Classy, elegant, and secretly healthy!
The Big Blog News
Almost three months ago, my family and I hustled through the hospital doors to visit my grandparents at Christmas. My grandma had entered the ER in the beginning of October, and various post-surgery complications prevented her from healing and going home sooner. Between the nurses’ rounds and doctor’s appointments, I cheered Grandma through her PT sessions, listened to “Law and Order” with Grandpa during another one of her operations, and played Tour Guide in the backseat when we checked her out of the hospital to look at Christmas lights.
On the plane flight home a few days later, squashed in between my mom and brother, I reflected on the weighty subjects of life and love. After 55+ years of marriage, my grandparents still rose each day with the same passion for each other and their various hobbies, and I contemplated how I wanted to replicate that in my own life.
As I meditated, a tiny seed transplanted itself from my heart into my head. I sensed that blogging was the right path, but as the idea continued to blossom, I realized my name no longer fit.
I first started blogging as Foods for the Soul 3 ½ years ago. Before writing my very first post in October 2010, my younger brother had to patiently explain the difference between a blog and a website, as well as walk me—a completely computer-challenged person—through the process of setting one up. I initially treated it as a hobby and a way to stretch myself outside of my comfort zone. I started creating new dishes instead of sticking to my weekly pasta and sandwich routine, snapping pictures in my tiny apartment kitchen and posting my humble recipes afterward.
As motivation to continue blogging, I challenged myself to cook my way through the alphabet. Each week, I cooked a new dish that began with the next letter, and after 26 weeks when I finally reached “Z,” I was hooked. I kept going.
About two years later, towards the beginning of last spring, I put cooking on the back burner and started focusing almost exclusively on baking. I dreamed of cocoa powder and chocolate chips at night, I pondered the flavor profiles of various cookies and cupcakes while running errands, and I brainstormed potential brownie and bar recipes during dinner.
So now, just a few hours after publishing this post, I’m changing my blog’s name to reflect that.
It’ll be called Amy’s Healthy Baking.
Amy = me.
Healthy = my lifestyle.
Baking = my passion.
Already, the name feels like it fits a little better. But I promise that nothing else about my blog is changing! It’s still me developing, photographing, and writing the recipes and blog posts you so sweetly read.
Social Media
No matter where you’re following me—email, RSS, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, or Instagram—you still are, even after my blog name switch. You don’t have to do anything to continue receiving updates! Just to be thorough, here are my new handles…
Facebook: Amy’s Healthy Baking
Pinterest: AmyBakesHealthy
Twitter: @AmyBakesHealthy
Instagram: amyshealthybaking
If you’d like to start following me—or just want to make sure you still are!—simply click the links above. (If viewing this in your email inbox, you may need to visit the blog post to see the links.)
Celebrate!
To celebrate my blog’s new name, I’ve lined up multiple giveaways for the next few weeks, so keep an eye out for them! I connected with some of my favorite brands, and they plan on offering many lucky readers some fabulous goodies. Check back often—you don’t want to miss these!
Of course, no celebration is complete without cake, so I baked quite a treat for you too: a Banana Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Frosting. It’s a mouthful to say, but an even sweeter one to eat! Bright banana flavor fills every moist forkful, accompanied by a decadent dark chocolate frosting and a kiss of sweet peanut butter swirl. And in true “healthy baking” fashion, this sophisticated cake is low in fat and calories, and it contains NO butter, refined flour, or refined sugar!
I used entirely whole wheat flour to bake this clean-eating cake. Although whole wheat baked goodies usually acquire a bad reputation for turning out dense and dry, this one is the exact opposite! Its incredible moisture comes from mashed banana and Greek yogurt. Try to pick the spottiest, brownest, ripest bananas you can find! They’ll be much softer and add more natural sweetness to the cake. As for the Greek yogurt, it’s my secret weapon to healthier baking because it adds lots of moisture without the excess fat and calories in butter and oil. It even bumps up the protein content too!
There’s only 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in this entire cake! I mainly added it for texture; with all of the other prominent flavors, you actually can’t taste the coconut at all. If you don’t have any, feel free to substitute unsalted butter instead.
