Chocolate Pan Cake ~ Sprouted Wheat Flour

I have a confession to make…my husband is known to troll the clearance baking rack at our local discount store. He has a serious sugar addiction and I have been trying to bake more sweet stuff at home to prevent his binge buying. But I want to provide something other than just sweetness when baking, as well as using less sugar to “detox” his taste buds.

Enter the quick snack pan cake, versatile and easy to make. No need for frosting, some chocolate chips baked on and a quick blizzard of confectioner’s sugar is just enough.

While you could use just about any flour you like for this recipe, why not give sprouted wheat flour a try? It’s light, silky texture belies it’s biggest health benefit…fiber! Four grams of fiber per serving compared to regular all-purpose flour’s one gram of fiber. Sprouted wheat flour has a milder flavor than regular whole wheat flour so you can sneak it in for those finicky eaters in the family.

For an added plus, this cake comes together quickly by hand, no need to pull out your mixer. And, it can be mixed in the same pan it’s baked in if you use a non-stick baking pan (I used my old faithful Pyrex here).

Sprouted Wheat Chocolate Pan Cake

3/4 cup sprouted wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 banana
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease or line an 8 by 8 square baking pan with parchment, if not using a non-stick baking pan.

Sift sprouted wheat flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon together in a small bowl and set aside.

Mash banana and butter together in a medium bowl. Add sugar and cocoa powder and stir to mix well. Beat eggs lightly with a fork and add to the sugar mixture with the vanilla extract. Now add the sifted dry ingredients all at once and stir until the mixture comes together and is smooth. It should look like brownie batter.

Transfer the batter to your baking pan. Smooth the batter to even it out and sprinkle the semi-sweet and white chocolate chips over the top.

Place in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

This cake is best served warm with a little sprinkling of powdered sugar or a scoop of ice cream. When serving leftovers (if there are any!), place it on a microwave safe plate and give it a short blast on low power.

If you’re baking for a crowd, double the recipe and bake the cake in a 9 by 13 pan. Increase the baking time by 5 to 10 minutes. Start checking for doneness after 35 minutes.