Banana Bread/Cake Recipe

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg (I also substitute with pumpkin pie spice sometimes)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

¾ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup pure grade A maple syrup

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (optional- sometimes I will put it, sometimes I won’t)

4 ripe bananas, peeled and coarsely mashed.

Date/Raisin paste:

8 good sized plump medjool dates

½ cup packed raisins

1 cup water

Put the dates, raisins and water in a saucepan on medium low with the lid on for about 10 minutes or so until the dried fruit is reconstituted. Transfer contents of saucepan into a food processor and process until smooth. Allow for mixture to cool before adding to the rest of the ingredients.

Whisk the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Beat the oil, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla and date/raisin puree in a large bowl. Stir in the banana. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.

Pour into an oiled dish and bake at 325 degrees. If you are using a large 13 x 9 inch glass pan then bake for around 40-45 minutes and if you are using multiple pans bake for around 30 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick. Do not let the cake brown too much because it will become too dry. I recommend multiple pans because it will cook more evenly. When cooking in a large dish the center pieces tend to be a bit underdone sometimes.

Happy Baking!!!!