I baked this cake in a 9”-square pan—I wanted the slices to be extra big! If you prefer taller slices that aren’t quite so wide, use an 8”-square pan instead. The bake time may differ by a tad, so use the toothpick test to check. (Look for very few or no crumbs, but no wet batter either!)
Surprisingly enough, I usually avoid frosting. Generally too sweet for my tastes, I scrape it off store-bought cakes and cupcakes (or choose cookies or brownies instead)… Unless it’s dark chocolate and super fudgy. This is my favorite homemade frosting—and you don’t even need a mixer! It’s just four ingredients—cocoa powder, agave, vanilla, and milk—stirred together in a bowl. I developed it for my skinny double dark chocolate cupcakes, and I cut the recipe in half for this cake. With its really rich and decadent taste, a little goes a long way, and I didn’t want it to overpower the delicate banana flavor in the cake.
Although the peanut butter swirl looks sophisticated, it’s so simple! I introduced the technique with these fudgy peanut butter brownies, and it turned out even cuter on this cake. Just warm up the peanut butter in the microwave until it’s easy to spread, and spoon it into a zip-topped baggie. Snip off the corner and pipe horizontal lines across the fudgy frosting, between ¼” to ½” apart. They don’t have to be perfectly straight; almost all of mine are slanted because I was so excited about my blog switch! Drag a toothpick in vertical lines, alternating the direction (up to down, then down to up), to create the elegant “V” shapes. That’s all there is to it!
I saved the best slice for you!
This Banana Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Frosting is a delicious symphony of perfect pairings: peanut butter and banana, banana and chocolate, chocolate and peanut butter. Every moist bite begins with a sweet fruity burst, followed by decadent dark chocolate and a subtle nutty finish. The elegant cake looks is full of your favorite comforting flavors, and each large slice contains less than 185 calories!
So from the bottom of my heart… Thank you. I wouldn’t be here, blogging and baking and doing what I love, without you. Whether you read through the entire post, just try the recipe, or simply skim through the photographs, I truly appreciate every one of you. ♥
This moist cake is full of natural banana flavor and finished off with a decadent fudgy dark chocolate frosting and sweet peanut butter swirl. It’s a symphony of perfect flavor pairings!
- To prepare the cake, preheat the oven to 350° and lightly coat a 9”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the mashed banana, honey, and yogurt until smooth and no clumps remain. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake at 350°F for 22-25 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To prepare the frosting, combine the cocoa powder, agave, vanilla, and milk in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Spread on top of the cooled cake. Pipe the peanut butter onto the frosting in lines (as described above), and draw lines in the opposite direction using a toothpick to create the “V” effect.
Notes: Choose the spottiest bananas you can find! The ones I used were almost entirely brown. If yours aren’t as ripe, consider adding an extra tablespoon or two of honey to the cake batter to compensate for the lack of sweetness. (If you prefer sweet cakes, add another tablespoon or two of honey as well; the cake itself isn’t overly sweet to begin with.)
Unsalted butter may be substituted for the coconut oil.
If you prefer taller slices that aren’t quite so wide, bake the cake in an 8”-square pan instead. The bake time may vary, so check for doneness using the toothpick test.
Found your site through my blogging friend Taylor over at Food, Faith, Fitness! Totally new to your blog, but congrats on the big news! Very exciting stuff 🙂
There’s no way this cake can be healthy… I mean look at it. It looks so moist and decadent! What kind of wizardry are you using over there in your kitchen?!?! I want some of that in mine haha
Thank you Chris! Your kind words mean a lot, both about my new blog and the cake. The moisture is all from the bananas and Greek yogurt, so buy a container to bring the magic to your kitchen! 😉 Taylor is such a sweetheart, and she creates the most incredible dishes too. So happy you stopped by!
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations, sweet friend!!!! I’m so happy that you officially made the switch- and it looks GREAT! So clean and fresh! Perfect time to switch… I know I’ve got spring cleaning on the brain! And that cake… mmm… I’m a big frosting fan- if you ever need someone to eat your frosting for you, I’m your girl! (although I don’t recall you having a problem finishing off the frosting on Linda’s fudge cake… haha!)
