Banana Chestnut Cake…Quick Bread…Thing.
What’s the difference between a quick bread and a cake anyway? We call this a cake in Switzerland. I know it’s not what it is here in the States. Watch my head explode!
Strangely enough, the ingredient combination (with white chocolate chips) in this cake…quick bread…thing ends up a bit reminiscent of marzipan. Try it, and tell me if I should make it official that I’ve gone & lost my marbles.
Make this bread into 6 jumbo muffins instead, lowering the baking time to 30 minutes.
Banana Chestnut Loaf
Non-stick cooking spray
1/2 cup (3.5 ounces, 100 g) roasted chestnuts
2 large ripe bananas
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup (60 ml) canola oil
1/4 cup (60 ml) soy or other nondairy milk
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (92 g) unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup (96 g) raw sugar
1 cup (160 g) brown rice flour
1 cup (120 g) whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon (8 g) arrowroot powder or cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/3 cup (67 g) nondairy white chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Lightly coat an 8 x 4-inch (20 x 10-cm) loaf pan with spray.
Blend chestnuts in food processor until finely ground. Add bananas, extract, oil, milk, applesauce, and sugar. Process until mostly smooth: it’s okay if there are small pieces of banana left.
In a large bowl, whisk together flours, arrowroot powder or cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Fold wet ingredients into dry, being careful not to over mix. Fold in chocolate chips.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Place on a wire rack, still in the pan, for about 15 minutes before transferring directly to the rack, and letting cool completely before slicing or storing.
Yield: one 8-inch (20-cm) loaf
Rosa said,
October 21, 2008 at 6:54 am
Delightful! That quick bread must taste really good, especially with pumpkin jam…
Cheers,
Rosa
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Mihl said,
October 21, 2008 at 8:08 am
I call this beautiful and delicious. And I am with you Swiss and call this a cake.
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TadMack said,
October 21, 2008 at 10:23 am
M’dear, you must take note that the founders of America were Puritans, thus this is not cake. No, no, no. Cake is decadent, has frosting, and is never eating with just a cup of tea by ordinary folk from day to day. No. Cake has a whisk of naughtiness about it that would never do, thus the raw sugar added to this along with sweet fruit and nuts renders this the homely and thoroughly respectable bread, thank-you very much!
(Oh, heck. It’s cake. We all know it.)
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VeggieGirl said,
October 21, 2008 at 10:50 am
Cake, quickbread – whatever it’s called, it’s DEFINITELY delicious.
You enjoy bread the same way my grandfather does – spread with jam!!! :0)
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Agnesss =)) said,
October 21, 2008 at 10:55 am
HEY Celine!!!! =)))
It is another WONDERFUL recipea and idea… I’m always SOOOOOO impressed by your creations… your such a TALENTED woman =))) !!
Chestnuts…sounds like AUTUMN !! Yay- yum!!!=))
It must be delish with the jelly on it…:))
Cake …sweet bread… I think it depends on your personal feeling…the difference is in your opinion … hah :D
Well….I’d REALLY APPRECIATE a comment from YOU on my new post…take a look at my AUTUMN PHOTOS if you have some time…=)) the photos from my laast posts..!!
I’ll BE SOO HAPPY to see you there..:D
Hope for your visit.
Have a great day ..!!
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Virginia said,
October 21, 2008 at 11:37 am
that looks so good! especially with the jam!
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Celine said,
October 21, 2008 at 11:50 am
it’s Chaz’s slice, Liz, I actually prefer mine naked. oooh! naughty!
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River (Wing-It Vegan) said,
October 21, 2008 at 12:06 pm
I like mine naked too.
OK, Celine, that’s it. I’m afraid I’m gonna have to kidnap you now and make you my personal baker.
This phone call is coming from inside the house![/end creepy whispering voice]
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Celine said,
October 21, 2008 at 12:11 pm
I think I just messed up my pants. thanks, River.
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shellyfish said,
October 21, 2008 at 12:38 pm
You like yours naked? Pour quoi cela ne m’étonne pas de toi? Puisque tu es comme moi! Ca doit être ça.
I love how everthing that we call a “bread” is a cake here, too. Makes it seem so much *fancier*.
