Steamed Banana Pudding Cake in Chocolate Sauce

Yeah…’steamed’, you read it right. Now, I find it wierd calling a cake a cake, when its not baked in the oven. But I guess being a food blogger, is to break the stereotype notion that we all have of food…and to venture into a more daring..ok! I will stop. I steamed a cake instead of baking it. I was inspired by the recipe here at ChowTimes. I still couldn’t bring myself to call it a cake, hence the name ‘pudding cake’. But, don’t let my rantings fool you..this meant no compromise on taste. It was a very tasty cake, and very easy on your waistline too…

Most people(including me) underestimate banana when it comes to health benefits, mainly because it is readily available, is cheap and is almost always lying around in the house. Here are some facts about bananas, that are not so well known.

1. Feeling depressed, eat a banana. It tends to lift your spirits because it contains tryptophan.

2. Bananas are the natural remedy for menstrual cramps..

3. Bananas aid in getting over a hangover, or someone who is trying to quit smoking

4. Rub the inside of a banana skin on the site of a mosquito bite to reduce itching and swelling

5. Bananas help soothe stomach ulcers, so have a banana when you’ve had spicy food, to soothe the tummy.

I almost always slice and freeze overripe bananas that might turn bad. I add them to smoothies and to make banana bread/muffins etc.

Ingredients:

1 very ripe banana mashed

1 egg + 1 yolk

4 tbsp powdered sugar

3/4 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp cashews

1 tsp raisins

1 tbsp semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 tsp oil

1/2 tsp ghee

1 tsp milk

Method:

Whisk the milk, egg, egg yolk, oil and vanilla extract together. Sift the flour, baking powder and powdered sugar into this mixture. Mix thoroughly. Grease a bowl/baking dish with 1/2 tsp ghee or melted butter. Pour the batter into the dish and top with the cashews and raisins.

Set up a steaming device(I used my electric cooker for steaming). Place the dish in the steamer and cook for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes clean. The cake rises quite a bit, so leave room for expansion. (My cake rose and a little bit got stuck on the lid, hence the not so pretty presentation.) Remove and let cool.

Meanwhile, make the chocolate sauce by microwaving the chocolate chips in a small bowl for about 1 1/2 minutes. Stream in the oil and milk and stir vigorously until glossy, to make it into a pourable consistency. Serve the cake

Verdict: The cake was not too sweet…and went perfectly with the chocolate sauce. A perfect evening snack or a dessert with not too much calories.

Sending this to:

No bake cake event



andOnly Low oil or Low calorie.

Also sending this to Yasmeen’s Health Nut Challenge #7 : Tropical Temptations



and to Spotlight: Baking without Oven