As we peer into fall, I’m guiltlessly leaning into all the fruit-filled pies, pastries and cakes. There is nothing better than having your kitchen fill the aroma of your house with warm scents of cinnamon and spice.
Which brings me to…
Raise your hand if you’ve been personally victimized by overly ripe bananas.
We’ve all been there where we think we’ll eat the bananas, but we don’t so we let them sit on the counter until they bruise and closely inch their way to the trashcan. Instead of making chocolate chip banana bread (because it’s boring), I’ve got an original and delicious recipe to share.
Traditionally known as a banana pudding cake (although there’s not actually pudding in it as the title suggests, psych), this cake is fluffy and drop-dead sexy. The bottom is a Nilla Wafer crust topped with a cinnamon-spiced banana cake with a light texture thanks to yours truly – fluffy egg whites.
And the superstar of the dish is a hot sugar crust, which I’ll explain below.
First off, what is hot sugar crust?
It’s a popular baking technique utilizing water and steam to create a delicate, crisp and thin layer of sugary crust over baked desserts. Forget the frosting, ganache or nuts, this super easy method tops them all.
Before the cake is baked, the hot water dissolves the brown sugar, then creates a translucent crust as it evaporates during the baking process.
Once the cake mixture is poured into the pan, heavily sprinkle brown sugar over the entire cake WITHOUT mixing. Then, mix a mashed banana with water until it comes to a boil. Gently pour the mixture over the brown sugar WITHOUT stirring. I know it looks so strange, but trust the science. Believe me.
Put that baby in the oven and watch the magic unfold right before your eyes.
Especially when you’re on a time crunch. It only takes 35-40 minutes from the first stir to pulling it out of the oven. This is a perfect dessert to bring to a dinner party, family dinner or simply impress someone with a delicious, low-effort cake.
I would love to hear if you make this cake! Drop my a line below, and let me know what you think. I'm particularly interested in how you experienced the hot sugar crust.
Forget chocolate chip banana cake, that's boring. Try this banana cake with hot sugar crust which is richly delicious, light, moist in all the right places. It's topped with an ultra-thin and crisp sugary crust that crackles with every blissful bite.
Nilla Wafer Crust
Banana Cake
Hot Sugar Crust
Recipe Notes:
* Almond Extract – can substitute vanilla extract if needed.
Nilla Wafer Crust
Banana Cake
Hot Sugar Crust
Serve
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