gluten free / refined sugar free
A little about Akwadu
This dish is simple yet delicious. A variation of this is popularly eaten for breakfast or dessert in Africa, particularly in Tunisia and Equatorial Guinea. Akwadu is traditionally made with butter, honey and sugar. I wanted a refined sugar free version so I swapped the sugar for pure maple syrup, but you could also use more honey. You’ll still get that incredible caramelization that makes this dish so good.
This recipe makes a single-serving but can easily be multiplied with a larger baking dish.
Akwadu makes for a healthy dessert
Akwadu has unrefined carbs from the banana and healthy fats from the butter. It’s also high in B vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin C, copper, manganese and potassium.
This dish works perfectly for a healthy and simple dessert. You can even pop it in the oven before you sit down for dinner and it will be ready just in time!
Kitchen essentials
- A small cast iron skillet or pie pan (6-8 inches). Any small baking dish will work.
More African-inspired recipes:
Caramelized Banana Coconut Bake (Akwadu)
Course: DessertsDifficulty: Easy1
servings5
minutes15
minutes20
minutesIngredients
1 medium ripe banana
1 tbsp fresh orange juice
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp shredded coconut
Dash cinnamon
Dash sea salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Prepare the banana. Peel the banana and cut in half lengthwise. Place them in your pan cut-side down. Cut small slits into the tops of the bananas to allow the juices to flow through.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pan. Pour the orange juice, lemon juice, maple syrup, and butter over the bananas. I like to cut my butter into thin slices and evenly place them around the pan. Swirl the pan around to mix the juices a bit. Layer on the shredded coconut. Lastly sprinkle salt and cinnamon over the bananas.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Half way through, pull the pan out of the oven and use a spoon or a baster to pour the juices over the banana. Optionally, set the oven to broil to brown just the top, about 2-3 minutes. Watch closely! Allow to cool slightly and enjoy.
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Nutrition Facts
1 servings per container
Serving Size1 servings
Calories331
- Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
- Total Fat
18.4g
29%
- Saturated Fat 13.0g 65%
- Trans Fat 0.5g
- Cholesterol 30.5mg 11%
- Sodium 163.4mg 7%
- Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
- Potassium 517.5mg 15%
- Total Carbohydrate
44.6g
15%
- Dietary Fiber 4.7g 19%
- Sugars 29.9g
- Protein 2.2g 5%
- Vitamin A 460.3%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
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