Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Cake
Uses [KitchenAid® Stand Mixer](https://yummly.app.link/k3bnNNhsd1) and [Sifter + Scale Attachment](https://yummly.app.link/WVsBbRrsd1).
Ingredients
1/2 tsp. Flaky Sea Salt (for sprinkling)
1 Tbsp. Turbinado Sugar (1 Tbsp. = 13.75 g, for sprinkling)
1/4 cup Cocoa Nibs (1/4 cup = 45 g, finely chopped)
1/2 cup Walnuts (1/2 cup = 60 g, finely chopped)
1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract (1 tsp. = 2.1 g)
3 Large Eggs (3 eggs = 180 g, at room temperature)
1/2 tsp. Fine Sea Salt (1/2 tsp. = 2.3 g)
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder (1 1/2 tsp. = 6 g)
1/4 cup Dutch-Process Cocoa (1/4 cup = 21 g)
1 1/2 cups Gluten-Free Flour (1 1/2 cups = 195 g)
1 cup Dark Brown Sugar (1 cup = 213 g, packed)
3/4 cup Unsalted Butter (3/4 cup = 170 g, at room temperature)
2 Bananas (2 bananas = 364 g, overripe with brown spots)
3/8 cup Bittersweet Chocolate (3/8 cup = 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. = 90 g, finely chopped)
Coconut Oil Baking Spray
Step by step
Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325ºF/160ºC/gas 3. Spray a 9-in/23-cm cake pan generously with baking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper. Set aside.
Put the chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Warm the chocolate, stirring frequently, just until it melts. Remove the bowl from the heat, let cool for several minutes. Mash the bananas with a fork, and then stir them into the melted chocolate. Set aside.
Place the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of your KitchenAid® Stand Mixer fitted with the flat beater. Attach the KitchenAid® Sifter + Scale Attachment to your mixer. Close the ingredient valve. Weigh the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in the ingredient hopper, taring the scale between ingredients.
Turn the mixer to medium-high speed, and cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Turn the mixer off and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the banana mixture to the mixing bowl.
Turn the mixer to medium-low, open the ingredient valve and sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in the mixing bowl. Beat just until combined. Remove the mixer bowl, and use a rubber spatula to blend in any flour remaining on the sides of the bowl. Fold in the walnuts and cocoa nibs until evenly distributed.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Lightly sprinkle the top with turbinado sugar and flake sea salt. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack. Run a table knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, peel off the parchment paper, and then turn it right side up. Transfer to a cake plate and cut into wedges when ready to serve. The cake is best when served on the day it is baked. The cake will keep at room temperature for 2 days in a covered container.