Last Updated on January 6, 2021 by Chef Mireille
Kai Pola – Gluten Free Plantain Cake is sweet, delicious, and so easy to make with only a few ingredients!
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For a delicious gluten free and completely grain free cake that is quick and easy and does not require you to go on an expedition to find alternative grains, this is the cake for you! As long as you have plantains, you’re set!
Gluten free cake recipes and gluten-free sweet treats often include grains that may be a little harder to find since not every supermarket provides tapioca starch or other gluten free alternatives.
A Bit of History on Kerala
The South Indian coastal state of Kerala is heralded as one of the most beautiful states of India, with many lakes and rivers. Although it is as narrow as 11 miles across in some places, it is 370 miles long from north to south. Kerala is often referred to as the “Land of Coconuts”.
Its tropical climate is very hot, due to its proximity to the equator. Due to its length, it has a diverse ecosystem.
Kerala is one of the most diverse states with sizable communities of the major religions of Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Judaism all centered in Kerala. Yes, Kerala is one of the few places in India that is home to a Jewish population. It was quite large prior to the formation of Israel, but there is still a small community that remains.
Kerala was also the center for many years of the spice trade. This led to the use of many spices in their cuisine, resulting in deliciously flavorful food. I have already experimented with some Kerala cuisine in the past as in this Okra Curry & Kootu. The world famous Tellicherry peppercorns are from Kerala. Check out my delicious recipe for Tellicherry Pepper Chicken here.
Plantain Lovers
As most of my readers know, I am a plantain fanatic! Kerala uses plantains in many different ways, therefore it’s no surprise that it is one of my favorite Indian cuisines. This kaipola recipe from the Malabar coast and with such simple ingredients, it demonstrates their love of both plantains and eggs.
As demonstrated when I made this Pazham Nirachathu (stuffed plantains), the Malabari’s use of eggs in many sweet preparations makes the egg almost discernible. Instead, they use it as scrambled or other forms where the eggs remains true to itself in sweet preparations. Who knew sweet eggs would taste good…but they do!
The variety of recipes for Kai Pola are diverse; some are more like an omelet with plantains… I’m talking as much as 5 eggs per 1 plantain. I prefer a more balanced ratio of eggs to plantain, which is why I decided on the more cake-like version for this recipe. I hope you like it as much as I do.
In this plantain cake recipe, the eggs act as more of a binder and you barely taste the eggs with the ever present natural sweetness of the ripe plantains. Plantain plays second fiddle to nothing!
Although this cake was traditionally a Steamed Plantain Cake, this easy baked version is just as delicious.
Here’s what you need to make this delicious Kai Pola:
The Ingredients
- 3 ripe plantains
- 4 eggs
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 Tbsp ghee
- 2 Tbsp cashews
- 2 Tbsp golden raisins
- 1/2 cup oil for frying
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How to make Kai Pola
- First peel and chop the ripe plantains.
- Then fry them in a little oil until golden.
- Then you combine fried plantains with eggs and flavorings.
- Bake in oven for 25 minutes.
Depending on the ripeness of the plantains, the texture will vary a bit each time you make it.
When made with completely black skin plantains, you will get an almost pudding texture.
when the skin is halfway black…
If you prefer a more dense cake, make sure your plantains aren’t super ripe.
Kai Pola: Gluten-Free Plantain Cake
Ingredients
- 3 ripe plantains
- 4 eggs
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 2 tablespoons cashews
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
- 1/2 cup oil for frying
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9×9" square baking dish.
- Peel plantain and cut into small pieces.
- Heat oil in a skillet. Add plantain pieces. Fry plantain pieces until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Leave to cool for a few minutes.
- In a small skillet, heat ghee. Fry cashews and raisins until nuts are golden brown. Remove.
- In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar and cardamom.
- Add plantains, nuts and raisins and mix well. Make sure all the plantain is well coated with the egg mixture.
- Transfer to prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 25 minutes until set.
Video
Notes
- Plantains should be very ripe with the skin at least 50% black, unless you prefer a more dense cake then feel free to use plantains that are a bit less ripe.
- Although baking is often used in modern versions, traditionally it is often steamed or cooked like a pancake (dosa-like) in the more egg rich versions.
- This cake is often enjoyed as an Iftar (meal to breakfast) snack during Ramadan.
Nutrition
More Plantain Recipes
Simply the Best Haitian Plantain Porridge – How to Make Labouyi Bannann
African Plantain Soup with Corn – Easy Vegetarian Soup in 15 minutes!
Bannann Peze ~ The Best Haitian Style Fried Plantain
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I don’t cook with plantains that much and have only tasted plantain curry, the cake is irresistible. Looks rich and festive with all those raisins and cashews.
Plantain cake looks so rich and perfect .I like reading about Kerala .Nice start Mir!
That is such an interesting cake with sweet plantains Mir. Great start to the bake-a-thon.
These plantain slices look heavenly! Want to grab a bite now.
Nice write up about Kerela..BTW cake looks so moist and tempting..
Kaipola looks so delicious. This dish is new to me and every time I visit your site, I get to learn something new.
Heard about this Kai pola, but never had a chance to give a try, now u r tempting me..They came out super delicious Mir.
Cake looks fluffy mir! Must be great on taste too!!
Mir, knowing your love for plantain, I am not surprised..however I am surprised I am hearing about this dish for the first time!..I enjoyed reading your intro and amazing how much information you gather for us..and the pictures are yum…
Never thought about using plantains for a dessert. Very interesting inro, loved every bit of it.
This is perfect for any kind of party, and great choice for people who needs it GF!
yes – the cake is both delicious and gluten free!!
Yummy dessert for the whole family. I like the idea of using plantain in this recipe.
yes plantain is full of potassium and lots of other nutrients so great to get it into a dessert
I absolutely LOVE plantains, and cardamom is one of my favorite spices! I am going to love making this for guests!
Great you must let me know what the response is!
This cake sounds wonderful! I’m not sure I can find plantain here in Italy, but I’ll keep a look out. Kerala is very high up on my bucket list. I’d love to visit!
even I haven’t made it to Kerala yet, but I hope to soon!
I would absolutely love to try this!! Looks gooey and decadent!! Delicious!! Love your prep shots!! Amazing work!
thank you and I am sure you would love this cake
I love that this is gluten-free! It’s so nice for people who are avoiding or can’t have gluten
nowadays with so many gluten free people I always try to have gf options
I never would have thought to use plantains! This is wonderful sounding!
yes ripe plantains work great in desserts
That is very impressive of you doing mega marathon of blogging. And this plantains dessert sounds amazing!
thanks to both and this plantain dessert is the ultimate!
You have me rethinking about plantains in baking. Maybe I am wrong they will taste good. Looks yummy Mir.
sweet plantains are great in dessert presentations. You should definitely give them a try!
As these days I have to plan and order fruits and vegetables for the whole week, some things get left unused..like I had wanted to use raw plantains but they are now ripe! I perhaps should try out this unique recipe– a traditional cake with no flour.
there are lots of ways to utilize ripe plantains. You might also like these Ghanian recipes – Kelewele or Tatale.