Quinoa banana bread — Gâteau au quinoa et aux bananes

quinoa banana bread

Quinoa banana bread

I came with the intention to tell you about beautiful purple eggplants and how delicious they turned into dinner but instead, here I am, again, with the story of a cake.

It came as the priority — my eggplants will have to wait a little.

After spending ten days with us, my mother traveled back to France yesterday night, which left me with a sudden urge to bake at 10 pm. It was hard to see her go. “I should be used to it by now,” I thought. But it’s not becoming easier and I’ll never get used to it, in fact.

While I was nursing Lulu on the bed upstairs, I was thinking about P. driving my mother to the airport, and the two of them waiting in terminal B by the American Airlines gate with the sign Paris Charles de Gaulle.

I know well that I am going to miss our daily lunches and walks together — between her, Lulu and I. Every time it happens, that traveling-back-home and saying-goodbye-we-will-see-each-other-soon, you know, there is the same pinch to the heart, the same tightness in the stomach — and the same urge to bake.

And then, with my hands busy beating eggs and sugar, I kept thinking about how much my mother would have enjoyed making that special cake with me. It’s something that I didn’t learn from her, that cake. It’s something that belongs to the culture that I slipped into. Here. It’s about the recipe and culture of a cake that I am happy to share with her, something that she can bring back home. To France.

By 11:30 pm, as P. and I walked upstairs to slip into bed, the cake sat at one corner of the kitchen counter top, leaving a waft of sugar everywhere in the house. Making us dream about something soft and sweet. Delicious.

When I was little, my mother taught me what I needed to know about how to start to bake. Today, I like to think that I can also teach her something new and different about baking.

It’s something about the relationship between a mother and her daughter in the kitchen.

quinoa banana bread

Bon et le gâteau alors !

This cake is deliciously dense. Add as much chocolate and nuts as you like — more than required cannot hurt. It’s a cake that isn’t too sweet, because I like cakes this way; it’s cake that keeps well for a few days, if you need to, but it rarely reaches the point when you need it to keep. It’s made quickly; it’s eaten just as fast.

quinoa banana bread

Last year, there was this banana bread.

Quinoa, banana and apple bread

You need:

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup blond cane sugar
  • 1/2 cup white rice flour (100 g)
  • 1/3 cup quinoa flakes (30 g)
  • 2/3 cup quinoa flour (80 g)
  • 2 oz coarsely chopped dark chocolate (70 % cocoa)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 7 tablespoons butter melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 Macoun apple, peeled, cored and grated (or any apple good for baking)
  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed with a fork

Steps:

  • Preheat the oven at 350 F and butter a loaf pan or muffin molds. Coat them with flour and tap the excess out; set aside.
  • In a bowl, combine the flours with the quinoa flakes, baking soda, baking powder and ground cinnamon; set aside.
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until light. Add the butter and mix.
  • Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in the apple and bananas.
  • Fold in the flours and chocolate and nuts and mix until just combined.
  • Pour the batter into the molds you choose and bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes (for a large loaf) or 20 to 25 minutes (for small muffins).
Le coin francais
Gâteau au quinoa et aux bananes

Ingrédients :

  • 2 oeufs
  • 100 g de sucre de canne blond
  • 100 g de farine de riz blanche
  • 30 g de flocons de quinoa
  • 80 g de farine de quinoa
  • 60 g de choocolat noir à 70 % haché grossièrement
  • 1 càc de poudre à lever
  • 1/2 càc de bicarbonate de soude
  • 1/2 càc de cannelle en poudre
  • 1/2 tasse de noix hachées grossièrement
  • 80g de beurre fondu
  • 1 pomme de type Macoun, pelée et râpée (ou une variété équivalente pour cuire)
  • 2 bananes bien mûres, écrasées à la fourchette

Etapes :

  • Préchauffez le four à 180 C et beurrez un moule rectangulaire ou des moules à muffin. Farinez-les et enlevez l’excédent; mettez de côté.
  • Dans une jatte, mélangez les farines avec les flocons de quinoa, la bicarbonate de soude, la poudre à lever et la cannelle; mettez de côté.
  • Dans le bole de votre mixeur à pied, battez les oeufs avec le sucre jusqu’à blanchiment. Ajoutez le beurre et mélangez.
  • En utilisant une cuiller en bois ou une maryse, ajoutez les bananes et la pomme.
  • Incorporez délicatement les farines, le chocolat et les noix.
  • Versez la pâte dans le(s) moule(s) et enfournez pour 30 à 35 minutes (pour un grand gâteau) ou 20 à 25 minutes (pour des muffins).
Posted in Bread, Breakfast, Cakes, Chocolate, Dessert, Fruit, Gluten Free

92 comments

  1. I’m up late baking as well, strudel today. Lovely story about you and your mom, so close, the same love you’ll have with your Lulu. I’ll tuck this recipe aside, for cold winter days and a cup of tea. Thanks.