Andrea, you are just the best. Thank you SO much love!! You’ve been there for me since I first came up with the idea, and I probably wouldn’t have done it if you hadn’t said it was a good idea. So thank you!! 🙂 And you’re totally welcome to all of my non-fudgy-chocolate-frostings. (That’s the only reason I finished every last smidgen of Linda’s fudge cake!)
I love the new look! And it totally fits you. And I love this cake!
Thank you so much Dorothy!! I really appreciate it. And thank you for pinning my cake too! 🙂
LOVE the new digs :0 and this cake looks SO good!
Thanks Heather! I had fun designing it, and the cake was a great reward. 😉
Love this, Amy! SO exciting for you!! And this cake?! So delicious. Loving this post and all that’s in store! xoxo
Thank you Erin! You’re so sweet; I really appreciate it. 🙂
Amy the new design looks wonderful and so fitting for you. It couldn’t be more perfect.
And this cake . . . oh my word! That frosting? . . . can not wait to try! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you so much Emma! I’m really, really touched by your sweet words. 🙂 I hope you enjoy the frosting! It’s a lot darker than most well-known companies make and sell in cans, which I love. I’m a true dark-chocoholic!
Congrats on the name change and on moving forward with your passion! It’s awesome 🙂
This cake is gorgeous. I love the icing design.
Thank you so much Sasha! I had fun decorating the cake; I felt like I was 3 years old and coloring in preschool all over again. 😉
Amy, congrats on the changes and on finding your true voice — wishing you all the best!!!! 🙂
Thank you so much Danny, for all of your kind comments and tweets. I really appreciate it! 🙂
Wonderful! This cake looks so good. I will be trying it with gluten-free flour! Can’t wait to see what your giveaways include!! 🙂 xo
Thanks Joanna! I’d love to hear what GF flour(s) you use and if you have to make any modifications. My mom is trying to stick to a GF diet, but I know she has as big of a sweet tooth as I do! 😉
This cake looks seriously amazing Amy! Pinned!
Thanks so much Trish, for both your sweet comment and the pin! 🙂
I like the specificity of your new name, I think it’s a good move. The frosting is so pretty on your cake, looks good!
Thanks Mary! I’m really happy with the new name, and I’m glad you and other readers approve too. 🙂 I had so much fun decorating the cake; I felt like I was back in preschool and coloring again!
Hi Amy, I am new to you blog and love it! Received my first email with this link for this scrumptious looking banana cake. I was wondering if you it make it easier for us to pin your recipes. Thank you!
Thank you Teresa; I’m so touched that you subscribed! If you hover over any of the images in my blog posts, a red circle with a “P” will show up in the upper right corner. Click that to pin! I’ll also work on adding a “Pin It” button to the top of my blog posts. Thanks for saying something! 🙂
Thanks Amy! You’re awesome!
Just wanted to let you know that I added a “Pin It” button at the top and bottom of my blog posts. Thanks so much for your suggestion Teresa; I had completely forgotten about that little detail!
Amy, this is so wonderful! (Both your exciting blog news, and this recipe!!!) Gretchen and I are really excited for you and can’t wait to see what’s next! 😀
Thank you SO much Shelley!! I really, really appreciate that you and Gretchen have continued to read my blog for so long — and leave such sweet comments too! 🙂
THE NEW BLOG IS GORGEOUS OH MY GOSH! I LOVE…SOSOSO MUCH! This is SO you. This cake is also gorgeous, and I love the delicate art on top. Made with love!! CONGRATULATIONS ON THE SWITCH!
Thank you SO much Brittany!!! You’re one of the best friends I’ve never met. I just love you to pieces — you’re always so full of kind words and positive energy! 🙂
Hello Amy!
congratulations on the blog, and thank you for the Banana Cake recipe. I made the cake this afternoon and not only was I impressed with how easy it was to make the frosting look professional, the cake is delicious. A question for you — I might like to make the cake a little more moist next time. What do you suggest? More yogurt? how much?
Thanks and all the best to you!
Thank you so much Joan! Your sweet comment really brightened my day. 🙂 More yogurt would certainly do the trick! I’d suggest adding an extra 2-3 tablespoons to start. Also, it’s incredibly important to make sure you measure the whole wheat flour correctly because it’s more absorbent than regular all-purpose, so it soaks up a little more of the moisture. I try to use a really light hand when I spoon and level the flour. (I describe the technique in more detail here.) Between those two things, your next cake should turn out perfectly!
