Banana, hazelnut, cacao wholemeal loaf

There are some days when I feel certain that I am morphing into my mother! Today is the perfect example. It's a hot one, around 30 degrees C. I have not stepped outside, except briefly to water my pots and our kitchen garden. I'm wearing a light house dress, have bare feet and bed hair, and have spent the day pottering and baking to my heart's content. Yes, I am the picture of my mother in her middle years. All that's missing is a view of the ocean from the kitchen window. But hey, who cares. I'm at my happiest right now, doing exactly this.

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Not unlike my father, Peter was only too happy to pop up to the local shopping centre to pick up a few things from the butcher and supermarket. Later on, we sat outside under the shade of our giant swing umbrella and ate cake and drank wine. And then we fed the family of magpies that have been visiting. It's been a good day. 

The cake I baked is one I first spotted on Cook Republic and is my take on Sneh's fabulous-looking cacao banana bread with strawberries. I didn't have any mesquite powder, cacao butter nor amaranth flour, so I made do with coconut palm sugar, macadamia oil and wholemeal self raising flour. I also added a tiny splash of Frangelico liqueur, so this is probably now an adults-only cake. The verdict from both Peter and myself is that it's really very good. I have plans to bake a cupcake version, juzzed up with a divine cream cheese caramel topping, inspired by some little cakes we tasted at The Lott bakery and food store in Cooma during our recent travels. Do watch this space. 

BANANA, HAZELNUT, CACAO WHOLEMEAL LOAF
1 cup hazelnuts
2-3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1-11/2 cups)
4 eggs
1/4 cup macadamia oil
3 tablespoons cacao powder
1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar 
1 tablespoon Dutch cocoa powder
1/2 cup wholemeal self-raising flour
1 teaspoon Frangelico

To serve:
Icing sugar
fresh strawberries or raspberries
clotted cream

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees C. Place the hazelnuts on a baking tray and lightly toast them in the oven for about six minutes. Remove and allow to cool, then process the toasted hazelnuts to a coarse meal. Set it aside.

Turn up the oven to 180 degrees C. Line a loaf tin with baking paper (brushing a drop of macadamia oil in the corners so that the paper stays put. Combine the mashed bananas, eggs and macadamia oil in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on a low setting until the mixture is just combined. Slowly add the hazelnut meal, cacao powder, coconut palm sugar, Dutch cocoa powder, self raising flour and Frangelico, and mix until combined.

Using a spatula, transfer the batter to the prepared tin and bake for around 30-40 minutes, or until a skewer tests clean. Allow the cake to cool slightly, then lift it out of the tin and allow it cool further on a cooling tray.

When you are ready to serve, dust the cake with icing sugar and serve sliced with fresh strawberries or raspberries and clotted cream. Serves 8-10.

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So, let's bake a cake ❤ ... 

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Now, let's eat some cake with strawberries and cream ❤ ...

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So lovelies, did you ever get the feeling that you've become (or are becoming) like your mother (or perhaps your father, or another family member)? Do please tell... ❤