like it!
We made this tonight as a special treat and my 3.5yr old son was super-excited to help put it together and especially to eat it. I would say it was a hit! I would agree with one of your other commentors, the frosting recipe made quite a bit and as I like a thinner layer on cakes, I saved the leftovers and plan to serve it as “pudding” for lunch later this week. Thank you for the great recipe!
I’m so glad your family enjoyed it! My philosophy is that it’s definitely better to have too much frosting than not enough. Getting to eat the leftovers was always half the fun of making a cake as a kid! 😉
Hello! I’m so excited to try this for my birthday. A few questions:
Can you taste the pumpkin puree in this? I really dislike pumpkin puree flavour. Could I used something else, like applesauce?
Is the cream of tartar and baking soda to mimic baking powder? I have a readymade AIP baking powder which is baking soda and cream of tartar anyway…can I use this? How much?
Lastly…is mace for the flavour?
Thanks!!
Mace adds just a little bit of depth. I don’t feel like the pumpkin puree is noticeable. I haven’t tried any substitutions so I can’t say how they would come out. With baking, it’s always best to make the recipes as written for the best results.
thanks!! i will make it as is then 🙂
Hi Christina
Is the pumpkin cooked first for the puree. This cake looks amazing!
Many thanks
Diane
Yes, if you are making your own puree, the puree should be made ahead of time out of a fully cooked, peeled, and de-seeded pumpkin.
Hi! Hope its okay, I tweaked your recipe and linked to you on my blog! Delicious.
I have made this cake several times and it is awesome and delicious. I have pieces cut and frozen so when I am hungry for a treat I have one available that will not affect me negatively. Thank you so much for developing this great “chocolate” cake recipe! I think it is genius!
What a great idea! I’m so glad you like it!!!
Hi! I’m planning on making this for a friend’s birthday this weekend. I was wondering, does this hold up well in the fridge overnight (either iced or un-iced)? Or can the cake be baked ahead of time, frozen, and then defrosted to ice the day of? Thanks so much for your help!
The icing is definitely best fresh. You should be able to bake the cake ahead of time and freeze it, but I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure.
Thanks! I’ll let you know how it goes 🙂
Hi! I am following low Fodmap aip presently for recurrent sibo and ibs. Would this recipe work? Im unsure of the plantains. 1/8avocado is low fodmap, so as long as serving size is modest, that should be ok. Another sweetener would have to be used. I wanted to thank you for your wonderful low fodmap aip ebook. It’s been a great resource for me!
Thank you, Sarah! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the e-book! I think any treat recipe is a risk with FODMAP issues and of course everyone tolerates things differently. If you keep the serving size small it’s possible it will be fine, but I really can’t say for sure.
I just made this cake. It did not rise at all and is approximately 3/4″ high. Is this normal?
More or less. Egg-free baking does not tend to rise much, in my experience. The baking soda and cream of tartar are the leavening in this recipe, so any changes to those would have an effect on its ability to rise.
How much baking soda is it exactly in this recipe? 1 whole teaspoon and and an additional 5/8 of a teaspoon? You have teaspoons with that measurement “over there”? :S
Yes, 1 and 5/8. I use a 1 teaspoon measurement and then put in five 1/8 teaspoons.
Or you could do the sensible thing and put in one of each 1 tsp, 1/2 tsp, and 1/8 tsp. 😉 I know I would lose count between 3 and 4, or maybe 4 and 5!
My daughter-in-law had a birthday and requested this cake. I thought making it was an adventure and spent the morning buying the ingredients – (I confess I used nutmeg instead of mace, but that was the only difference.) 🙂 I was able to use my food processor instead of my blender which worked just fine. Rather than using an 9 x 9 in. pan, I used approx an 8 x 11 in. pan, and it was fine as well. The frosting was the perfect consistency for spreading, and we left it outside in the cold during the party. Everyone at the party got a small piece, and I was surprised at the fact that I actually liked it! It did seem chocolatey enough to me, although of course it tasted like banana quite a bit as well. My daughter-in-law is quite slender and small, and she told me afterwards she had eaten 8 pieces! I was so glad she was pleased. One guest said she was so excited she was eating a piece of health. Thanks for the experience.
