Whenever we celebrate a birthday in our house, I always lean on this delicious banana birthday cake recipe. It comes out fluffy and moist every single time and is filled with nourishing wholefoods.

My approach to nutrition for our family is one based on whole, real foods that have experienced minimal processing and are as close to their original state as possible, just as nature intended. And when it comes to birthday cakes, my approach is no different! In fact, with any dessert or pudding that I make, I strive for it to be a meal that we can enjoy alongside other food for lunch or dinner - or breakfast. I want to break our family free from the idea that cake or custard only comes after you’ve eaten the broccoli, because ultimately, that only teaches children that those foods are the reward.

Now I know, this is easier said than done - but I certainly find it easier when I’m in charge of the recipe! If you struggle with how to manage sweet foods in your house or find yourself relying on bribery more than you’d like (“if you have one taste of xyz then you can have a piece of xyz”), send me a message, I’d love to talk you through how I can help.

Now, on to the recipe for the delicious fail-proof Birthday Banana Cake. This recipe has been inspired by Nadia Lim’s Banana Cake recipe and I’ve added a few Nourish and Bloom tweaks along the way.

Birthday Banana Cake

• Mix together 1/2 cup coconut oil melted, 4 eggs, 3 bananas (mashed really well - I usually whisk them with a fork) with a whisk until well-combined and smooth.

• Add in 1 cup of flour (I use 1/2 cup buckwheat flour and 1/2 cup brown rice flour), 2 cups desiccated coconut, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla powder.

• Before cooking, as an optional extra you can press pecan nuts into the top of the cake batter or slice a banana longways and add it to the top. For younger children, I recommend waiting to make this recipe until they have been introduced to all of the ingredients first.

• Stir to combine well with a spoon and then pour into a lined cake or loaf tin (both work well) and bake at 170°C for 30-40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

• Allow the cake to sit in the cake tin for a moment, then tip out onto a rack to cool slightly before taste-testing. Enjoy!