Gluten Free Vegan Banana Oat Cake

I work in a diet-diverse office, mostly omnivores; however, I have one gluten free coworker, a dairy free coworker, a vegan coworker and me, a vegetarian dabbling in the world of veganism.  Every now and again, I find a recipe on  a blog or try to veganize something and can usually hit on most of the dietary restrictions, but this cake hits on ALL!  Even the lady that hates peanut butter, liked this cake, just omitted the “frosting”.  This recipe credit belongs to Oh, She Glows.  Visit her blog for a smattering of vegetarian and vegan deliciousness.

Cake:

• 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free regular oats, processed into a flour (locally these are available at Harvest Health & Horrocks perhaps even Meijer)
• 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free regular oats (not processed)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed firmly
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8th tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/16th tsp ground cloves (optional)
• 1/16th tsp ground ginger (optional)
• 2 tbsp cane sugar (or regular white)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted (or other light tasting oil)
• 2 medium very ripe bananas, peeled
• 1/3 cup applesauce (I used sweetened and backed down the white sugar above)
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• Fold in: 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips; 1/4 cup walnuts (optional), chopped; 1 ripe banana, cut into chunk

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a 8 inch (4 cup) casserole dish or 8” cake pan. Take 2 cups of regular oats and process them in a food processor until flour like in consistency.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (processed oats, regular oats, sugars, spices, baking powder, and salt).

In another bowl, mix together the oil, applesauce, almond milk, and vanilla. Add in the two peeled bananas and smash into the wet ingredients until smooth.

Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir until just combined. Now fold in the chips, optional walnuts, and the chopped banana.

Spread into prepared pan and bake for 36 minutes at 350F or until a toothpick comes out clean. The cake must be cooled for at least 15-20 minutes before attempting to remove.

Once fully cooled, slice and top with PB Banana Glaze. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.  I found that this also freezes beautifully.

Frosting:

• 1 ripe banana (but not too ripe, you still want it solid!)
• 2 tbsp peanut butter (I used Koeze’s crunchy)
• 1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
• Pinch of kosher salt, to taste

Mash banana in a bowl until smooth. Add in peanut butter and mash until combined. Sift in the salt and icing sugar and stir until fully combined. Makes about 2/3 cup glaze. Store in fridge in a sealed contained for 1-2 days.

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