Maple Banana Bread (Fat and Sugar Free)

Having just embarked on a quest to get rid of the couple of extra kilos I have packed on, I am once again on the hunt for baked goods that continue to make me feel like Martha Stewart but to maintain a lean, mean physique.

Having been a long time fan of Chocolate Covered Katie's ingenious low calorie sweet recipes, despite all the internet furore over whether or not she has an eating disorder, which sucked me in for an entire free period at work the other day, I decided to modify one of her recipes to create a very low calorie banana bread that would make a good alternative when I get the hankering to bake without resulting in any shift on the scales.

This is pretty good. It was not quite as moist as I would have liked, but I think adding half a cup of frozen blueberries to the mixture would keep it a little more tender. Instead of a loaf, I made little portion-controlled muffins, and they work out to be around 95 calories a piece. Not bad. Of course, if you are not on a calorie controlled diet, you can use regular maple syrup, and I would suggest replacing the skim milk with a mild-flavoured oil.

Maybe if I keep this up, I too will one day achieve the dream of baking with Snoop Dogg.

Fat and Sugar Free Maple Banana Bread
(Serves 12)

2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp mixed spice
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup skim milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar-free maple syrup
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp stevia
1 2/3 cups mashed banana (I used 4 bananas)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius. Grease a loaf pan, or spray 12 cupcake liners arranged in a muffin tin with oil.
Combine the flour, baking soda and powder, spices, and salt in a large bowl and whisk together to combine. Seperately, combine the milk, vanilla, maple syrup, vinegar, stevia and mashed banana. Mix well.
Make a well in the centre of the dry mixture and pour in the wet ingredients. Incorporate gently to mix until only just combined - in this case it is better to have a few lumps than it is to overmix which will result in very rubbery bread.
Pour mixture into loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes, covering with foil at about the 30 minute mark. Alternatively, pour into cupcake liners and bake for 20 minutes or until set and golden.

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