Absolute Vegan Banana bread - with coconut milk and no sugar

I LOVE the smell of banana bread baking in the oven! Don’t you? It’s so intoxicating. The aroma fills the whole house and it’s just plain torture waiting for it to finish baking. It’s so worth the wait though. Moist, walnut-studded bread with the pure sweetness of ripe bananas. I could eat a slice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I might even sneak a piece for a late-night snack too.

This loaf of gluten free banana bread is also egg and dairy free, making it totally vegan. If you are scared by a recipe that says it is “vegan” there is no need to be. It simply means there are no animal ingredients used. It’s magically tender and is everything you love about banana bread. I promise it will not disappoint…and as soon as it’s gone, you’ll be in the kitchen baking up another loaf!

Believe it or not, this cake is sugar-free, butter-free, dairy-free and egg-free.This recipe is fairly versatile. I’ve made several variations in the past and you may add walnuts, raisins, or swirl in some peanut butter or even nutella (note: nutella is not vegan). The original recipe called for sugar but I omitted it. You can also replace flour with almond meal for a gluten-free version.The cake had a natural sweetness and was really moist and fluffy. Perfect for breakfast or afternoon tea — any time of the day really. According to those who have tried it, it is best enjoyed with a cup of hot tea so I made black tea and had almost half of the cake at one go :P

Having said that, I have received this really cool glass kettle from the store Red Candy. A very attractive addition to my kitchen gadgets, I would love to showcase this for my tea parties and evening get togethers. It held the temperature for a long time, for around 60-70 minutes and its very light weight, not to mention so trendy. 

The really cool thing about this store is that it is dedicated to the colour red. Be it home furnishing, interior accessories, kitchen stuff or gifts, red is the colour you'll get them in. They have some really innovative products and designs and some of them make really cool gifts. I specially like their collection of trendy wall clocks; do check the store out, am sure you will find your next gift there :)

What you need?
1 cupsAll purpose flour ( APF )
1/2 cup Whole wheat flour (WWF)
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 ripe banana, mashed
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup dessicated coconut (unsweetened )
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

How to make?
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare 9×5-inch loaf pan by spraying with nonstick cooking spray.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add dessicated coconut and mix well.
In large mixing bowl, combine the mashed banana and oil, mix well. Add coconut milk, maple syrup and vanilla essence and whisk everything together for 2-3 minutes
Add the flour mixture gently and stir for 1 minute, until well combined.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 40-42 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto cooling rack to cool completely. Slice and serve with tea :)

My Notes:
Slice and store bread in ziploc bag or air-tight container, will stay fresh for upto a week
Goes really well with tea and coffee
You may replace dessicated coconut with sugar, if you like sweet breads. It was just fine for me , although I would like to replace half of the coconut with sugar next time. 
The usage of WWF had made this bread a bit dense, you may want to avod it if you like your breads fluffy. For personal use, this was good but for a party you may like the APF version better
Add nuts, like walnut and raisins for a richer taste.

**With thanks to Red Candy, for sending me this beautiful kettle, follow them on FB to participate in their giveaways and check out the trendy new collection.

Linked to Bake Fest -34 hosted by Full Scoops and started by Cooks Joy