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Celine said,
October 21, 2008 at 1:14 pm
on a été faites sur le même moule, Shelly! vu qu’on les mange pas, les moules. ohlala. j’ai la forme, tu vois ça? mouais…
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culinarycory said,
October 21, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Great looking bread picture. I really like the loaf sitting on the cooling rack.
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DJ said,
October 21, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Did you say… tastes like MARZIPAN? I think I need to make this cake – see? I’m another of those crazy Europeans who doesn’t get the whole cake/quick bread distinction!
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Jes said,
October 21, 2008 at 2:23 pm
I like the chestnut thing going on, although I think my only reference to them would be chestnuts a’roasting (or toasting, or whatever they’re doing in that carol!).
So maybe when Antoinette said “Let them eat cake” she really meant bread and really had the peasants’ best interests in mind…Yay revisionist history!!
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kittee said,
October 21, 2008 at 2:47 pm
aw celine,
you had me with bated breath as i read the ingredients, until i got to the white wheat. blargh. actually, since i’ve gone gluten free this month, i have not craved The Wheat at all. go figure. i wish dieting was as easy.
xo
kittee
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Ricki said,
October 21, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Cake, bread, who cares? I just want to eat it (naked or not).
(Um, the bread, that is.)
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jessy said,
October 21, 2008 at 3:05 pm
i would never have thought to use chestnuts in a bread. you’re brilliant, Celine. it sounds awesome! yay!
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Celine said,
October 21, 2008 at 3:09 pm
can you have spelt, kittee? oat flour? they would go well in there, if you digest them okay.
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vegan addict said,
October 21, 2008 at 3:43 pm
it’s special cake, that’s what it is. cake shaped like bread. you are definitely creating some lovely uses for the white chocolate chippies!!!
Oh, the USPS hates me too… I just give ‘em the scowl of evil, and it’s all good.
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Vegannifer said,
October 21, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I loved your Goshdarnit! error message. :-)
It must be a banana bread kind of day today. I have to say that this one looks divine! I’d prefer to call it “bread” instead of “cake” because then I won’t feel so guilty eating it! Food psychology…interesting, huh?
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veganview said,
October 21, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Your posts are always so bright and beautiful! What a fantastic looking bread!
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DaviMack said,
October 21, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Yup – cake. At least, people look at me crazy when I bring a quickbread to seminar and try to call it such. They just pass around “the cake” and give me strange looks.
Have you tried using ground flax-seeds as your egg replacer? It works wonders. About 1.5 Tbsp = 1 egg. Good stuff (although it can be a bit slimy if you overdo it).
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Cakespy said,
October 21, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Danny’s mom makes banana bread for breakfast, and banana CAKE for special occasions. The difference? Frosting. I swear, nothing else!
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Tea said,
October 21, 2008 at 7:42 pm
This is a fantastic blog, I absolutely love it. It is a joy for me reading your posts :))
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alaina said,
October 21, 2008 at 7:42 pm
i just call those things “bread.” but CQBT seems appropriate as well ;P
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Joanna said,
October 21, 2008 at 7:44 pm
marzipan, eh? that’s interesting. i made blondies a few weeks back and they tasted like marzipan, too. i was kind of annoyed because if i wanted marzipan, i would’ve made marzipan haha probably unsuccessfully because i have no clue how to make marzipan
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Ali said,
October 21, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Celine – the difference between quickbread and cake is quite simple: wet into dry = bread, dry into wet = cake. I know, I know, it doesn’t sound like it makes much difference, but I am assured by my resident biochemist that it does. . .and the last time I tried to prove her wrong, the texture was different.
And for Kittee – one GFG to another, try buckwheat flour in place of the whole wheat (it’s gluten free, unlike spelt); it should work if you bump up the baking powder a bit (say, 2tsp. . .though that’s just a guess).
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marysol said,
October 21, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Anything resembling marzipan in taste has always piqued my interest!
Your bread looks great Celine.
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kelly said,
October 21, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Hmmmm. I seem to be the holdout that isn’t a huge fan of marzipan. However this still sounds very unique and tasty. I have never baked or cooked with chestnuts before, but perhaps there is a first for everything.
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Bianca- Vegan Crunk said,
October 21, 2008 at 8:31 pm
I gotta get my hands on some white chocolate chips…seriously.
