Sticky Banana Toffee Pudding

Happy Mardi Gras! I am making our traditional King Cake today, but I thought that this dessert could also be an appropriate celebratory option. It reminded me of a New Orleans bread pudding with some of the flavors of Bananas Foster, another famous New Orleans dessert.

The recipe was part of a Food and Wine magazine article, contributed by Laura Rege, titled “Ugly Delicious!” The author makes the point that a lot of delicious food isn’t Instagram drool-worthy. I didn’t really think that this dessert was that ugly, but it was delicious! 🙂

Yield: Serves 9

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided, plus more for greasing  (I used cooking oil spray for greasing)
3/4 cup boiling water
6 ounces pitted dates, chopped (1 cup)  (I used Medjool dates)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 3/4 cups light brown sugar
2 large eggs
3 medium-size overripe bananas, mashed (1 cup)
1/2 cup heavy cream
unsweetened whipped cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 350°, preferably on convection. Grease a 9-inch square metal cake pan with butter or cooking oil spray.
In a small heatproof bowl, pour the boiling water over the dates; stir in the baking soda.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat 1/4 cup of the butter with 3/4 cup of the brown sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
At low-speed, beat in the flour mixture until just combined.
Add the date mixture and bananas, and beat at low-speed until just combined.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream, the remaining 1/4 cup of butter, and the remaining 1 cup of brown sugar. Bring to a gentle boil over moderate heat, and cook until slightly thickened and deep golden, about 3 minutes. Keep warm.
Transfer the pan to a wire rack. Using a skewer or toothpick, poke holes all over the cake.
Pour half of the warm sauce over the cake, and let stand until absorbed, about 10 minutes.
Serve warm with the remaining sauce and the whipped cream.

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About Josette@thebrookcook

I live in Stony Brook, New York on Long Island. I love garlic and baking. My hobby (and love) is to try new recipes. My favorite recipe resources include The New York Times, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Living. Enjoy!

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