  2. I love the sound of this bread recipe! I have had quinoa in bread before and I love the texture it lends. What a beautiful story and recipe. I never cease to be amazed at your beautiful posts. Thanks!

  3. Another banana bread recipe is always welcome around here. My mom lives 90 minutes away, and your post reminds me how lucky I am. We love to be in the kitchen together.

  4. I look forward to your posts, Bea, and I’ve come to treasure them even more since the birth of Lulu. I have two questions: quinoa flour and flakes are not available where I live; is there an alternative? Can I substitute with all-purpose flour and how would that change the texture?

  5. What a lovely and moving post about your Mom. Your cake is gorgeous. I have a bag of quinoa in the pantry. This looks like a wonderful way to use it.
    Sam

  6. Your cake looks delcious. Thank you for the recipe, I am not a great cake maker, but I think I will try this one.

    You have a wonderful relationship with your mum, I don’t think I have ever baked with my mum..my boys have cooked with me though!

  7. how exciting your mom was here. i bet her departure was felt. the cake looks perfect and i should definitely give it a try!

  8. My grandmother, Stella, a farmer, taught me most of what I needed about life over a bowl and the sink. Research says that the oldest memories we have stored can be tapped with a smell from the past. The chronicles of your lovely life bring back memories of mine.
    Thank you for that,
    Stephanie D.

  9. How moving. Your story describes what it was like whenever I parted from my mother. Always bittersweet. She is gone now and I thankfully have so many memories stored in my heart and mind. Though not her path, she would have enjoyed seeing how far I’ve come in my own gluten free cooking and baking. Thank you for the gentle memory tap on my shoulder.

  10. Il a l’air magnifique ce gâteau! J’en ai aussi fait un aux flocons d’avoine sans gluten récemment. Dis-moi, trouvez-vous ces flocons à Boston?

  11. C’est drôle aujourd’hui j’ai fait des banana nut muffins, et là ce banana bread au quinoa me plait beaucoup !!

  12. Pingback: Moonlit Minds « Moonlit Minds

  13. Je me suis retrouvée dans ce clin d’œil et effectivement la relation entre mère et fille dans une cuisine est vraiment géniale. Ce que ma mère peut me manquer… Je suis loin d’être la seule mais j’adore votre blog que j’ai découvert récemment.

  14. I don’t know what I love the most about your site – the recipes, the photographs, or the stories! My mother is gone now, but never forgotten, as our family continues to use her marvelous recipes, especially for baking and holidays. She shared her love of preparing food for family and friends with me and my daughter, as I do with my daughter and grandchildren. When Lulu is older, I am sure she will treasure times in the kitchen with you and your mother. Thank you for letting us share in the joys of your family.

  15. Quinoa is a super grain, much healthier than oats and has the most amount of protein than any other oats, good on you for doing that! i love banana bread and i gotta try this recipe soon.

  16. I cannot tell you how eager I am to make this bread! I love quinoa, and since my husband has celiac disease I try to incorporate more of it in his diet…but he’s not entirely fond of it. This is a great way to sneak it in! THANKS!

  17. I just made gluten free banana muffins, but your recipe looks so much better! I can see the quinoa complimenting the banana really well.

  18. Thank you so much to every one of you, once again, for your nice words. They touch me and I am sorry if I don’t have the time to answer to your notes individually. I read every single one carefully though, and try to answer, any time I can.

    How to substitute the quinoa flour? I’ve not made this substitution for that particular cake, but if I were to try, I would substitute 3/4 cup all-purpose flour for the quinoa flour and flakes combined.

    Diane, I’ve ordered the quinoa flakes online. Check here, in the Special Ingredients list I have in my Amazon store, for example. I hope this helps.

  19. I can imagine it must be hard saying goodbye everytime! I always love your little stories and ofcourse, the cake you baked is gorgeous and sounds delicious too!

  20. Some days ago I made your last year banana bread, which was of course delicious, it filled our home with wonderful smells!…I am very glad you offer us another amazing recipe again. My parents live in the same country I live with my husband, but we live in an island so I don’t meet them very often!…Your post was very touching!…

  21. Since my hubby is the baker in our house, I am going to force him to make this recipe for me!!!! He will thank me later, I’m sure. BANANA BREAD is my absolute favorite.