I love hearing stories like that, Cindy! I’m so glad this recipe can enable people to enjoy celebrations without compromising their health and that you and your family enjoyed the recipe!
Hi, I’m very excited to find this recipe. I do not have a 9 in square pan – only a 9in round pan. Would that also work? Does anyone know if it comes out well if you bake ahead of time, freeze, thaw and ice for eating? My daughter’s bday is in 3 weeks, and it would be nice to be able to do some things ahead of time. Lastly, I’m planning to make a layer cake. Due to mixing it in the blender, I am thinking I need to make this recipe 2 times rather than doubling it as twice the amount of these ingredients would probably not fit in the blender all at once or would overwork the blender. Am I on the right track with this reasoning / plan?
Thank you
It should work okay in a round pan, but you may not want to use all of the batter (maybe just 3/4 of it) in case of overflow while baking. It doesn’t rise much, but I’d hate for your oven to become a mess! It should freeze and thaw just fine but I’ve never personally tried it. Making it twice instead of doubling the ingredients is exactly right, you would probably not get as smooth a puree if your blender was too full. I hope you and your family enjoy it and that your daughter has an awesome birthday!
Hi there!
I am using plantains for the first time. Are they supposed to be so hard and difficult to peel? I had difficulty blending them because they were so hard. Is the something not right with my plantain? I do love the flavor, however!
Thanks,
Rene
Green plantains are very firm. They can be peeled by hand, but I often use a knife to make the process go faster! If you don’t have a high-speed blender, they may also be difficult to blend.
Hi. I am from Brazil and recently started aip . My birthday is on march 3rd and I was testing the recipe so that I could have a birthday cake. What’s the approximate weith of the platains and bananas you used. My recipe was too líquid. Since I had a small banana I used 1 and a half and the total weith was 240 grams.
I’ve never weighed my ingredients, so I can’t say. I usually use fairly large plantains and a medium-sized banana.
Hello-
Making this for my birthday Friday! I would like to make a round layer cake like your picture.
Do you remember what size pans you used? I have some 6in cake pans and also some larger ones. I’m thinking the 6 in ones would be good but thought I’d see what you think!
Thanks!
I used 8″ pans and made the recipe twice to get two layers.
Do you think a 9 inch spring foam pan would be okay? :/
I’ve never cooked a cake in a springform pan, so I have no idea. The size should be fine, though.
Thanks! And if I’m trying to cook two layers.. How long do you recommend it cool before taking it out to bake the second layer in the same pan? And if I’m taking it to a party, should I keep it in the fridge prior and frost it before I leave? Thanks so much!
It should be room temperature before you remove it from the pan. And yes, I’d keep it in the fridge and frost it as close to serving as possible.
This looks delicious! Cannot wait to try it!
Thanks! Enjoy!!!
I have been strict AIP for over 3 years and I am allergic to coconut so I have not had any cake or baked goods in a very long time, my birthday is tomorrow so I found your recipe and my daughter and I made it this evening and oh my gosh its amazing it turned out perfectly and we made a mini extra cake to try and it was wonderful!!! Thank you so much!!
I know how frustrating it is that so many AIP treats rely on coconut, so I’m so glad you found this and enjoyed it!!! Happy birthday!!!
Elizabeth – What did you replace the coconut oil with?
I can’t speak for Elizabeth, but palm shortening should work out just fine. Duck fat or lard would too, though most people don’t like to use those in baked goods!
I’ve been AIP for about 3 years and have not had any treats for my birthday. I am going to try this recipe this year!!!! With that being said, can I use honey instead of maple syrup for the cake?
That should work out okay, though I haven’t tried it myself. I hope you enjoy it!!!
I used 1/4 cup applesauce and 1/4 cup white sweet potato puree instead of the 1/2 cup pumpkin, and it turned out well. The mace flavor is quite promininent, but I did enjoy it!
Good to know the sub worked well, and so glad you enjoyed it!
I just made this cake, it took an extra ten minutes in the oven but it was so good! I will definitely make it again. Thank you!
So glad you liked it!!!
Hello, have you ever tried this with Pur stevia instead of maple syrup?
