Vegan Chai Banana Bread
When Isa and I order hot drinks in a café, I often end up with a coffee à la flat white or a cortado and Isa very much likes a chai latte. Actually Isa is always already looking forward to it and looks so happy while drinking it that I wanted to at least give it a chance. The drink called "Masala Chai" consists of black tea, foamed milk, sugar, and a spice mixture, which consists of cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, a bit of cloves and nutmeg, among others. Warm spices, they say. And I don't know if it's because of my aversion to rice pudding, but for me, chai latte just isn't it. The combination of spices, sweetness, warmth, and the memory of cinnamon that's sprinkled on rice pudding – nope, we'll probably never be friends, unfortunately.
Now you're probably wondering why I'm talking so negatively about chai latte in a recipe for chai banana bread, right? But of course here comes the big plot twist, because THIS banana bread tastes very, very good to me. So if chai tee and I won't become friends, at least we can try it with distant acquaintances, deal?
Banana bread recipes are a dime a dozen anyway – the two recipe we are adding to this excessive supply are vegan banana bread with walnuts and chocolate and this chai version. At the latest since corona lockdown you probably have a banana bread overload and therefore might not be in the mood for another recipe, but you should really try this one.
Our chai banana bread is already a very old recipe that we published back in 2016. It was time to bring the recipe into 2021, but don't worry - only the photos are new. We left the recipe as it is because it still works great and still tastes delicious!
Vegan Chai Banana Bread
Ingredients
For the batter:
- 150 ml (0.66 cup) hot water
- 20 g (0.75 oz) chai tea
- 300 g (2.5 cups) flour
- 200 g (1 cup) brown sugar
- 16 g (1.5 tbsp) baking powder
- 8 g (1.5 tsp) vanilla sugar
- 5 g (1 tsp) baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 0.5 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 ripe bananas
- 100 ml (0.5 cup) vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 100 ml (0.5 cup) plant-based milk
- 50 g (2 oz) walnuts
- 50 g (2 oz) almonds
For serving:
- confectioner's sugar
- 1-2 bananas
Instructions
Let's start by brewing a strongly concentrated tea to give it enough time to infuse. To do this, add your favorite chai tea to hot water, cover it, and let it sit for approx. 8-10 minutes.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 170°C/340°F (convection) and prepare the cake batter. Mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, vanilla sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl.
Peel the bananas and mash them with a fork in a second bowl. Add vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar, plant-based milk, and chai tea to the mashed banana and stir to combine.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and stir to combine. Finally, chop walnuts and almonds and fold them into the batter.
Tip: Of course, you can also prepare this cake nut-free by simply omitting the almonds and walnuts.
Grease and flour a loaf pan and pour the batter into it. Bake the banana bread at 170°C/340°F for approx. 50 minutes. Before removing it from the oven, be sure to test the cake for doneness. To do this, insert a toothpick into the cake. If you remove the toothpick, it should come out clean without any crumbs sticking to it.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool out completely. For serving, dust with confectioner's sugar and garnish with fresh banana slices.
