The Many Shades of Orange
As summer is slowly trying to show it’s face, I was thinking of creating a dessert which was not too heavy and does not involve chocolate. Some kind of a tea cake I thought should be it, I did not want to just bake the usual carrot or banana cake. I thought of many other fruit and vegetable options but every time I went to the store to buy some of these so called options were not around. So I felt why not just stick to what is easily available, the ingredients of the famous tea cakes- banana and carrot! Instead of racking my brains any further I decided why not combine both of it and I wanted to add something else as well. I happened to be reading a lot on nutrition and dried fruit is something which is always stocked at my place, I did not want to put raisins because they can make the loaf too sweet. I went with dried apricot assuming it could add some zing. I took a chance on it and the trio loaf was made 🙂 .
Want to take a chance on it too? Follow the recipe
Gluten Free Banana, Carrot and Apricot Loaf
Ingredients
Makes 1 loaf
100 gm white rice flour
50 gm brown rice flour *
50 sorghum (jowar) flour
25 gm corn starch
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp cream of tartar
1 ½ tsp of xanthan gum **
100 gm butter chopped into small pieces
175 gm caster sugar
Grated zest of 1 lime and juice of one half of the lime
6 tbsp milk
2 bananas
75 gm grated carrots
50 gm dried apricots, chopped
2 eggs
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius, Grease a 900 gm loaf pan
- Put the flours, baking soda and cream of tartar in a bowl, add the butter and mix together to form crumbs or rub it together with your fingertips.
- Add the sugar and pour in the zest, lime juice and the milk.
- In another bowl beat the eggs gently, add to it mashed bananas, the carrots and apricots.
- Pour the egg banana mix into the flour mixture and beat well. It should be well combined, not too dry or too liquidy, at this stage If you find the batter very thick add a tbsp of milk. It should be a like a normal cake batter.
Pour this batter into the loaf pan. - Bake it for 55 minutes at 180 degree Celsius until rises and nice golden brown. When it is close to 40 minutes keep a check to see if the top of the loaf is not getting too brown or burnt. If you suspect it is cover the top with a baking paper. Insert a toothpick into the centre of the loaf and if it comes out clean it is cooked. Leave in the pan for 5 minutes and then leave to cool on a wire rack.
Notes
* Cannot find brown rice flour you can substitute it for white rice flour
**If you cannot find xanthan gum add an egg white or you can use guar gum
Not too sure if you have cream of tartar just use 1/2 tsp of lime juice
Are these flours not what you usually stock? Do not worry just use 225 gm of a good gluten free flour mix. Please check to see if the mix already has xanthan gum or guar gum in that case omit the gum mentioned in the recipe.