Stevia is neither Paleo- nor autoimmune protocol-friendly, so no, I haven’t.
This recipe looks great, and for once is not full of coconut products! Is there something I can substitute the coconut oil for?
Palm shortening should work okay, but I haven’t personally tried it. Anything else would probably affect the flavor a bit too much.
It took me some time to realise that this cake is egg-free. I’m SO going to try it! 😄 Can I do without the cream of tartar? I don’t know where to find it where I live… I also noticed that it has cinnamon. I didn’t know you could combine carob/chocolate and cinnamon.
I don’t get how much baking soda you need. Does “1 5/8 tsp” mean 1 whole teaspoon plus 5/8 (that is a bit over 1/2) of another teaspoon? That would be a bit over 1.5 tsp baking soda, wouldn’t it? And if I don’t use cream of tartar, can I use 2 tsp baking soda instead? Or is that too much?
For syrup I usually go for yacon syrup. I read on a sweetener database that it’s one of the best options out there.
Today I baked a plantain-chocolate cake and the texture turned out great but the taste is horrible… 😞 I used these ingredients:
3 small plantains
2 eggs
2 tbs sugar-free cocoa powder
1 tbs yacon syrup
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
I now realize that I used WAY too much baking soda and acv. I halved a recipe that called for 1/4 tsp baking soda so I should have used 1/8 tsp, not 1 whole tsp 😱 I doubt the baking soda is what gave my cake a weird taste, though. I thing it was the plantains. I love that your recipe has banana and pumpkin puree, too. That must hide the taste of plantains 😉
I recommend making the recipe exactly as written. Cream of tartar acts as a leavening agent in combination with baking soda and can’t be substituted with more baking soda. It can be found in the spice/seasoning section of most grocery stores. The easiest way to measure 1 5/8 teaspoon is to do 1 1/2 teaspoons plus 1/8 teaspoon. Yacon syrup is high-fructose and high in inulin fiber, a hard-to-digest prebiotic that can be tough on recovering guts, so I don’t recommend it. It isn’t considered Paleo or AIP, if you’re following either of those dietary plans.
Thanks for your reply! 😉
I actually don’t follow the paleo diet but I have tried some paleo dessert recipes because I like the food hacks used to make desserts healthier. Using plantain as flour was quite the discovery, he he =) As for the AIP diet, I didn’t know what it is so I had to look it up. I don’t follow that either. I’m not in any kind of special diet, if anything I’m on the JERK (Just Eat Real Food) diet, but I’m not too strict about it. Maybe I should be on a special diet because I suspect I have some kind of digestive issue since I’m permanently bloated (I have a pregnant-looking belly which bloats in the intestine area), but I don’t have any discomfort or pain so I have never being tested.
I’m also trying to eat sugar-free, but I find that to be the hardest. If there is one thing that all diets have in common, no matter how restrictive they are in other areas (vegetarian, vegan, paleo, lactose-free, gluten-free, nut-free, etc.) is sugar! Sugar is just about everywhere in one form or another: in breads, processed meats, sauces, etc. It’s the most well-hidden ingredient out there.
There’s also the discussion on what is sugar-free. For some people it’s just refined sugar-free. Even bloggers have different opinions about it. Alex from Spoonful of Sugar-Free doesn’t eat any kind of sugar or syrup (refined or not), sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners, but she eats high-fructose natural and dried fruits like banana and dates. However, Sarah from I Quit Sugar says that the ‘bad’ part of sugar is fructose so she recommends eating little to none fruits like banana, mangoes and dates, and sweetens her recipes with brown rice syrup instead.
So I decided to ‘compromise.’ I’m not forgoing bananas since I love them and completely removing them from my diet would be kind of crazy. Besides, I don’t eat them everyday and I’ve never eaten more than two on the same day. However, I don’t eat dried fruits, honey, molasses or syrups. Yacon syrup is the only one I have used because there were some recipes I wanted to try that called for syrup and I read on this sweetener database that it’s a good option:
http://www.devonsmassage.com/sweeteners.php
I thought yacon syrup was low fructose since I it says its mainly fructo-oligosaccharides. So is it really high in fructose? Are FOS and fructose the same thing? I thought that yacon syrup being indigestible was a good thing since that meant that the FOS passed right through the digestive system without having any effect. To be honest, I don’t know much about the ‘science’ of sugar. I have so much to learn! Now I’m bummed that I have no syrup option =( Well, it’s not like I have used more than 2 tbs syrup in any of my desserts… I guess I can use liquid stevia instead. Could I use stevia in your recipe? At least in the cake? I may not make the frosting.
