Best Bananas Foster Cake Recipes

BANANAS FOSTER UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the topping: Melt together the brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, salt and allspice over medium-high heat in a 9- or 10-inch cast-iron skillet, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a bubble and let the syrup cook until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully stir in the dark rum (see Cook's Note) and vanilla, then return the pan to the heat for 1 minute. Arrange the banana slices cut side down on top of the syrup.
• For the cake: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and nutmeg in a large bowl.
• Beat together the brown sugar, granulated sugar and butter in a stand mixer or electric hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping the bowl down after each addition. Beat in the mashed bananas and vanilla until incorporated. Beat in the dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions, scraping down the bowl to ensure all the dry ingredients are incorporated.
• Carefully, spread the batter over the top of the bananas in the skillet. Place a baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven to catch any spillage! Bake until a tester comes out with some moist crumbs sticking to it, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before running a paring knife along the sides and inverting onto a serving platter while still warm.

BANANAS FOSTER ICE CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Spray two 8-inch round cake tins with cooking oil. Flour lightly.
• In a medium mixing bowl, mix together cake mix, water, 1/2 cup softened butter and eggs at low speed. Then beat at medium speed for 4 minutes. Pour batter evenly into pans and bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 30 minutes. Then place cakes in the freezer until ready to assemble.
• Toast chopped pecans on a baking sheet in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until fragrant and lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
• Pour caramel ice cream topping into a small bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and whisk until fully incorporated. Set aside. Reserve remaining caramel sauce for drizzling the cake later.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tbs. butter. Once the butter begins to bubble slightly, add sliced bananas. Saute for 2 minutes. Then add half of the caramel sauce mixture, stir until bubbling, remove from heat and set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Refrigerate until ready to place atop the cake.
• To assemble, place one cake layer onto a cake plate. Top with half the ice cream, making sure to leave at least 1/4 inch of space around the edge of the cake (to allow for melting and settling). Sprinkle with toasted pecans and drizzle with reserved caramel sauce.
• Return both ice-cream-topped cake and ice cream carton to freezer for 30 minutes. Then add second layer of cake, top with ice cream and sprinkle with pecans.
• To finish off, place bananas in a mound atop the cake. Drizzle around the edges of the cake with remaining caramel sauce and sprinkle with remaining pecans.
• Freeze for 2-4 hours or until ready to serve. If the cake is frozen-hard, allow to sit at room temperature for 5-8 minutes or until softened to your liking.
• Freeze any remaining cake.

BANANAS FOSTER CAKE

Steps:

• Cake: preheat oven to 350°; beat butter and sugars at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy.
• Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
• Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
• Beat at low speed until blended after each addition, stopping to scrape the bowl as needed.
• Stir in the mashed bananas and vanilla.
• Pour batter into 3 (8 inch) round cake pans coated with cooking spray for baking.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until a pick comes out clean.
• Run a sharp knife around edges of pan; cool cake layers in pans of wire racks for 5 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 1 hour).
• Meanwhile, prepare glaze: bring brown sugar, corn syrup, and 3 tablespoons water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring constantly.
• Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until sugar dissolves; stir in butter, rum, and cinnamon.
• Frosting: beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.
• Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth; stir in milk and vanilla.
• Pierce cake layers with a wooden pick; drizzle with Brown Sugar Rum Glaze; let stand for at least 10 minutes.
• Spread 1/4 cup frosting on 1 cake layer; arrange half of banana slices over frosting.
• Repeat procedures with a second cake layer, 1/4 cup frosting, and remaining half of banana slices.
• Top with third cake layer; frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.
• Garnish, if desired.

BANANAS FOSTER COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• Cake:Preheat oven to 350°.
• Butter a 12 cup tube pan and set aside.
• Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside.
• Beat butter until light.
• Slowly beat in sugar and beat until it is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• At low speed, beat in eggs, 2 at a time, just until blended.
• Beat in the flour mixture and banana mixture alternately, beginning and ending with flour.
• Beat just until blended.
• Stir in coconut and nuts by hand, spread in pan smoothing top.
• Bake until cake is golden brown and begins to pull away from sides of pan, about 60 to 70 minutes.
• Test in center.
• Loosely cover with foil if cake starts to become too brown.
• Remove from oven; let cool on wire rack 10 minutes in pan.
• Carefully invert cake onto cake plate.
• Brush with the 1/4 cup liqueur.
• Let cool.
• Glaze with either of the glazes or dust with powdered sugar.
• Glaze:Combine all ingredients until well blended.
• When the cake is lukewarm, spoon over top.
• Let cake cool completely.

