Author Notes: Melissa Clark’s Chocolate Crusted Banana Blondies (originally seen on notderbypie) were the source of my inspiration. In Melissa’s version, the butter is browned and the banana mixture is poured over a chocolate cookie and butter crust. I wasn’t crazy about the cookie crust idea and I happened to be out of butter. But overripe bananas were calling, so I decided it was time to venture off on my own. I used coconut oil instead of butter, added chocolate chips, and 2 handfuls of coconut to continue the coconut theme. I decreased the sugar slightly and increased the salt by a pinch. The result is truly delicious. Who doesn’t need another way to use overripe bananas? (Note: This is a sweet recipe!) —ATG117
Food52 Review: We make our home in Phoenix, AZ, but spend the summer in a little 600-square foot cottage in Sonoma, CA. We make car trips between Phoenix and Sonoma a couple of times a year with three furry “children” in tow. We look for snacks that carry well, can be eaten (in the car) without too many crumbs, and require little refrigeration. This snack cake fits the bill! Moist, delicious and crumb-free, I can easily imagine it as a favorite “go-to” snack for travel. —Betsy Hinson
Serves: 15
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 55 min
Ingredients
-
2
ripe bananas
-
2
large eggs (lightly beaten)
-
2
cups dark brown sugar
-
1
teaspoon vanilla
-
10
tablespoons coconut oil
-
1
cup all-purpose flour
-
3/4
teaspoon fine sea salt (plus more for sprinkling)
-
1/2
cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
-
2
handfuls shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
Directions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Mash bananas in a bowl and push them to one side to make room for the “liquid” ingredients. Add the eggs, dark brown sugar, vanilla, and coconut oil.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour and salt. Add the flour mixture to the wet banana mixture. Stir with a whisk just until combined.
- Add the chocolate chips and coconut. Stir one last time to evenly distribute the add-ins.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle (from a height) with fine or flaky sea salt to lightly dust the surface of the cake.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes (mine was done after 45 minutes), or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing.
/1a08f609-021f-4260-82ff-d75db9825bf9--CP_SnackCake.jpeg "Banana, Coconut, Chocolate Chip Snack Cake 2")
Photo by James Ransom
