More nutrient-dense than usual cakes, without compromising on flavour; I see little point in reducing the sugar and fat in a recipe only to come up with something you’re not really going to enjoy, but I would honestly eat these cakes any day. They are perfect for those who are coeliac, gluten-intolerant, dairy-free or simply trying to cut back on the level of refined sugar in their diet.

Who doesn’t like a slice of toasted banana bread? The warm, buttery and crusty goodness, gets you every time, doesn’t it? The best thing about this truly healthy nutrient-dense version is you would never know it was healthy. Just as sweet and delicious, you will never go back to baking the refined sugar-version because this leaves you wanting for nothing.

Serves 10

:: Ingredients ::

For the banana bread

• 450g (1lb/generous 2 cups) mashed, overripe bananas

• 5 eggs

• 90g (31⁄4oz/1⁄4 cup) raw honey or normal honey is fine too

• 90ml (3fl oz/1⁄3 cup) extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 300g (11oz/3 cups) ground almonds

• 30g (1oz/3 tablespoons) chia seeds

• 1 just-ripe banana, peeled

For the whipped coconut yoghurt

• 300g (11oz/11⁄4 cups) coconut yoghurt

• 85g (3oz/1⁄3 cup) raw honey, plus extra for drizzling

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1⁄2 vanilla pod (bean), seeds scraped out

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/350°F/ Gas 4. Line a 30 x 10cm (12 x 4in) loaf tin (pan) with baking paper (baking parchment).

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas, eggs, honey, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder and lemon juice. (The lemon juice will activate the baking powder.) Now add the ground almonds and chia seeds and mix well.

3. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf tin. For decoration, cut the extra banana in half lengthways and then place, cut sides up, on top of the batter. Bake in the oven on the middle shelf for an hour.

4. This is a very moist loaf, a skewer may not come out completely clean, but if the centre feels firm then remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before turning out and removing the baking paper.

5. To make the whipped coconut yoghurt, place the yoghurt into a food processor along with the honey, cinnamon and vanilla seeds and blend until thick and creamy.

6. To serve, place slices of banana bread under a hot grill (broiler). Once browned, remove from the grill and place on serving plates along with a dollop of whipped coconut yoghurt and a drizzle of honey.