Making Chocolate & Grandma’s 90th Birthday – Eat Local Maui Challenge

A glimpse into Day 9 of eating 100% locally grown and raised foods from the Hawaiian Islands. I pretty much ate leftovers all day, but attempted to make a banana cake topped in chocolate for my Grandma’s 90th birthday. It tasted good, but you get some intimate family moments as my family teases me the recipe might need more tweeking. Recipe included below, but I hope all the bakers out there will give me some tips (I know there’s no leavening! Am doing the Eat Local Maui Challenge and only sourcing ingredients from the Hawaiian Islands). 

BANANA BREAD

Preheat oven to 350°F

In mixing bowl, combine ::

• 4 small bananas*, mashed
• 3 eggs from Hale Akua
• 3/4 cup butter from Naked Cow Dairy, melted
• 3/4 cup liquid honey from UpCountry Apiaries
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (purchased vanilla bean from Locavore Store + honey moonshine)

In separate smaller mixing bowl ::

• 1 3/4 cup ulu flour from Noho’ana Farm
• 1 tsp salt from Hawaiian Volcano Sea Salt
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon from OK Farms
• 1/4 tsp allspice from Kupa’a Farms
• 1/4 tsp kāhili root powder***

Mix the ingredients from the dry mixing bowl into the liquid ingredient mixing bowl bit by bit. Then, pour into baking dish. I used quite a bit of fat (coconut oil from Hawaii Nut Oils) in the bottom of the pan to make sure they wouldn’t stick. Bake time depends on pan size. I made 2 small hearts and 4 muffins, bake time 15 minutes at 350°F.

CHOCOLATE

• cocoa butter from Lavaloha Farms
• cocoa powder from Lavaloha Farms
• honey from UpCountry Apiaries
• vanilla extract (vanilla beans from Locavore Store + honey mead distilled moonshine)

dinner :: Dried persimmons gifted from my Auntie at Protea Gardens of Maui. Carrots from Okoa Farms, Hawaiian sandalwood hydrosol (Santalum paniculatum), honey from Upcountry Apiaries, coconut oil from Hawaii Nut Oils. Venison gifted from a friend, salt from Hawaiian Volcano Sea Salt, pink peppercorn (Schinus molle)***. Cassava* and wild greens*** mash. Banana cake with chocolate. 

drink :: elderflower champagne made with elderflowers (Sambucus mexicana)***, honey from UpCountry Apiaries, lemons*.

* = grown by me*** = foraged by me

#eatlocalmaui2020 #projectlocavore