  22. This post makes me feel so warm and fuzzy. Thank you!

    By the way, when will your cookbook be released? I can’t wait, hehe.

  23. I had seen the pictures on Flickr and was really looking forward to the recipe. By the way, those wonderful eggplants can make a wonderful dessert too…

  24. me encanta su página, pero no entiendo el idioma, me podrian decir si lo puedo pasar a español se lo agradeceria mucho , atentamente. luisa raquel

  25. I like your bread very much – with so many nuts, apple and chocolate pieces in it! The photos are just lovely!
    My mum lives just near me but when she leaves – even for a few days – I miss her so much…

  26. This is such a warm and lovely post. I’m wondering…could oat flour be used as a substitute for the quinoa flour – I don’t think I can find that where I am.

  27. Hi Mixing Bowl Mama, you know, I’ve never baked with oat flour before, so I am not sure about what texture it gives. Have you used it before? Quinoa flour always makes baked goods moist because of it’s higher fat contents. It’s an excellent flour in any gluten free baking. Maybe you can give it a try and let me know? 😉 Note that you can always buy quinoa flour online. Check the links I include in the recipe. Hope this helps.

    Thanks to everyone else!

  28. I just adore your journaling! Also, your recipes have so much character in and of themselves…thanks so much!

  29. Gorgeous…I’m always on the lookout for new banana bread recipes! And this looks perhaps as if it would work for my gluten intolerant sister…I’ll pass it along immediately!

  30. Hyper original d’utiliser du quinoa dans un banana bread ! Et puis je comprends tout à fait ce que tu veux dire sur le fait de voir ta mère partir : je n’habite qu’à 120 km de chez la mienne mais les départs sont toujours difficiles, alors j’imagine que dans ton cas c’est encore pire !

  31. I just wanted to let you know that whenever I see a new feed in my RSS reader from your blog I get so excited to see what beautiful pictures and fantastic edible creations you’ve done. You’re an inspiration to an aspiring chef.

  32. The banana bread looks delicious. The sweet words about your mother have a familiar note. My 85-year-old mother is sleeping in my guest room. It’s the second time she has ever been in my home after 42 years of living across country from each other. I have visited her yearly. Next week, I will take her to the airport and drive home wondering about a lot of choices I’ve made in life. Looking back, my greatest regret is separation from her. As I return home from the airport, I will stop at Mississippi Market, get the ingredients, go home and make banana bread… knowing that I have a soulmate in Boston.

  33. The bread recipe is wonderful – I made it today with fresh apples from the Farmers Market and over ripe bananas. The only modification was I used all purpose flour in place of rice flour because I failed to remember to buy some. Also, quinoa flour is a great discovery – I love eating the grain but I never knew it came in flour form – hurray. Thank you for the wonderful recipe and looking forward to more
    Stephanie

  34. Bea, It is 7.00am here in Chicago and I have just read your article about your Mom. I am in bits. I too used to say goodbye to my Mom. Much too often and from various parts of the USA. I still miss her desperately. She also loved to cook. Not on your level, but with much love and enjoyment. Thank you, not just for the recipes, but also for the very personal insight into your life. We love you here in Chicago. (and Philip and Lulu too of course).

  35. Quel délice! Cette recette est exceptionnelle pour faire briller le goût exquis de la farine quinoa. J’ai utilisé de la farine de riz complet et remplacé la moitié du chocolat par des graines de cacao (raw cacao nibs), J’ai bien le crunch et le goût intense du cacao. Les muffins se congèlent bien. Parfait pour la boite à lunch!

  36. I have been looking for gluten free recipes that do not use almond flour, all purpose gluten free flour, and additives such as xanthan gum. Stumbling onto your blog, I feel as though an angel guided me and so grateful for your ability to bake and come up with recipes I can actually make and eat. Thank you!! Thank you Bea. I just made your Quinoa bread and it turned out perfect and the taste is absolutely scrumptous. Next, I am making the apple cake : ). I can’t be happier.

  37. Pingback: Teach Your Kids How To Bake Yummy Banana Bread | Cooking Tips

  38. I really loves you’re website, all your recipes are simple and “chic”.
    Thank you for helping impressing my guests!!!!!
    bonne contiunation,
    Ps: the presentation of the website is simply perfect, and as well as the photos. 😀

  39. Love your recipes….one question though, is there a substitute for blond cane sugar. We have just regular cane sugar. Also, does the 1/2 cup of cane sugar make it sweet?