I definitely need a proper set of measuring cups! I only have three spoons – 1/4 cup, 1 tbs and 1 tsp – so getting 1/4 or 1/8 tsp is kind of tricky because my 1 tsp spoon doesn’t have notches inside to mark it’s middle or it’s quarters so I have to kind of guess the measurements that are less than 1 tsp.
I’ll search better for the cream of tartar. I’m sure I will find it somewhere.
My rule of thumb with any kind of sweetener–and the general Paleo idea–is that it needs to have more glucose than fructose and be nutritive. That is, it needs to contain some vitamins and minerals and nothing particularly damaging to your hormones or gut flora when consumed in moderation. The best options include blackstrap molasses, raw honey, and grade B maple syrup. Agave, yacon, and stevia don’t make the cut. You’re welcome to try any substitutions you like in my recipe, but I can’t guarantee that any of them would work out. I’ve only ever made it as written.
So it seems that all I knew about yacon is wrong XD I thought it was low fructose. I did know, however, that it’s better for sweeteners to have more glucose than fructose, unless you’re a diabetic, which fortunately I’m not 😉 Maybe I’ll switch to raw honey next time =)
I have a question about the pumpkin puree in your recipe. Do you use the kind that is sold in tin cans? I’m not from the US so pumpkin puree is not sold like that here. Can I just boil pumpkin and mash it with a fork?
You can absolutely make your own pumpkin puree! I’ve got a recipe for it here: http://www.acleanplate.com/recipe/pumpkin-puree/
Also, can I use nutmeg instead of mace?
You can, but it would no longer be AIP-friendly.
I’ll try to find mace as well. I actually didn’t know that it is the ground aril of the seed used to make nutmeg. As a matter of fact, I had never seen pictures of the nutmeg fruit and it’s quite interesting =)
Hi! Do you think this would work as cupcakes? Thanks!
I don’t see why not, though the cooking time would probably be different. You’d just have to keep an eye on them!
I’m not supposed to eat bananas (plantains in small doses are ok). I usually sub applesauce for the bananas. Do you think it’ll work or should I add something to the mix also? My birthday is in two weeks and I’d like to make a cake, although I mail hr make cupcakes as they are easier to freeze. Thanks in advance.
I’ve never tried that particular sub so I can’t say how well it would work. If you give it a try, I’d be interested to know how it comes out!
I used applesauce instead of bananas and it worked fine! Delicious!
Good to know! Glad you liked it!!!
What kind of plantains do you use for this recipe? Green plantains or ripe plantains?
Green. 🙂
I tried to make this cake for my birthday and followed the recipe. I could not for the life of me get it to blend in the blender because it has so few wet ingredients. I went through 3 blenders between the cake batter and the icing–and it burned out the motor of one. I ended up adding some additional coconut oil so that it would blend, but I don’t know how that’s going to turn out. Did I mess up? It doesn’t seem like anyone else had this issue.
The recipe calls for a high-powered blender such as a Blendtec or Vitamix, so if you don’t have one of those, a food processor may be your best bet. You could also try using overripe plantains instead of green ones, which are a little easier to blend.
Thank you for AIP baking ideas!….esp a cake. I know that AIP means “healing” and not always working hard to find an AIP dessert. But I have 2 boys under 7 yrs old with so many food sensitivities/allergies. We are not 100% AIP, but prob close to it. It is refreshing to find someone making AIP desserts instead of almond flour, egg filled recipes. That just cannot be good in the long run!
And I have read everything Sarah and love her research.
Awesome!!! I don’t do much baking but I know sometimes it’s just called for, especially with kids!
