Flourless and dairy free looks like this…
You may not believe it but this stunning Cardamom Cake is made without any flour, dairy or sugar. As a matter of fact, the only sweetener is an optional drizzle of honey. Well-ripened plantains provide all the sweetness necessary to the cake.
This recipe features one of the most popular recipes on Empowered Sustenance, and my favorite recipe of all time: my flourless plantain cake.
Now that you’re avoiding processed cake mixes (I think I’m safe in that assumption), this is the easiest cake you’ll ever make. Just put everything in a blender, give it a quick blitz, an bake.
I encourage you to make this recipe according to the season and ingredients on hand. Here are a couple other flavor variations:
Cinnamon, Peach and Maple
- Don’t add the orange zest
- Use 1 tsp. cinnamon in place of the cardamom in the cake
- Use sliced peaches instead of the figs
- Sprinkle chopped walnuts instead of pistachios
- Drizzle with maple syrup instead of honey
Chocolate Fudge and Berry
- Eliminate the cardamom and orange zest from the cake
- Instead of the whipped cream, use dairy-free Avocado Fudge Frosting (that’s a tasty recipe from my friend Kari at Get Inspired Everyday)
- Top with fresh strawberries or raspberries
About the ingredients in Flourless Cardamom Cake
Plantains take the place of flour in this grain free cake. A cousin of bananas, plantains contain a higher amount of starch so they bake well. The ultra-ripe plantains used for this recipe add natural sweetness, so the final result tastes similar to banana bread.
Eggs… my regular readers know what’s coming. No egg substitutes will work here. But please know that I hear your requests for egg free recipes, and will be posting at least one egg-free recipe per month.
Ghee or coconut oil adds moisture and richness to the cake. I prefer ghee, as it lends a buttery flavor to compliment the sweet plantains.
I recommend this pasture-raised ghee from Thrive, my favorite online source for ingredients. I collaborated with them to give you this free jar of ghee as a gift-with-purchase.
Coconut whipped cream is a decadent pillow beneath the vibrant figs and crunchy pistachios. It’s a one-ingredient, dairy-free alternative to whipped cream.
If you’ve never made coconut whipped cream before, you may be skeptical of the possibility of this phenomenon. Or, you may have tried making it before but found the results to watery. This video from Lisa at Downshiftology provides a primer and trouble-shooting guide for making perfect coconut whipped cream:
- The cake:
- 1 recipeFlourless Plantain Cake
- ¾ tsp. ground cardamom
- zest of 1 orange
- The coconut whipped cream:
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk, left undisturbed in the fridge for at least 24 hours (recommended brand here)
- The toppings:
- 4-6 ripe figs
- ¼ cup chopped toasted pistachios
- Raw honey, for drizzling (get a free jar of raw honey from Thrive here)
- Prepare the Flourless Plantain Cake as instructed, but add the cardamom and orange zest to the blender before blending.
- Once baked, set aside to cool.
- Prepare the whipped cream by removing the thick cream from the top of the can of coconut milk. Discard the watery liquid or use it for smoothies. Using a handheld blender, whip the cream until soft peaks form.
- When the cake is at room temperature, top with the whipped cream.
- Add sliced figs and sprinkle on the pistachios. Finally, drizzle raw honey over the top if desired (see note below). If your honey is too solid at room temperature, slowly warm the jar in a saucepan of hot water, stirring until it is a pourable consistency.
- If you are making this recipe ahead of time, both the cake the the whipped cream should be kept in separately the fridge until serving, and leftovers should also be kept in the fridge.
Can green banana flour be used?
This looks really good but there’s no mention of cooking times or for how long or am I missing the point here perhaps it isn’t cooked!
go back to the top of the page where in one of the sentences it says My flourless plantain cake and click on that and it will take you to the actual recipe for the cake. The cake recipe is not on this page just how to decorate it. Also the ingredients for the cake are not on this page so you need the actual plantain cake recipe. Hope this helps
Sorry about missing the link there, that was my mistake! I added it.
Am I missing something? Where is the flourless plantain cake recipe? There is no link but I did a search here and nothing came up…
Check the RECIPES section on the top bar. That is where I found it.
Hello Lauren
I enjoy reading all your recipes . Is there anything that can replace plantain because where I live there is no such thing ?? There is no green banana flour either( as Lori asks) Would half-ripe bananas work ?
Hi Deborah — unfortunately this recipe will only work with plantains, as they contain much more starch than bananas. The cake will be pretty flat and soggy if made with bananas. You could use my Coconut Flour cupcake recipe to be the cake instead. Bake it in a cake dish for 20-25 minutes (until golden and a toothpick comes out clean). http://empoweredsustenance.com/paleo-coconut-flour-cupcakes/
Nice recommendations!!