A few weeks ago, Loredana, one of my “adventurous” friends who participates in my diet events, posted a photo of her breakfast… and I immediately recognized the baked porridge. In fact, I had already tried to make it many times but hadn’t found the right proportions to make it the way I wanted. Sometimes it was too soft, and other times it was too dry, but in the end, I succeeded, and now here is the recipe!
You might say: baked porridge? Yes, exactly. It’s a very popular recipe in countries where oat flakes are widely consumed, and the English name is baked oatmeal. You can make it small for 1 or 2 people as I did, but it is typically prepared in a dish, somewhat like a cake. Since my oven is still not working, I cooked it in the air fryer, using one of my smaller terracotta dishes.
The result is a truly delicious and light oat flake cake, completely vegan and also gluten-free if you use certified gluten-free oat flakes. And the best part is that you can prepare it in 5 minutes, and the oven does the rest!
I think this mixture could also be used to make vegan cookies like the ones I linked below. I need to experiment!
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 1 large or 2 small
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
With these quantities, you get a small cake about 5.5 inches in diameter. You can eat half or even all of it, depending on how many points you want to consume for breakfast or snack and if you prefer to eat only half to then add something else…
- 1 banana (ripe)
- 1/2 cup oat flakes (gluten-free if intolerant)
- 1/3 cup soy yogurt (unsweetened, I used Alpro natural)
- 1 tbsp peanut butter (100% peanut)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp dried cranberries
- 1 pinch salt
- Total points = 8 WW points
- Points for 1 small portion (1/2 cake) = 4 WW points
- Points for 1 large portion (whole cake) = 8 WW points
Tools
- 1 bowl
- 1 silicone spatula
- 1 small terracotta dish 5.5 inches
- parchment paper
- air fryer
Steps
First, if you have large oat flakes, cut them into smaller pieces with a knife. I think this way they absorb the liquid ingredients better.
In a bowl, mash the banana well with a fork. Add the peanut butter, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt, and mix well with a silicone spatula (I prefer it because it’s useful for pouring all the batter into the dish without wasting a drop).
Then incorporate the oat flakes and yogurt, and finally the dried cranberries.
Cut a square of parchment paper, wet it, and squeeze it well. Spread it in the dish you have chosen to use. Pour in all the batter and level it. Finally, cut the excess parchment paper to prevent it from burning.
Place the dish in the air fryer and cook at 338°F for about 20-25 minutes. Without burning yourself, flip the dish directly into the air fryer basket, remove the parchment paper gently, and cook for another 5 minutes to ensure the cake is well cooked on the other side.
Our baked porridge is ready! You can enjoy it as soon as it has cooled a little or even cold.
It is so delicious, I really liked the contrast of the slightly tangy dried cranberries with the rest which is sweet.
I devoured the entire thing for breakfast. I know it’s 8 WW points, but I knew I would be exercising later, so I would earn points back. Here at home, the Dutchman didn’t try it because he doesn’t like banana sweets. But he missed out… honestly, I didn’t taste the banana at all. But it was good for me because I got to eat more eheheh…
Now that I have the base for making baked porridge, I will definitely do some more experiments that are already whirling in my head…
Let me know if you liked it and if you have any ideas for equally light and delicious variations. I’m waiting for your comments below or in my Facebook Club!
Enjoy!
By Giovanna Buono
FAQ
Are oat flakes gluten-free?
No, not all are because they are often produced in environments where products containing gluten are processed. Therefore, you need to make sure to get oat flakes certified for celiacs. If you have no problems with gluten, you can use any supermarket product.
Can I use the oven too?
Certainly! In fact, in the oven, you can use more small dishes or directly a larger baking dish, doubling or even tripling the quantities. For the baking, I haven’t been able to try, but I think you should bake at 356-392°F for at least 30 minutes. As it’s not a leavened dish, you can open the oven after 20 minutes and check the cooking, so you can adjust accordingly.
Is baked porridge a complete breakfast?
Sure, if you eat it all, otherwise you will need to add something else to complete breakfast. Another clever option if you don’t want to consume all 8 points: eat 3/4 for 6 points and leave yourself 1/4, meaning 2 points, for a snack!
I want to replace the dried cranberries…
Honestly, I particularly liked the taste of dried cranberries, but if you want to replace them, I think raisins or chocolate chips would also be great!
How do you store baked porridge?
This is something I haven’t experimented with yet, but I’m sure it will stay good for a couple of days covered out of the fridge, and it can be frozen without any issues. You can then take it out of the freezer in the evening to enjoy it in the morning.