Thank you for this recipe. Hit the spot for a ‘chocolate fix’. It does have a bit of a banana taste which isn’t bad (unless you are trying to totally fake yourself out that it’s a real chocolate cake – wondering if a little more carob might balance it out). Really good texture too. I’ll definitely make this again!
I’m glad you liked it!!!
I am attempting to make this for my son’s 3rd birthday this weekend. He has a lot ofallergies so choc and cake are not the norm for him. I am a little nervous as I’ve never baked with plantains before and there is no weight measurement for them. mine are very green and are bigger than my bananas. Any tips for a novice AIP baker? I only have one shot at this and really want him to have a cake he can enjoy! Thanks
Plantains are usually much larger than bananas. The only problem people tend to run into is not having a blender powerful enough to puree them (like a Blendtec or Vitamix), in which case I would suggest using a food processor with the caveat that it must also be a very powerful one. Green plantains are quite hard!
Hi, do you think the recipe will work too if I switch the pumpkin pure to sweet potato and maple syrup for honey please? Thanks 🙂
That should work out just fine, though it will probably change the flavor a bit.
thanks for the answer 🙂
Hi! Can you recommend a substitute for avocado? I am allergic to them.
Hmm… I think it would be fine to use an extra banana instead. A firm one, to try to keep the texture the same. Let me know how it comes out if you give it a try!
Finding this recipe seriously brought me so much joy!! I was just recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, just 2 weeks ago and have been strictly following AIP and doing great. However, this weekend is my birthday and I was already getting a little sad about not having a birthday cake to enjoy with my family. I CANNOT wait to bake this Friday!!!! Thank you so so so so so much!!!!!!!!
I hope you enjoy it, Stefanie! Happy birthday!!!
My boyfriend made this cake for my birthday last week and it was delicious!!! Best AIP treat I’ve ever had!! I asked him for the recipe and he sent me here. I have Lyme disease and AIP has been a huge help for me. I’ve been AIP for over a year now so it’s really nice to be able to add a fresh new recipe to my rotation. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Jessica!
Okay so update, I made the cake and not only was it SUPER simple to make (I am by no means a baker) but it was delicious!! My husband and son both enjoyed it! Unfortunately I have recently found out that on top of AIP I also need to follow FODMAP diet as well. Long story short I just want to thank you SO MUCH Christina for putting together all these recipes and I just bought the 28 days of low-FODMAP AIP and am so happy to have this guidance. Can’t tell you how much it means to me!!!!
I’m so glad the cake was a hit and wish you all the luck on your low-FODMAP journey!
Hi! Have you tried freezing this cake ? I’m wondering if it freezes well 🙂
I haven’t personally tried it, but I’ve heard from other people who have! The frosting won’t freeze well because it’s made of bananas and avocado, but the cake should be fine. Let me know if you give it a try!
Does your picture at the top of the page show one layer or two layers? I read a different comment where you said you used an 8″ pan and baked two layers so you could have a layer cake.
The photo and recipe are for a single layer. But you can make the recipe twice for a two-layer cake.
Hi, love the cake! How long will it last in the fridge?
The frosting will only keep a day or so (bananas and avocados don’t last too long, even if they’re refrigerated). But the cake part will keep at least 3 days.
Hi,
I’m from Germany.
I just found wour recipe and I wonder what “Whole bananas” and “whole plantains” means.
Are they with or without skin? Do I have to peel them or not?
Thank you for your help. I’m looking forward trying this cake.
Eva-Maria
Hi Eva-Maria! Yes, peel the bananas and plantains before beginning the recipe. Sorry for the confusion!
This frosting looks so good! Do you use it on any other cakes?
I don’t make too many other cakes myself, but you can absolutely use it on any cake that would pair well with chocolate frosting!
I just made this for my birthday yesterday. It was surprisingly good. My non-AIP husband and friends tried it and mostly liked it too. Thank you for helping me celebrate my birthday with a nice treat!
I’m so glad it went over well, Laura! Happy birthday!
Hello! This looks delicious! I’m starting the AIP diet in a week and want to pre-make a bunch of things to freeze for convenience. Is this something that would freeze well?
I haven’t tried it, so can’t speak from experience. The cake should freeze and thaw okay but definitely prepare the frosting fresh if you give it a try!