Jordan Rondel of The Caker Spiced Banana Date Loaf
We challenged celebrity baker and master of cakes Jordan Rondel of The Caker to make a plant-based dish for The Unbakery Café. The result? A sweet-tooth and cake lovers version of a wholefoods breakfast!
To coincide with the release of Megan's new plant-based cookbook, Little Bird Goodness, Megan decided to challenge four of the most influential chefs and cooks in NZ to create a plant-based dish, in an effort to showcase just how easy and delicious plant-based cuisine can be, and how beneficial incorporating more plants into our diet can be for our health, and the planet.
Third up in this months challenge is master of delicious and delectable cakes Jordan Rondel, with this incredibly moist and delicious Spiced Banana and Date loaf. Try making the recipe yourself at home, or find it on The Unbakery menu until 23rd September.
Want to get involved in Little Bird Organics plant-based challenge yourself? Post your own creation to Facebook or Instagram with #LittleBirdGoodness and #PlantBasedChallengeNZ anytime from now until 30th September for the chance to win several prizes generously donated by Air New Zealand, Pullman Auckland, The French Café, Meredith’s, Ceres Organics, Nadia Lim and Jordan Rondel.
Spiced Banana and Date Loaf with Coconut Yoghurt, Honey Orange Marmalade and Almond Butter
For the Loaf
Wet Mixture
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
½ cup dates, softened in hot water for 10 minutes
¾ cup almond milk
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp light olive oil
1 tsp of salt
Dry Mixture
1 cup ground almonds
½ cup quinoa flour
½ cup buckwheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
For the marmalade
4 oranges, washed thoroughly
½ cup high quality honey
To serve
Coconut yoghurt
Marmalade
Nut butter (almond, macadamia, hazelnut)
Toasted walnuts
Instructions
To make the loaf preheat oven to 180⁰C and line a loaf tin (approx 22cm x 10cm) with baking paper. whisk together all the dry mixture ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Blend together the wet mixture ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Add this wet mixture to the dry mixture and use a spatula to mix until evenly incorporated. Transfer the batter into the prepared loaf tin.
Bake it for about 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the loaf to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
To make the marmalade, using a citrus zester remove the zest from 2 of the oranges (about 1/2 of a cup). Try to get little to none of the white pith.
With a sharp knife, cut as much of the white pith off as possible as discard.
With the remaining 2 oranges, cut as much of the peel and pith off as possible and discard.
Cut the oranges in half and discard seeds.
Place the 8 orange halves into your food processor and process until smooth. You should have about 2.5 cups of super pulpy orange juice.
Pour the orange pulp into a medium-sized saucepan, add the zest and the honey. Over high heat, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens, about 40 minutes. Using a candy thermometer, you can check the temperature - usually, a temperature of around 220ºF will mean that the marmalade is set.
To test the readiness and thickness of the marmalade take 1 tsp. of the marmalade placed on a plate and set the plate into the refrigerator, it is ready if it jells within 3 minutes. If the marmalade does not jell within that time, continue to boil until it does. Remove from the heat when it’s ready.
To serve cut two thick slices of the loaf and toast. Place them on a plate, and spread over marmalade, followed by a generous dollop of coconut yoghurt to one side. Drizzle over almond butter, and scatter over some toasted walnuts.