This honey oat and apple banana loaf has it all - bananas, apples, nuts and raisins combined with oats, yoghurt and honey. This tasty quick bread is made with wholesome ingredients and contains no flour, butter, milk or sugar. A slice of this oaty apple and banana loaf for breakfast will satisfy you until lunch. It's also great for popping into a lunchbox for a quick mid-morning energy boost!
This recipe was inspired by the recipe for bran flake honey muffins that I posted recently. Those muffins were so tasty that I wondered how I could adapt that recipe and make a loaf instead of individual muffins. This honey oat apple and banana loaf is the result.
If you're expecting a light and fluffy cake, I think you might be disappointed. This apple and banana honey loaf has a dense, moist texture, and is more like a fruit cake than a sponge! But I have to say I think you'll love the chewy fruity taste. Plus this is a cake you can eat without any feelings of guilt whatsoever. It works out at 134 calories per slice so if you're craving something sweet a slice of this honey fruit loaf will be perfect.
Instead of using flour for this recipe I've used rolled oats which are whizzed around in a food processor until they resemble flour. The oats need a raising agent, just like normal flour, to give the loaf a rise so I simply used a mixture of baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
The sweetness is provided by honey and also by extra ripe bananas. Even though the bananas were very ripe and 'spotty' they hadn't developed any brown patches on the inside so they were at their sweetest and perfect for this loaf. If you find your bananas have brown bruises on the inside, simply cut them bruises away and add an extra banana.
For the moisture content, in addition to the mashed bananas, I added a small amount of yoghurt and some finely pulverised apples (along with their skins for added fibre). The apples were cut small enough to allow them to soften completely in the cake, adding not only extra moisture but also a delicious fruity taste.
For crunch and texture, I added some finely chopped pecan nuts and for a final touch of sweetness, a handful of plump and juicy raisins.
As a final flourish, I sprinkled a few flaked almonds on top as I had a few left over from Christmas. If you don't have any then don't worry - just leave them off. Your honey banana loaf will still taste amazing!
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Ingredients
This makes a 9" x 5" loaf or 23cm x 12.5cm and is approximately 2" or 5cm deep.
Oops - I forgot to add cinnamon and mixed spice to the image!
- Oats - these are normal rolled oats that you would use to make a bowl of porridge. They are not the 'instant' variety that is mixed with milk and put in the microwave for a few minutes. These are the oats you would boil on the stove. They should be whizzed around in a food processor for a few minutes until they turn into chunky-textured flour. The closest substitution would be wholegrain bread flour measured by weight not volume. See the FAQ section below.
- Bananas - the riper the bananas the better as this is the stage when they are at their sweetest. I was lucky and managed to get 2 overripe bananas that hadn't started to turn brown on the inside. If your bananas are turning brown, cut away the brown bits and use a third banana to make up the difference. The bananas will be mashed until they are mushy.
- Apples - you can use any sweet apple. I used Granny Smith but Pink Lady are good as are Golden Delicious. The apples should be grated or whizzed around in a food processor for a few seconds. You can leave the skin on (for added fibre) but don't forget to remove the core.
- Raisins - these make a huge difference to the taste and texture of the loaf. You can substitute them with sultanas. If you don't like raisins leave them out or swap them for chopped cherries (either fresh or frozen).
- Pecan nuts - I added these for extra crunch. They should be coarsely chopped. Substitute with walnuts or other nut of your choice. I haven't tried it, but I imagine chopped hazelnuts would be tasty.
- Eggs - used to bind everything together. The eggs should be lightly beaten.
- Natural or Greek yoghurt - this is thick unflavored yoghurt, and is needed to add a little moisture to the loaf and help bind the ingredients together.
- Honey - runny honey that you can pour! This is not an overly sweet bake. It depends on how sweet your bananas and apples are as to whether the amount of honey I have used is sufficient for your taste. You can add one or two tablespoons extra honey or a tablespoon of sugar (I prefer dark brown but you could use white granulated) if you think it needs more sweetness. See the FAQ section below for what to do if your honey has crystallised.
- Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda - help the cake to rise, although that said, this banana loaf does not rise very much.
- Cinnamon and mixed spice - these spices add a lovely warming flavour to the honey oat and apple loaf.