  40. Nadia,

    I am sure you can use cane sugar. 1/2 cup blond cane sugar makes 100 g, which is enough for me!

  41. I finally made this yesterday and tasted it some minutes ago. A m a z i n g!…The best banana cake ever. The texture, the smell, the flavors, just perfect! There is not a single recipe of yours that hasn’t impressed me!…

  42. this looks wonderful. Is there a substitute for the rice flour in this recipe as my son can’t have rice?

  43. I’ve baked many scrumptious banana bread loaves, this was by far the best! Next is that molten chocolate tahini cake:)

  44. So nice to hear Renée. Many thanks for the feedback!

    Melanie, use millet flour instead of rice flour. Make sure to keep the weight measurement the same though.

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  47. I like this recipe…but, would like to use without egg. Any sugestion?

  48. Pingback: Gluten-Free Chocolate Banana Bread « Nourish the Budding Lotus

  49. OMG!!! This bread is FABULOUS!! I made it PLAIN though-NO nuts, chocolate, or quinoa FLAKES (only had the flour). I HAD to limit myself so as NOT to eat the whole loaf!!!
    Thanks soooo much for sharing:-)

  50. Merci pour la recette en français. Je vais l’essayer car je commence seulement à découvrir le quinoa et commencer par un dessert qui semble si délicieux est une excellente idée !

  51. Just made these muffins, they are amazing! I altered the recipe slightly: whole wheat flour instead of white rice flour, 1/4 cup of coconut oil instead of 7 tbsp butter, I added 1/2 tsp of vanilla, and 1/4 cup of chia gel. I also had to use brown sugar. They are so good, I am having trouble not going back for 2nds and 3rds! Thanks for a fabulous recipe, and my 1st baking with quinoa.

  52. Made it last weekend – finally. The first time I took a bite of it, I didn’t really like it. It had an unpleasant bitter note to it. Maybe the quinoa, dark chocolate, any idea? The next day I decided to take another slice, give it another chance. The taste had evolved during the night and the bitterness was gone. A not so sweet, delicious banana bread. And the first time I used quinoa flour 🙂

  53. Made the quinoa banana bread yesterday evening and it smelled fabulous. It was hard to have to wait till this morning for tasting. It’s wonderfully light textured and the taste evolves over time. I swapped the quinoa flakes with almond meal and it worked ad well. And best of all, my husband loves it, so I’ll definitely will make it again.

  54. Very touching story about your mum visiting you in France.
    I’ll try to make your quinoa banana bread although I never saw quinoa flakes here in Spain.

  55. Pingback: Pausa caffè: quadrotti di quinoa e banana* « Volevo fare lo chef

  56. This looks wonderful! But where would I get ingredients 2-5??

  57. I just baked this amazing recipe with the help of my five-year-old daughter. I must confess I was a bit afraid of using quinoa flour since I haven’t used it before. The muffins turned our great and moist. We’ll definitely keep this gluten-free version as one of our favorites. Thanks Bea, I love your pictures, your work is pure art!!!

  58. Hope I am writing this to the person who wrote this fantastic run-up to the banana bread recipe. I thoroughly enjoyed your writing!! You should write a novel. I would buy it.
    I’d bake the banana bread first, pack it up with a few things and head to the cottage. Put on the tea kettle there, and curl up and read your novel with the sound of the ocean waves lapping outside the window. I’ll let you know how the banana bread turns out. 🙂
    Thank you.

  59. Lovely post.

    It was a bit bittersweet as I don’t have that close sweet relationship with my own mother and can only imagine what a wonderful feeling it must be. I take advantage of any tender moments we do have and keep them in my heart.

    I love that this recipe is gluten free, I’m going to bake it for guests tomorrow. Merci!

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  61. I just made this as muffins with my 4yr old son. They were really delicious – thanks. I subbed oats for quinoa and it worked fine…

  62. You had me sold. I was so looking forward to making this healthier version of one of my favorites. However, I can’t print it! I am disappointed and a little agitated to be honest. I tried to use my browser and go in “the back door” but your ink choice is unreadable.

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  64. Baked this delicious banana bread on Sunday. My last favourite recipe was from Richard Sax. First time I baked with apple. I chose a Gala one. Amazing taste, texture. Tastes better next day.

    Thank you Bea!!

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  69. I made this bread without chocolate due to allergy and replaced walnuts with a mix of sunflower seeds and hemp seeds. It took longer to bake (I’m at high elevation). The result was a fabulous moist bread! Next time I’ll increase temperature. Thanks!