I've been obsessing over plantains lately. I want plantain everything. Why NOT make plantain mini cakes?! It seemed like a natural choice.
The key to this recipe is waiting until your plantains are black. I know you think they're probably rotten at this stage, but plantains are much starchier than their banana cousins. The greener the plantain, the more like a potato it resembles. When you wait until a plantain blackens, it becomes super sweet and sticky - fantastic for breakfast cakes and desserts!
The plantains I used had been sitting on my counter for 2 weeks before I felt like they were black enough. Plantains are PERFECT if you love to procrastinate.
Ingredients:
2 cups of oat flour
1/2 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut flakes
2 tsp of baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 heaping tablespoon of ground chia seeds
4 tbsp. of water
2 ripe plantains, peeled
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened, unflavored coconut milk
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 tbsp. coconut sugar + 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the oat flour, coconut flakes, baking powder, and sea salt and whisk together.
In a small bowl, combine the ground chia seeds, water, and set aside.
In a large bowl, smash the plantains using the back of a fork. Once the big chunks are out, add the vanilla extract, coconut milk, and coconut sugar and whisk to combine. Add the chia egg (chia + water mixture) and whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients and use a stiff spatula to stir everything together, as this will be a pretty thick batter.
Grease a mini muffin tin with melted coconut oil, and spoon the batter into each cup, 3/4 filled or more. Gently tap the pan against the countertop to settle the batter in the cups. Pop in the oven and bake for 9-11 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of coconut sugar and 1 tsp of ground cinnamon. When the time is up, remove the muffins from the oven and, using a fork, gently scoop the muffins into the bowl the sugar/cinnamon mixture while they are still hot.
Completely coat the cake in the mixture and transfer to a cooling rack. Continue until all cakes are covered. Serve immediately, makes anywhere from 27 - 30 mini muffins. Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container.
**If you do not have a mini muffin tin, use a regular muffin tin and increase the cooking time to 15-18 minutes. Remove immediately and coat the muffin top in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and transfer to a cooling rack.