Omega-3 Banana Muffins 超健康版香蕉蛋糕

By looking at the title of this post, you may wonder what this is all about. I was inspired by a recipe in a book called The Queen of Fats by Susan Allport. It is not a cookbook in any way. Its subtitle is "why omega-3s were removed from the Western diet and what we can do to replace them". By reading the subtitle I guess you can get an idea what the book is all about. I do not intend to do a book report here. If you are interested, you can check it out from the library. In short, omega-3 is the good fat that our body needs in order to function properly, especially our brain and eyes. Fish, walnut, flaxseed, fruit, vegetable, and so on are good sources of omega-3. But most of the processed foods in the market have had the omega-3 removed because it has a short shelf life. This is another reason to avoid processed foods in general.







The recipe given in the book is rather plain and straightforward. To make it more interesting and palatable, I incorporated the idea of banana bread into the recipe. By adding ground flax seeds, walnuts and canola oil, it boosts the amount of polyunsaturated fats tremendously.

And who said eating cake is unhealthy? Obviously not all cakes are created equal. This one has the best of both worlds.

單看這食譜的題目你可能會問:什麼葫蘆賣什麼藥呢？事源我最近看過一本關於奧米加3脂肪酸的書,增加我對這種脂肪酸的認識,當中有一個蛋糕食譜是用亞麻籽,合桃及芥花籽油做的,它們都含有大量奧米加3,非常有益,尤其對於眼睛及大腦的健康成長特別重要。

但那本始終不是一本烹飪書,所以難免寡了一點。突然靈機一動,我想起香蕉蛋糕,如果將兩者融為一體,除了變成又好食又健康的新食法, 也能打破『利口不利腹』的講法 !


Ingredients to make about 16-18 muffins or one 9 x 5 inch loaf pan:
1½ cups/210g unbleached all-purpose flour 普通麵粉

1 tbsp baking powder 泡打粉

¼ tsp cinnamon powder 肉桂粉
½ tsp kosher salt 鹽
¾ cup/150g sugar (see notes) 糖
2 eggs 蛋
½ cup/100g canola oil 芥花籽油
3-4 very ripe banana, peeled and mashed (340g) 熟香蕉蓉
½ cup/60g flax seeds, milled 亞麻籽,磨碎
1 tsp vanilla extract 雲呢哪香油
¾ cup/75g walnut, toasted (325⁰F for 10 minutes) and chopped 合桃,切碎及烘香

1)  Preheat oven to 375⁰F. Line muffin/cupcake papers into the muffin pan. Or brush oil if you are using a loaf pan.
2)  Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Mix with ground flax seeds.
3)  Beat the eggs and sugar in a stand mixer with the whip attachment for about five minutes on medium speed, or eight minutes using a handheld mixer. The batter should be light and fluffy.

(I accidentally used the paddle instead of the whip.)

Notice the color changed from bright to pale yellow after five minutes of beating.

4)  Turn the mixer down to low speed and slowly pour in the oil in three or four additions. If you pour it all at once, you will deflate all the air that you have just beaten into the batter.
5)  Add the mashed bananas and vanilla and continue to mix on low until combined.
6)  Fold in the flour and nuts with a spatula until just combined and no flour is seen. Spoon the batter to the muffin pan and bake for 16-18 minutes or until they turn golden brown.

Notes:
1) For a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, bake at 325⁰F for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
2) The amount of sugar is already reduced from 200g to 150g. Do not cut it down any more :) . Sugar also has functions of keeping the cake moist and soft, besides being sweet.

1)  預熱焗爐至375⁰F,焗盤塗油或放上蛋糕紙備用。
2)  將麵粉、泡打粉、肉桂粉及鹽過篩,再加入磨碎了的亞麻籽備用。
3)  用打蛋器將蛋及糖打至淡黄色,約五至八分鐘。
4)  將打蛋器降至慢速,邊打邊加入芥花籽油,不可一次過倒入,要慢慢加,讓油一點點地與蛋醬混合,約一分鐘時間。再加入香蕉蓉及雲呢哪香油,以慢速拌勻。
5)  加入麵粉和合桃,用抹刀(spatula)輕手拌勻(fold),再倒入焗盤。
6)  放入焗爐焗約十六至十八分鐘,蛋糕表面應該呈金棕色便成。

注意事項:
1)除了做成小蛋糕,也可以用九乘五寸焗盤,爐溫用325F,焗一小時十分左右,出爐後要放架上待凉至少三十分鐘,然後才脫模,在架上至完全凉後才可切片食用。
2) 糖份已由原來的200g減至150g,所以不可再減啊 ^_^,因為糖除了令蛋糕有甜的味道外,它也能保持蛋糕濕潤及鬆軟。