whole wheat banana bundtlets

Anyone who's been around the dietitian sound-bite machine for long will surely recognize the concept that most traditional "muffins" are nothing more than a cupcake sans icing. That fact doesn't really bother me, but I do think it's a reality people need to be aware of.

Muffins often have a health halo they don't deserve. Don't get me wrong... I LOVE muffins... especially a good muffin top. But as one Twitter friend said recently, Muffins tops = Muffin tops. You get the picture. 

So when I decided to share this variation on a very traditional Banana Bread recipe that my mother is gradually making infamous among my two sons, I wanted to show it for what is really is... banana cake (a la Banana Bundtlets). It's rich in sugar and heavy on the oil. And honestly, SOOO good. Even my husband, who is notoriously critical in my test kitchen, said "These are really good!" (With a hint of surprise... hmmm... doesn't he know what I do for a living?)

I did "improve" on them slightly by changing over to white whole wheat flour. With that much oil and sugar, you lose no amount of tender crumb even with the switch. So I say, why not? But the addition doesn't exactly make them super-low-cal, so I prefer to show them the way I think you should think of them:

Mini cakes.

As I said, I don't think there's anything wrong with pulling up to a mini cake with a hot cup of coffee, a bowl of fresh fruit and some Greek yogurt, and enjoying a wonderful morning breakfast. But just know that when you do that, with these bundlets or that muffin from the bakery, you're likely eating a slice of cake or a mini-cupcake. Nothing wrong with doing... as long as you're fully knowing.

Eat mindfully my friends.

***

Banana Bundlets

1 cup white whole-wheat flour (I used King Arthur)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup oil
1 cup sugar
3 mashed overripe bananas
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a bundtlet pan or muffin pan with cooking spray (makes 6 bundtlets or 6 large oversized muffins or 1 8-inch loaf pan.)

Combine flour, salt, baking soda and sugar a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine oil, bananas, eggs, and buttermilk until well blended. Pour wet ingredients into the dry mixture, and stir just until blended. Divide evenly between bundtlets. 

Bake for 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into crown of bundtlet comes out clean. Let cool in pan at least 5 minutes. 

Update on Saturday, August 13, 2011 at 7:05PM by The Professional Palate - Regan Jones RD

A big thank you to The Spicy RD for the official invite to share this post during August's #cakelove. Be sure to check out all the other fun posts!