Bananas Foster Cake
Featuring the flavors of the classic New Orleans dessert, this Bananas Foster Cake is truly fantastic! The tender cake is topped with a brown sugar streusel and rum sauce. Grab a fork!
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I’ve been on a real Bananas Foster kick lately. There’s something about the way bananas pair with a brown sugar + rum sauce. Traditionally, Bananas Foster is a dessert that is made by adding alcohol to a skillet with bananas and lighting the entire thing on fire. Once the flames burn off, the mixture is then served over vanilla ice cream. It’s surprisingly easy to make at home, and it’s delicious.
The idea for this Bananas Foster Cake has been bouncing around in the back of my head for a while now. Should I do a banana cake with a rum frosting? Or perhaps a vanilla cake with bananas on top of the cake layers? I ended up backing away from the frosting idea and went with a crumbled streusel idea. I felt like it would be a little easier given that we’re drizzling a rum sauce on top.
Bananas Foster Cake
This cake is fantastic, y’all! Seriously. After cutting up slices for the photos, I took a nibble off of an extra piece. Woah. That nibble became two…then three…then the slice disappeared. Laura took a bite a bit later and promptly exclaimed, “Uh oh. This cake is a problem.” Not this cake has a problem. This cake is a problem. I won’t tell you how long it lasted. (Hint: It wasn’t long.)
To make this Bananas Foster Cake, the first step is to make a banana rum sauce. As the sliced bananas simmer in the brown sugar sauce, they become soft. The bananas are then set aside and a bit of rum and cream is stirred into the sauce. That’s it. I could’ve stopped there and eaten that sauce over ice cream. It tastes like a caramel sauce. But nope…that sauce was destined for a cake!
The topping that gets sprinkled over this cake before it goes into the oven is a simple brown sugar streusel. Notice the brown sugar theme here? The deeper flavor of brown sugar pairs so well with bananas! The streusel gets crumbled over the cake batter. Once baked, it creates a lightly crispy topping on the cake. Oh, and that rum sauce from earlier? It gets drizzled over the streusel before baking.
The cake portion of this Bananas Foster Cake is somewhat similar to banana bread. In fact, I used my mom’s banana bread recipe as a guide when tweaking the cake recipe. Remember those bananas from above? The ones that simmered in the brown sugar sauce? Well they get mixed into the cake batter. Talk about amazing banana flavor!! I might have to start simmering the bananas in that sauce whenever I make banana bread from now on…
All together, this cake is fantastic. It’s a keeper. It’s a showstopper. I could rave on and on about this cake, but that would just slow you down from making it. Print this recipe, bookmark it, save it, do whatever you do with recipes…but promise me you’ll make this one!
How to Store Leftovers
Leftover slices of this Bananas Foster Cake should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. For a real treat, pop a leftover slice in the microwave for a few seconds to warm it up before serving! This cake can also be frozen. Just let it cool completely and then wrap the slices in plastic wrap. Store the cake in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Let the slices thaw at room temperature before reheating.
If you’re looking for a unique and fantastic dessert recipe, then put this Bananas Foster Cake on the menu. Bananas Foster originated at Brennan’s restaurant in New Orleans, so this could be a good dessert option for a Cajun themed dinner party. No matter how you serve it, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Happy Baking!
Did you bake this Bananas Foster Cake recipe at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me (@Spicedblog) on Instagram – I’d love to see your version!
Bananas Foster Cake
Ingredients
For the Bananas
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large bananas peeled and sliced
- 2 Tbsp dark rum
- 1 Tbsp half-and-half or heavy cream
For the Topping
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
For the Cake
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup sour cream
Instructions
For the Bananas
- Using a large saucepan, add butter and place over medium heat.
- Once butter has melted, add both sugars; stir until sugars have dissolved.
- Add sliced bananas. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove bananas and set aside.
- Add rum and half-and-half; stir until well combined.
- Cook, stirring often, until mixture thickens noticeably (~1-2 more minutes)
- Remove saucepan from heat and let rum sauce cool.
For the Topping
- Using a medium bowl, add sugars and cinnamon; stir until well combined.
- Add the melted butter; stir until well combined.
- Add the flour and walnuts; stir until well combined. Set topping aside.
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a 9” square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing extra parchment to hang over edges. Spray pan with nonstick cooking spray; set pan aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (~3-4 minutes).
- Add eggs; mix until well combined.
- Using a small bowl, mash the bananas (from above) with a fork. Add mashed bananas and vanilla extract to mixing bowl; mix on medium speed until well combined.
- Using a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom and salt. Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl; mix on low speed until just combined.
- Add sour cream; mix on low speed until just combined.
- Transfer batter into prepared cake pan.
- Crumbled the topping mixture on top of the batter.
- Drizzle rum sauce (from above) on top of cake before baking.
- Bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out mostly clean.
- Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
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I need to try this soon for me BTW cant wait to make your recipes soon for me