Will this cake be good if i make it a day before?
It should be Jisa! If you can, I’d recommend waiting to frost it until the same day you serve it so it stays as fudgy as possible. I’d love to hear what you think of the cake if you try it!
Hi Amy! Thanks for the recipe! Do you think I could use this recipe to make into muffins or mini-muffins for my little man (without the frosting)?
Thanks so much!
Brooke
I think that should work Brooke! For regular muffins, the recipe should yield between 9-12, and it’ll probably yield about double that for mini-muffins. Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 full with batter, and bake at 350°F. When a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, they’re done! 🙂 I hope you and your little man enjoy them!
Hi Amy! I love your blog and recipes – planning to make this today! Saw it on your Instagram. Do you think oat flour would work? Or does it definitely have to be whole wheat? Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try this!
Thanks for your kind words about my blog Stacey! I haven’t tried oat flour with this cake, but I think it would be denser and not rise quite as much. Half of each should probably be fine though! I hope you enjoy the cake!
this is the best cake ever!!! Made it last night and just tried it and it is delicious!!!!! Your recipes are amazing and can’t wait to try some more!! Keep on the good work!! Greetings from Sweden!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake Snezana! Thank you so much for your kind comment — that means the world to me. 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you try next!
This recipe looks amazing Amy! Could I substitute whole wheat flour for plain flour? Is it a 1:1 substitution? Also, I have baking powder and not soda, is it possible to use only baking powder? If so, how much should I use?
Yes! You can substitute all-purpose flour for the whole wheat flour as a 1:1 substitution. If you only have baking power, use 2 ¼ teaspoons. I hope you enjoy the cake Jessalynn! 🙂
Hi Amy,
I just found your site. I love your recipes. I want to try this recipe for some guests that have milk allergies…can I substitute almond milk for the nonfat milk in the recipe?
Thanks so much!
Dawn
Yes, any milk will work Dawn! If your guests have milk allergies, I’d also recommend substituting additional mashed banana for the Greek yogurt. I can’t wait to hear what you and your guests think of the cake!
Can I substitute whole wheat flour for oatmeal flour?
I meant oat flour. And how much? Thank you for all your hard work!
Yes, it’s possible to substitute oat flour, but the cake will be somewhat denser than what you see in these photos. I can’t wait to hear what you think of it Dary!
Hi! I was wondering if this cake will work in 6″ cake pans instead? Ho much does it rise? Should I use two pans or divide it by three pans?
I’d recommend using three 6″-round cake pans. The cakes may be slightly less thick, but it’s too much batter for two pans. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the cake Denise!
I followed the recipe as written. After 70(!) minutes in the oven it was still underbaked. I wonder what could happen.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Agnes! That doesn’t seem right at all, that the cake still wasn’t done after 70 minutes. Just to confirm, you used a 9″-square pan and set the oven temperature to 350°F / 175°C? And your oven usually bakes things in the same amount of time provided in a recipe? I just want to check off the more common issues before we delve into what else could’ve gone wrong. We’ll figure out exactly what happened so your next cake turns out perfectly! 🙂
Wow, How was wonderful cake, all my frinedss always prefer this cake. they like it very much. So at each party we we prefer only this cake.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this cake! 🙂
This was great, Amy! It turned out even better than the vegan dark chocolate banana cupcake recipe. I reduced the milk to only 1 tbsp, as my batter seemed wet. (I read somewhere that whole wheat flour is more absorbent than all purpose flour which I was using, so I reduced the liquid accordingly) I used butter instead of coconut oil, and added chopped chocolate just for kicks, baked it 23 mins in an 8 inch pan to get bigger wholesome slices. The frosting was great too, I just stayed with the choc frosting and omitted the peanut butter. This will be my go-to banana cake recipe from now on 🙂
Oh my goodness Kinny, I’m truly honored that this is going to be your go-to banana cake recipe!! That means SO much to me — thank you! 🙂 I’m really glad you loved it, and I think your idea of adding chopped chocolate is brilliant. I definitely want to try that!