January Breakfast Cake

Made with peanut butter, bananas, maple syrup and gluten-free, too

Yes, you can have your January, and eat cake too.

After the excesses of the holidays, many folks swear off cookies and the like for January. Not me. I have the food brain of a golden retriever: If I think I’m not allowed to eat something, all I do is think about it. So, instead I shift my thinking, and look for ways to create more nutritious options that are satisfying and don’t make me think I’m skimping in some way.

This week’s creation is meant to combat the blues of that first post-holiday work week. I was thinking mainly of my teenage son, who now has to cope with getting up before his traditional vacation wake-up time of 1:30 pm.

Cake!

This tender cake gets protein from peanut butter and egg, sweetness from maple syrup and banana (and, yes, traces of white sugar from the Skippy Natural peanut butter), fiber from oatmeal and oat flour, which also makes it gluten-free. Chocolate chips because. Don’t make me explain this one to you.

The cake comes together in the time it takes your oven to get to temperature.

I left the cake to cool and came back to this.

January Breakfast Cake

January Breakfast Cake: Printable recipe

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updated 12/17/23

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What You’ll Need:

1 cup (227 grams) water

1 cup (270 grams) “natural” peanut butter (I used Skippy; I haven’t tried the recipe with freshly ground nut butter)

1/4 cup (78 grams) real maple syrup (or honey or agave)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or any neutral flavored oil)

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup (46 grams) oat flour

1 1/2 cups (134 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg *

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ripe banana, mashed

1 cup (170 grams) semisweet chocolate chips (or to taste)

*Veganize with a flax egg: whisk together 3 tablespoons flax seed and 1/4 cup water. Let sit for 10 minutes in the fridge to thicken up.

What You’ll Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Grease an 8 x 8-inch pan.

3. In a medium size pot bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Turn the heat off and whisk in the peanut butter, maple syrup, oil, kosher salt and cinnamon until smooth.

4. Stir in the oat flour, oatmeal, baking powder and baking soda until blended.

5. Mix in the egg and vanilla until incorporated.

6. Fold in the banana and chocolate chips and pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Smooth the batter to the edges and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and the center bounces back if touched with finger.

7. Let cool.

I like to eat this for breakfast with yogurt, nuts and fruit.

Options: Oh, so many options. Add dried fruits, chopped nuts or fresh cranberries, just to name a few.

Happy New Year to everyone, and welcome to all my new readers! It’s wonderful to have you here. Please let me know what kind of recipes or kitchen history you’d be interested in seeing. Or your feelings about whether Kevin McCarthy will become Speaker of the House tomorrow, or what part of the January 6 report intrigued you most. Or if you’ve ever made a New Year’s resolution and stuck to it.