Chocolate Pudding Cake and Healthy Banana Bread Recipes

This week I had two recipes that I wanted to post & I couldn’t decide which one to go with. Since it’s almost Valentine’s Day and one recipe is super healthy & one recipe is just kind of healthy (low fat), I decided to post both as a naughty or nice combo. I apologize now that I do not have pictures of either one. The banana bread looks like regular banana bread & the Chocolate Pudding Cake looks kind of like a molten lava cake if you cooked a few of them in one big pan & all the “lava” was on bottom. Hope that helps. 🙂

Let’s start with Naughty!

Chocolate Pudding Cake
adapted from a recipe at www.allrecipes.com

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• scant 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar (I use a bit less)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 handful semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water

Preheat oven to 350°. In an ungreased 9 inch square pan, stir together the flour, white sugar, cocoa, baking powder & salt. Mix in the milk, oil and vanilla with a fork until smooth.

Spread batter evenly in pan (batter will be thick). Sprinkle with brown sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder & chocolate chips. Pour boiling water over batter.

Bake at 350° for 40 minutes (I find it takes closer to 50 in my oven). Let stand for 15 minutes, then serve. We like it best with vanilla ice cream. Don’t forget to spoon the sauce in the bottom of the pan over the top. Yum!!!

Recipe Notes: This is a huge hit at my house. Dewey and the kids LOVE it. I love it too so I’m glad it makes a relatively small portion. That way it’s out of the house so I won’t have to have willpower & not eat it!!!!

Now for the Nice:

Healthy Banana Bread
Adapted from pattycake.ca

Combine in a large bowl:
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax meal
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

Combine separately:
3 lg very ripe bananas – mashed
2 eggs
1/3 cup agave nectar (can be found at good health food stores)
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla

Mix wet and dry ingredients until just incorporated.

Pour into a generously greased and dusted loaf pan. Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes (I found it took about 60-65 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Wait 10 minutes before removing from pan and placing on rack to cool.

Recipe Notes: I found this bread just a bit dense but I liked it. It is not very sweet which I am also okay with. Evan loves it & will eat copious amounts of it.

Don’t forget to check out what else is cooking this Wednesday over at Shan’s!