- Flaked almonds - optional and not pictured - for sprinkling on top.
**You can get the exact ingredient measurements for making this honey oat and apple banana loaf on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Instructions
This honey oat and apple banana loaf follows a typical muffin recipe where the dry ingredients and wet ingredients are combined in two separate bowls. Then the wet ingredients are mixed with the dry ingredients.
Step 1: Place the oats into a food processor and process them for 2 to 3 minutes until the oats turn into coarse flour. Place the oats in a mixing bowl and stir in the bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon and mixed spice.
Step 2: Chop the pecan nuts coarsely and set aside until needed. I used my food processor to do this but you could chop them with a sharp knife instead.
Step 3: Mash the bananas in a small bowl until there are no lumps and the banana is quite soft.
Step 4: Transfer the banana to a separate mixing bowl and mix in the lightly beaten eggs, the yoghurt and the honey.
Step 5: Grate the apples (or whizz them around in a food processor) and mix them into the banana mixture.
Step 6: Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients.
Step 7: Mix lightly until just combined and there are no dry bits of oats showing. The mixture should have a thick, dropping consistency.
Step 8: Add the raisins and chopped pecans and mix until combined.
Step 9: Transfer the mixture to a 9" x 5" (23cm x 12.5cm) loaf tin which has been lined with baking parchment.
Step 10: Bake in a preheated oven at 175C / 350F for 30 minutes. Then cover the baking pan with a sheet of tin foil (to prevent over-browning) and continue to bake for another 25 to 30 minutes until the loaf is firm to the touch and a wooden skewer inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out cleanly with no batter sticking to it.
Tips for a successful outcome
Here are my top tips to ensure your honey oat banana and apple loaf turns out perfectly every time:
- When processing the oats in the food processor, do it in bursts of 30 seconds then stop and let the oats sink back down onto the blades. It will take approximately 2 to 3 minutes to get the oats to the correct consistency. The oats don't have to be as fine as flour - they should just be finely chopped.
- If you have a food processor, it makes it faster to chop the nuts and apples. Chop the nuts first and transfer them to a bowl (they are dry so don't leave a damp residue) then remove the core from the apples, cut them into quarters and process those next. Doing it in this order means you don't need to wash the food processor bowl between chopping ingredients.
- If you don't have a food processor (and are using wholewheat flour to make the honey apple and banana bread) you can chop the nuts with a sharp knife and grate the apples using a cheese grater. Note - in both instances, it will not be necessary to peel the apples (unless you have an aversion to apple skin 🙂 )
- Once you have poured the apple and banana mixture into the dry ingredients, do not overmix. You should stir gently with a spatula until the mixture is just combined.
- Stir the raisins and nuts through gently.
- I like to line my baking pan with baking parchment, leaving an overhang to help lift the loaf out easily.
- Because the banana and apple loaf will be in the oven for almost an hour it may brown too much on top For this reason I like to cover it with tin foil after the first 30 minutes to prevent too much browning.
- Allow the honey and apple banana loaf to cool before attempting to slice it or it may crumble.
Equipment
This recipe and the timings given have been tested with a 9" x 5" baking tin (or 23cm x 12.5cm). If you use a different-sized baking pan you may have to adjust the time you cook the banana apple loaf accordingly.
The main piece of equipment you will need is a food processor in order to convert the oats into flour. I haven't tried to make this recipe using oats that have not been processed, but if you do try to do this, I would advise allowing the unprocessed whole oats to soak in the wet ingredients (bananas, yoghurt and honey) for 10 minutes before continuing with the rest of the recipe.
You will need 2 mixing bowls - one for the wet ingredients and one for the dry.
You will also (optionally) need a sharp knife and a chopping board plus a cheese grater to cut up all the ingredients.
Storage
This honey oat and apple banana loaf can be stored in an airtight covered container in the kitchen or pantry. There is no need to refrigerate it and it will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
Because of the moist texture I haven't tried to freeze this honey apple and banana loaf. I think the texture would deteriorate once frozen and then defrosted. If you do try to freeze it, I'd love to know how it turned out. Let me know in the comments.