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allularpunk said,
October 21, 2008 at 10:23 pm
friend, that is bread. i’m sorry. but it’s true. i know it doesn’t make any sense. however, it looks awesome, and as i may soon be under a kindly windfall of white chocolate chips (impossible to find here), i will be looking for a place to use them. will this be it? i’m not sure, but it does look really scrumptious. especially with that jam on top. hmm!
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Juma said,
October 21, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Well, for me this is a cake too. And this one looks delicious!
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Shelby said,
October 22, 2008 at 12:10 am
Delicious, as always! Do you think I could replace the chestnuts with anything? I don’t know where to buy them at…or could I just omit it all together?
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Y said,
October 22, 2008 at 12:29 am
Too bad chestnuts aren’t in season here anymore – would love to make this cake otherwise!
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Vegan hotplate said,
October 22, 2008 at 1:49 am
Mmmm…marzipan. I love mysterious flavors appearing from an unrelated mixture of ingredients. What brand of white choc chips do you use? I haven’t been able to find any.
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malloryelise said,
October 22, 2008 at 3:08 am
that first photo–beautiful. the yellow and green tea towels—that’s what did it. yep. excellent work. way to go you. :)
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Celine said,
October 22, 2008 at 3:53 am
using any kind of nut meal would probably work in here. I can’t think of any in particular that would work better than another. I love nuts. and get your mind outta the gutter.
interesting, Ali. I’ll have to keep it in mind.
“Goshdarnit! error message.”, Vegannifer? I’m confused. I think I was born that way, though.
I like flax eggs ok, DaviMack, but I prefer other egg alts.
thanks for dropping by!
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Celine said,
October 22, 2008 at 3:58 am
ah there it is: I was looking for the comment where someone asked which white chocolate chips I use:
behold!
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Melanie said,
October 22, 2008 at 5:14 am
I like how you use your new uh… togo ware.. its so pretty in these pictures, I mean I did notice the delicous looking food too!!
You never disappoint!
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The Little Mama said,
October 22, 2008 at 5:29 am
Hmm… I think I need some vegan white chocolate chips to magically appear at m doorstep so that I can make all these delicious treats. Where is that fairy godmother of mine?…
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Celine said,
October 22, 2008 at 6:46 am
thanks, Mel and Mama. the ever-elusive fairy godmother is most definitely a hard one to catch. as redundant as that sounds, it’s a fact. you better recognize!
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vaala said,
October 22, 2008 at 8:58 am
Now that is a very good question. I often ponder these sorts of things especially since we seem to adopt both the American and British words…at least I have the internet to attempt to clear the confusion up!
By the way, if you’ve lost your marbles then it must be a good thing ’cause the cake/quick bread looks delicious. Plus, who wants to be normal anyway?
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eliane said,
October 22, 2008 at 1:19 pm
we call that a cake, well, a “budín”, actually. but it’s on the cake side of things…
do you think it will work with apples instead of bananas? I don’t like bananas (I know, I know, but stick to food…. oh, ok, nevermind)
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Tea said,
October 22, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Thank you for the lovely comment! I was glad you could post it with croatian instructions :))
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Celine said,
October 22, 2008 at 2:41 pm
you’re welcome, Tea. I must admit it took me several tries, and I hope you didn’t have to deal with ten thousand repeat comments from me.
Eliane: I am not sure how it would work with apples. you’re thinking applesauce or apple bits?
Vaala: isn’t the internet really around to further confuse us, though?
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eliane said,
October 22, 2008 at 8:17 pm
I was thinking plain apples, maybe slightly cooked? or pears?
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Melisser said,
October 23, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Mmm, I just call it delicious!
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Sophie said,
October 23, 2008 at 10:45 pm
I’m curious to see what this marzipany quick bread cake tastes like ;).
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Gretchen said,
October 28, 2008 at 10:39 pm
I’m with Cakespy: the key difference between banana bread and banana cake is frosting. Although mostly I just call it banana loaf, and let people make up their own mind.
Yours looks so good. Chestnuts are not so common here, but if I find some, I will try this recipe.
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Liz² said,
November 3, 2008 at 7:45 pm
whatever it is, I bet it smells *heavenly*. yummy!
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marika said,
April 18, 2009 at 9:34 am
You have such a wonderful assortment of recipes Celine – and such inspired flavours…chestnut! I adore chestnut. As always, the photos are beautiful. This looks totally delicious.
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