Banana Date Chocolate Cake

Dessert. Love it! But... my waistline doesn't. :(

Unless, of course, it's a healthy dessert. Oxymoron? Yeah. But surprisingly enough, they exist and they're delicious!

I found this recipe for Crazy Fruity Carob Pudding Cake by the Unconventional Baker last January and thought to myself, "Hmm. Next time I have a ton of bananas that need to be used, I'm going to make this" (It calls for 9 ripe bananas). That wasn't the only thing about it that impressed me. It's also gluten-free, sugar-free, egg-free, and dairy-free!

Since I cook like Remmy from the movie Ratatouille, I rarely cook a recipe exactly. So, here's my version of the Unconventional Baker's wonderful dessert.

Cake Ingredients:

• 6 ripe bananas
• 1½ cups soft medjool dates, chopped finely
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• 1 cup coconut milk
• ½ cup roasted carob (or cocoa) powder
• 1 cup flour

Frosting Ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas
• 12 soft medjool dates, chopped finely
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• ½ cup coconut milk
• dash of sea salt
• ½ cup carob (or cocoa) powder
• flour
• shredded coconut and almonds for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Grease a 9" cake pan (or 2--6" cake pans for a layered cake) and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Blend bananas, dates, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and coconut milk until it's smooth. Add remaining ingredients and blend, scraping down the sides as necessary until well-mixed.
3. Transfer the batter into prepared pan, level out the tops and press the mixture in using a spatula. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven and allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
4. When ready to frost, place bananas, dates, vanilla, lemon juice, coconut milk, and sea salt into a blender and blend into a smooth consistency, add carob powder and enough flour to make a thick frosting (approximately 1 cup) and blend until mixture is uniform. Frost the cake and garnish. Chill until the frosting is set.