Chocolate-Swirled Banana Wheat Cake

This cake is so sublime, so moist with a buttery crumb, and so chocolatey, I hesitate to tell you that it's healthy. It's also made in minutes with everyday ingredients. When your chocolate-banana cravings strike, you need to be reaching for this.

I made this cake for myself and the boys so we could have a healthy, nourishing option for breakfast. Since we adore my sultry banana bread, I figured a "cake" variation would be a sure thing. It's for sure a sure thing. And will now become a regular part of our breakfast routine. But what makes it healthy? Read on...

Is it truly healthy? I mean, the cake is smothered in chocolate, right? Not exactly. There's enough of the sweet stuff on top to create a decorative pattern, and the illusion of copious amounts of chocolate. No more, no less. And, check this out, there are just 4 tablespoons of butter in the entire cake (which serves 12 to 16). That's ridiculously low when compared to a "real" cake.

But this tastes like a real cake because the moisture in the bananas picks up the slack, fills in for the butter and creates a rich cake with a dense crumb.

I also swapped in whole wheat flour for almost half of the total flour and gave you the option of using milk, half and half or fat-free half and half. I used fat-free half and half because that's what I had in the fridge (I use it mostly for coffee, but it works great in cake batter too).

So there you have it - a rich banana-chocolate cake you can feel great about eating. All day long.

Chocolate-Swirled Banana Wheat Cake 

Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas, about 3 large bananas
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk, half and half or fat free half and half
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine both flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
In a large bowl or food processor, combine the bananas, sugar, milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well or process until blended. Add the flour mixture and mix or process until just blended.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the surface.
Melt the chocolate in a small saucepan or in the microwave, checking and stirring every 30 seconds. Use a small spoon to drizzle several parallel lines crosswise on the entire surface of the cake (lines will run from the top to the bottom of the longer side of the pan). Use a knife in the opposite direction and slide it through the lines, creating a decorative pattern.
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until a wooden pick comes out clean or with little moist bits clinging to it. Cool the cake, in the pan, on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Cut into squares and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container (room temperature for 2-3 days, refrigerated for 5 days, or freezer for 3 months).
Serves 12-16