Want to make the best banana bread you’ve ever eaten…without eggs or dairy! Well, I used to use a recipe on About.com.  But the link doesn’t work anymore!  So here is my go-to recipe from memory, that is always a crowd-pleaser!

Ingredients:

2 cups of all purpose flour (sifted if possible)

1.5 tsp baking soda

.5 tsp sea salt

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

3-5 bananas, mashed (I use a potato masher) (number of bananas should be equivalent of 3 large overripe bananas)

Optional 4-5 oz semi-sweet vegan regular or mini chocolate chips

Directions:

For a cake, pre-heat to 350 and cook for 50 minutes (line with parchment paper and grease).

For muffins, pre-heat to 375, and prepare muffin tin with liners.

Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a small mixing bowl.  Whisk about 30 times.

In a larger mixing bowl, mix sugar, oil, water, and vanilla.  Add bananas and mash.  Mix together.

Pour dry ingredients into wet, mix until just combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour into whichever pan you are using and cook for 22 – 30 mins for muffins and 45-60 minutes for cake/loaf.

Enjoy!

The MONKEY modification

Since my child adores Curious George, and he adores this banana cake recipe even more, I have made this banana cake in the shape of a monkey (you can buy the mold from Wilton’s online). For his two-year old birthday party, instead of chocolate frosting, which is not recommended for preserving furniture or the sanity of the parents of his friends, I decided to frost this monkey with vanilla frosting from Food.com, decorated with raisins. What two-year old (and his parents) doesn’t love raisins!