I have used baking as a form of therapy since I could hold a spoon and stir. There is something so soothing and calming about it for me. It probably all started when I would sit on the counter and “help” my mother bake banana bread. My special job was mashing the bananas, which I was quite good at.

Then when the banana bread was baking, the fragrance would infuse the house with that luscious scent of love. I would be so excited to get the banana bread out of the over and spread butter on warm slices. It seemed like it took forever! But it was well worth the wait.

Since our house has turned into the Cavewoman Café the aromatic scents wafting from the oven are mostly roast beef and sweet potato fries. Every once in a while, when the woes of the world become too great, I have to bake. One of those such moments came up the other day and I had to bake some banana bread.

Now I have tried baking with almond flour and it’s pretty good. I have a little hard time with the texture, a wee bit grainy. (or should we say nutty.) Coconut flour rocks, but still experimenting on how to get the finished product so that it isn’t so dry. How else does one make banana bread??

To the rescue “Elana’s Pantry.” I love this blog! If you haven’t been there do your self a favor and go there. (But come back!) Elana wrote the “Almond Flour Cookbook” which is excellent. I highly recommend buying it for those days when you have to bake.

Elana has a flourless banana bread recipe on her site that seemed just what I needed. I think I would call it a banana soufflé instead though. It puffed up so beautifully while it was baking and filled, I mean FILLED the house with that banana bread smell that is so comforting. And that, my dears, is half the fun of baking.

I omitted the cocoa powder since I believe chocolate overwhelms the delicate banana flavor that I was so avidly craving. I also added more bananas and another egg since I have so many to play with right now. (I own chickens) It was a (banana) smashing success! I highly recommend it for those days when you need a wee bit of banana comfort.

Fourless Banana Cakelettes (soufflé)

4 eggs separated

¼ teaspoon of sea salt

½ cup agave nectar

¼ cup of coconut oil, melted

1 cup of mashed very ripe bananas

1 teaspoon of vanilla

¼ teaspoon of ground cardamom

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil 6 ramekins. (You can bake this in a cake pan too) Separate the eggs and drop the eggs whites and start to whip them up into fluffy stiff peaks. Pull out your handy dandy blender and whip together everything else. Gently fold in the egg yolk mix into the egg whites till blended. Pour equally into the ramekins and bake for 15 – 20 minutes till done. You can determine this by touching the center of the soufflé and when they are done they don’t wiggle. Enjoy!