The last installment of our Lunch Box dessert series brings us to a real big kid dessert like Bananas Foster. Who doesn’t just love rum spiked bananas in a caramel sauce over vanilla ice cream?
I think you would need to be made of steel to be able to resist a dessert like that…
The traditional dessert really got me thinking about developing a great snack cake that would embrace the flavors and smooth, sublime texture of this classical dessert.
Originally, I wanted to use a vanilla cake base along with some vanilla pastry cream to mimic the smooth texture of a rich ice cream…but then my sensibility gave way to my love of that delicious combination of bananas and chocolate.
Honestly, I don’t know what happened…
Before I knew it, I had made my rich chocolate pastry cream and was well on my way to putting together my favorite chocolate cake base.
During the entire process of creating each of the separate components, I could feel the anticipation of wanting to see and taste the final result…There is something purely magical that happens when you combine both bananas and chocolate together. I can honestly say that it’s one of my favorite flavor combinations.
Originally, I envisioned caramelized banana slices in a thick caramel sauce drizzled and swirled over the cake batter along with the pastry cream. Instead, I decided to go with a banana puree that combined more readily into the caramel sauce and was easier to slice in the end.
The final result was deliciously outrageous both chilled and at room temperature…but I will say that it became something extra special when warmed ever so slightly. Whether you make the chocolate version or the vanilla or a combination of both, I can see why this dessert remains a favorite classic for so many people.
Banana Caramel Sauce
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 ½ cup banana puree
1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon banana extract
3 tablespoons rum
2/3 cup heavy cream
Add the sugar, water and corn syrup to a small pot and cook until the sugar begins to turn a golden amber color. At this point, add the cream slowly and stir with a wooden spoon until all of the cream has been incorporated. Be careful when adding the cream, as it may boil up a little initially. Next, add the banana puree along with the vanilla extract and rum then stir for 5 minutes on moderate heat until the sauce has thickened, then set aside to cool completely.
Bananas Foster Caramel Custard Cake
1 recipe chocolate cake base (or yellow cake)
½ recipe chocolate pastry cream (or vanilla)
Milk sugar glaze **optional
Banana caramel sauce
Prepare the pastry cream and the banana caramel sauce and allow them both to cool completely. Next prepare the cake batter of your choice. Once the cake batter is ready, spray the cake pan and line it with some parchment paper. Pour in the cake batter and then add scoops of the chocolate pastry cream and then the banana caramel sauce on top of that.
Swirl everything into the cake batter and place the cake pan into a preheated 350°F oven for approximately 30-40 minutes, until the cake tests clean.
Make sure to only test the cake, because the other parts of the cake will remain moist and may appear uncooked. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, pour the milk sugar glaze over this evenly and allow it to set as the cake cools.
Once the cake has cooled for several hours, simply slice and enjoy.
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