Banana bread would have to be one of my favourite morning tea foods. Toasted and warm spread with butter mmm. Unfortunately, despite the deceivingly healthy name, cafe-style banana bread is little more than dense cake with banana in it. We could fool ourselves into thinking it's just bread and fruit but our waist lines would probably disagree.
Don't despair as I have a recipe for an almost equally as good banana bread that is guaranteed to kill your cravings while adding only 110 calories to your daily consumption (if you only have one slice) that's right it's low calorie banana bread. I discovered this recipe when I was doing Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation last year (I highly recommend it) and after a few changes to the original recipe, it became one of my favourite guilt-free indulgences.
One of the secrets to the recipe is using apple sauce and bi-carb powder in place of the fats (butter, egg yolk, milk). The apple sauce also acts as a sweetener. The texture is a little different to what you might be used to and it's not quite as sweet as the full-fat version but it's worth the switch.
The first step is to beat the egg yolks together with the sugar for about one minute.
In a separate bowl or jug, combine the apple sauce and bi-carb. Be careful as it will froth.
Add the cinnamon, allspice and apple sauce mixture to the egg/sugar and mix to combine.
Now mix through the star of the show - banana.
Gently fold in the flour and walnuts.
Pour the mixture into a prepared pan and bake at 180C/360F fan-forced for 30-35 minutes.
Leave the baked bread in the tin for about 5 minutes after taking it from the oven then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Toast a slice or eat it cold and enjoy!
I slice it up and wrap in individual serves and freeze it. When you feel like a slice, just take it out to thaw for a little while then pop it in the toaster.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ¾ teaspoon bicarb soda
- ½ cup apple sauce
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 cup mashed banana 2-3 bananas
- 1 ½ cups SR Flour
- 1 teaspoon crumbled walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/360F fan forced. Spray a loaf tin with oil and line with baking paper so that it hangs over the long sides of the tin.
- Beat the egg whites and sugar together in a medium bowl for one minute.
- In a bowl or jug, mix the bicarb soda into the apple sauce (it will froth).
- Add the cinnamon, allspice and apple mixture to bowl then stir in the mashed banana.
- Gently fold in the flour and walnuts in one go.
- Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until it springs back in the middle.
- Leave the cooked bread in the tin for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
Jessica says
hi, can you tell me how thick or how many grams a 110 calorie slice is?
Thanks :)
Claire says
Hi Jessica. Hmm that's a good question. The recipe makes 12 slices and each slice is 110 so as long as your cutting is reasonably even then every slice will be around 110.
Donna says
Great recipe thanks Claire! For storage purposes do you put it in the fridge in a container or is a cupboard fine ??
Claire says
Hi Donna. I usually slice up half and freeze and leave the rest in a container out on the bench.
Kvt says
Hey, found this on a google search for healthy banana bread. JUST took it out of the oven, amazing. So moist and tasty. Going to freeze some as you suggested .. but I will probably have to make more next weekend. Lucky it's so easy!
Claire says
I'm so glad you liked it!
Healthiful Balance says
This looks super super delicious! I made this today.. actually, its in the oven as I type this! I'm so excited to try a slice. :)
Claire says
I'm so excited that you're making it! I hope it was enjoyed by all.
Jacinta says
Hi Claire, I have just stumbled upon this blog, and it is great! This recipe sounds great! Just wondering whether you think it would work as muffins?
Claire says
I don't see why you couldn't make the banana bread as muffins instead. I'd start with 15 minutes and check them every 5 minutes from there until they're done. Good luck!
Claire says
Thank you for posting this!
molly kelly says
I was fortunate enough to be the recipients of one of these banana breads as a gift and it was scruptious!!
Mum xx
Barbara Bakes says
It looks so moist and delicious. I never would have guessed it was low cal.
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
This looks just as moist as a high fat version Claire! Great job! :D
Shannon says
Very yummy, will be baking this version in the future for sure.. :)
Claire says
Thanks Shannon, glad you liked it!