And here we go again with yet another variation of our oat-based cakes. Today, we shall play with a totally new flavor! As we have seen, licorice is a root and as such has a good number of health benefits, however, snacking on the black licorice candy is not the same thing as snacking on the root. Here we have a rather healthy cake that serves the sweet tooth craving and has that lovely licorice taste. That being said, even if liquorice root has no fats or sugars, one still has to eat this treat with moderation as it might lead to fluid retention or high blood pressure, but the chances of getting the side effects from a cake, are rather low unless you’re eating the whole cake yourself which is obviously not the purpose of any cake! So, let’s take a look at how this recipe goes!
Ingredients
- Oats
- Almonds
- Coconuts
- Banana
- Milk
- Baking Soda
- Liquorice
- Aniseeds
- Nutmeg
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Vanilla
- Sultanas
- Golden Raisins
- Black Raisins
Method
As always we start by creating our flour. This time we have a three-way going on with our oats, almonds, and coconut. Coconut will add the oils making the cake softer, while almonds will give a dryness to your cake letting it rise and dry out (oats on their own will make the texture more similar to a pudding). I went with almost equal parts, however, you can play with the amounts to find a texture you like. Blend everything up with some baking powder. Add the licorice, aniseeds, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon to your flour and give one more blend.
In a separate container, mix the banana, milk (I suggest soy or coconut), and vanilla essence (if you are using the beans maybe you would want to add it to the dry components. Honestly, I have never used the beans). Blend well until you have a nice, runny consistency.
Finally, start folding in the liquid mixture to your dry ingredients until you have a cake consistency (the rest of the milk will be a nice shake if you have some leftover) and add the sultanas and raisins in. (Might be a good idea to leave a little of your batter without raisins so you can cover the top with that as raisins tend to burn. Alternatively, you can cover your cake and uncover it for the last few minutes. Of course, place your mixture in a cake tray and bake. Your cake is done!
Variations
As always you can play with the flavors here. If you are not a huge fan of bananas, do not worry. I used slightly firm ones (not too ripe) and the taste was completely hidden. So actually this is a good way to eat some bananas if you don’t like them and want to add them to your diet! You can also add honey or dates to your milk to increase the sweetness, as the taste as it is is not too sweet. Hope you like this recipe and will give it a go, we would love to hear your thoughts in the comment below or on our social media!