There is something about Christmas that always makes me crave gooey cinnamon rolls from my childhood. After beginning to remove sources of glutamate, I thought those days were long gone until I found this recipe by Laura Lea Balanced. The first time I made her recipe we were coming off of three years of being grain-free and were slowly working to incorporate more grains. Because of this, I significantly altered her original nut-free recipe by cutting back on the grains, adding almond flour, removing apple cider vinegar/baking powder, increasing baking soda and adding lemon juice to meet our current needs and work to lower glutamate. I also chose to add a rich homemade frosting that resembles a cream cheese frosting instead of coconut manna. These changes created the rich gooey cinnamon treat I had longed for. Heads up, this is definitely a sweet* treat
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
1 1/2 c. Gluten-Free Rolled Oats
1 1/4 c. Almond Flour
1/4 c. Coconut Flour
1/4 tsp. Himalayan or Sea Salt
4 tsp. Cinnamon
2 tsp. Baking Soda
Wet Ingredients
3 Large Ripe Bananas (approx 1 3/4 c. mashed)
1 Egg
8 tbsp Melted Coconut Oil (4 tbsp reserved for crumble)
2 tsp. Lemon Juice (fresh)
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract (homemade best)
3/4 c. Coconut Sugar
Frosting
2/3 c. Raw Cashews (unsalted)
2/3 c. Water (plus water to heat cashews)
1 1/2 tbsp. Pure Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp. Himalayan or Sea Salt
1/4 tsp. Lemon Juice
Hefty Dash Ground Nutmeg
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper. Add gluten-free oats to a high powered blender or food processor equipped with “S” blade and blend until oats resemble a fine flour-like consistency. Set aside 1/2 cup of oat flour for crumble layer/topping. Pour remaining oat flour into a large mixing bowl, along with almond flour, coconut flour, salt, 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon (reserve remaining 2 teaspoons for crumble layer/topping), and baking soda. Stir until well combined.
In the high powered blender or food processor equipped with “S” blade, add peeled bananas, egg, 4 tablespoons of melted coconut oil (reserve remaining 4 tablespoons of melted coconut oil for crumble layer/topping), lemon juice, vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup coconut sugar (reserve remaining coconut sugar for crumble layer/topping). Blend until well combined and smooth.
Add wet ingredients to dry and gently stir until well combined, do not over mix. Add half of the batter to the bottom of loaf pan and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of oat flour, 4 tablespoons of melted coconut milk, 1/2 cup of coconut sugar, and 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon to make the crumble layer/topping mixture. The mixture should be crumbly. Gently sprinkle roughly 1/2 of the crumble layer/topping mixture onto loaf pan batter. Repeat this process by adding another layer of batter to loaf pan. Place the loaf pan into the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick placed into the center, runs clear.
Place cashews into a small saucepan and cover with enough water to fully submerge the cashews. Place over stovetop at medium-high heat and allow for cashews to tenderize for approximately 15 minutes. Once tender, remove from heat and drain any excess water. Add cashews and a fresh 2/3 c. of water to a high powered blender or food processor equipped with “S” blade and blend until smooth. Add remaining maple syrup, vanilla extract, salt, lemon juice, and nutmeg. Blend until smooth and well combined.
Pour frosting over baked cinnamon roll loaf and top with the remaining crumble layer/topping. Store leftovers in the refrigerator and reheat individual slices as needed.