FAQ
If your honey has crystalised in the bottle or jar (it happens all the time) don't throw it away. Remove the lid and place the honey jar in the microwave on full power in 15-second blasts until the honey crystals have returned to their liquid form. It normally takes 2 or 3 blasts. Allow the honey to cool and then use it in the recipe.
Replace the lid on the honey jar and store the remainder in the pantry for future use.
Substitute by weight, not volume. This recipe calls for 2 cups of oats which weigh 200g. 200g of flour is 1.43 US measuring cups by volume, which is slightly less than 1.5 cups of wholewheat flour (not 2 cups). You may also need to add a little extra yoghurt if the mixture is too thick. The consistency of the batter should be a thick dropping consistency.
Save for later
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📋The recipe
Honey oat apple and banana loaf
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Food processor
- Loaf tin 9" x 5" or 23cm x 12.5cm
- 2 Mixing Bowls
- Sharp Knife
- Chopping Board
- Cheese grater
Ingredients
- 2 cups / 200 grams oatmeal or rolled oats substitute with 1.5 cups or 200 grams wholewheat flour
- 1 teaspon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
- ½ cup / 50 grams pecan or walnuts
- 2 bananas as ripe as possible
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- ¼ cup 60 ml Greek or Natural thick yoghurt
- ¼ cup 60 ml runny honey you can use extra for a sweeter taste
- 2 sweet apples Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Golden Delicious or equivalent
- ½ cup / 50 grams raisins
- 1 - 2 tablespoons flaked almonds optional for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F
- Place the oats into a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process them for 2 to 3 minutes until the oats turn into coarse flour. Place the oats in a mixing bowl and stir in the bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon and mixed spice. Set aside.2 cups / 200 grams oatmeal or rolled oats, 1 teaspon baking powder, ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
- Chop the pecan nuts coarsely and set aside until needed. I used my food processor to do this but you could chop them with a sharp knife instead.½ cup / 50 grams pecan or walnuts
- Mash the bananas in a small bowl until there are no lumps and the banana is quite soft.2 bananas
- Transfer the banana to a separate mixing bowl and mix in the lightly beaten eggs, the yoghurt and the honey.2 large eggs, ¼ cup 60 ml Greek or Natural thick yoghurt, ¼ cup 60 ml runny honey
- Grate the apples (or whizz them around in a food processor) and mix them into the banana mixture.2 sweet apples
- Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients.
- Mix lightly until just combined and there are no dry bits of oats showing. The mixture should have a thick, dropping consistency.
- Add the raisins and chopped pecans and mix until combined.½ cup / 50 grams raisins
- Transfer the mixture to a 9" x 5" (23cm x 12.5cm) loaf tin which has been lined with baking parchment.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 175C / 350F for 30 minutes. Then cover the baking pan with a sheet of tin foil (to prevent over-browning) and continue to bake for another 25 to 30 minutes until the loaf is firm to the touch and a wooden skewer inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out cleanly with no batter sticking to it.
Notes
- When processing the oats in the food processor, do it in bursts of 30 seconds then stop and let the oats sink back down onto the blades. It will take approximately 2 to 3 minutes to get the oats to the correct consistency. The oats don't have to be as fine as flour - they should just be finely chopped.
- If you have a food processor, it makes it faster to chop the nuts and apples. Chop the nuts first and transfer them to a bowl (they are dry so don't leave a damp residue) then remove the core from the apples, cut them into quarters and process those next. Doing it in this order means you don't need to wash the food processor bowl between chopping ingredients.
- If you don't have a food processor (and are using wholewheat flour to make the honey apple and banana bread) you can chop the nuts with a sharp knife and grate the apples using a cheese grater. Note - in both instances, it will not be necessary to peel the apples (unless you have an aversion to apple skin 🙂 )
- Once you have poured the apple and banana mixture into the dry ingredients, do not overmix. You should stir gently with a spatula until the mixture is just combined.
- Stir the raisins and nuts through gently.
- I like to line my baking pan with baking parchment, leaving an overhang to help lift the loaf out easily.
- Because the banana and apple loaf will be in the oven for almost an hour it may brown too much on top For this reason I like to cover it with tin foil after the first 30 minutes to prevent too much browning.
- Allow the honey and apple banana loaf to cool before attempting to slice it or it may crumble.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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