BANANAS FOSTER UPSIDE-DOWN COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over low heat; stir in rum. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter mixture. Remove from heat. 2. Sprinkle pecans evenly over brown sugar mixture. Cut bananas in half crosswise; cut each half lengthwise into 3 slices. Arrange banana slices in a spoke pattern over pecans. Cut 6 cherries in half. Place 1 cherry half between each banana slice. Place remaining whole cherry in center of skillet. 3. Beat remaining 1/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add milk, sour cream, and vanilla, beating just until blended. Combine baking mix and cinnamon. Add cinnamon mixture to milk mixture, beating just until blended. 4. Beat egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter. Spread batter evenly over bananas in skillet. 5. Bake at 350° for 45 to 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in skillet on wire rack 10 minutes. Invert cake onto a serving plate. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired. Note: For testing purposes only, we used Bisquick All-Purpose Baking Mix. Louis deLaunay, Grapevine, Texas, Southern Living, SEPTEMBER 2006

BANANAS FOSTER UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Place brown sugar, 1/4 cup of the butter and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Heat over medium low heat until butter is melted and mixture is smooth, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in rum and pour into a 9-inch round cake pan.
• Arrange banana slices in circles over brown sugar mixture.
• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Place remaining 1/2 cup butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a time, beating will after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
• In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• At low speed, beat in flour mixture in3 parts alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
• Spoon and gently spread batter over bananas.
• Bake 45-55 min or until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool in pan on wire rack 15 minute.
• Run small knife around edge of cake; carefully invert cake onto serving plate. Serve warm.

BANANAS FOSTER CAKE

Steps:

• Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F Butter/flour three 9-inch cake pans. Sift flour, soda, cinnamon and salt into a large bowl. Peel bananas and mash with a fork, set aside. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, scraping bowl thoroughly between each addition. Beat in vanilla and lemon zest. Add in 1/3 of flour just until combined. Add 1/2 of sour cream just until combined. Repeat with 1/2 of remaining flour, then remaining sour cream, ending with flour. Beat in bananas. Divide batter evenly between pans and bake for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool cakes on a rack for 20 minutes before removing from pans.
• Pastry Cream: Heat half-and-half, 3 tablespoons sugar, and salt in small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar.
• Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks in medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and whisk until sugar has begun to dissolve and mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. Whisk in cornstarch until combined and mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.
• When half-and-half mixture reaches full simmer, gradually whisk simmering half-and-half into yolk mixture to temper. Return mixture to saucepan, scraping bowl with rubber spatula; return to simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until 3 or 4 bubbles burst on surface and mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds. Off heat, whisk in butter and vanilla. Transfer mixture to medium bowl, press plastic wrap directly on surface, and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours or up to 48 hours.
• Buttercream: Whisk egg whites and sugar together thoroughly in a heat proof bowl. Set bowl over a pot of boiling water. Whisking constantly, heat mixture until sugar has dissolved and mixture is just too hot to dip your finger inches (Careful not to scramble the eggs!) Pour into bowl of a standing mixer and beat on high speed to make a stiff meringue (this is a swiss meringue). Continue beating on slow speed until cooled to room temp, about 10 minutes. Gradually beat in butter a few cubes at a time until all is incorporated. Beat in vanilla and rum. You can refrigerate this for up to 10 days or freeze up to a month. Bring to room temp and whisk before using.
• Caramel Sauce: In a small to medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water and cook over medium heat stirring until sugar dissolves. Stop stirring, increase heat to high, cover and bring to a full boil. (The steam will wash the sides of the pan to remove any sugar crystals.) After a minute or so, remove the lid and cook without stirring until it begins to turn a golden brown around the edges (it should take 5 to 10 minutes depending on the size of your pan). In the meantime, heat the cream until it begins to simmer. Set aside for a moment. As soon as you start to see the sugar syrup turn golden, carefully swirl the pan to redistribute the caramel. (Do not stir! The sugar will crystallize.) A few moments longer is all it will take -- just until it is an even golden color. Now, remove from the heat and slowly pour in the cream while stirring with a long-handled wooden spoon. It will bubble up furiously, so be careful not to let it overflow. Stop for a second and let it die down if necessary. Keep stirring until the mixture is smooth. Stir in salt and let cool to room temperature.
• Assembly: Spread cold pastry cream between cake layers. Ice sides and top with buttercream. Pipe a decorative border around the top edge of the cake to create a dam for the caramel. If the caramel has cooled too much to pour, warm it just until it's more fluid, but not warm enough to melt the buttercream. Pour an even layer of caramel onto the top of the cake. Save the rest for serving along side or over ice cream, or eat it with a spoon -- it's amazing!
• Decorate the cake however you like -- I use sliced bananas dipped in lemon juice and candied walnuts.

BANANAS FOSTER UPSIDE-DOWN COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over low heat; stir in rum. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter mixture. Remove from heat.
• Sprinkle pecans evenly over brown sugar mixture. Cut bananas in half crosswise; cut each half lengthwise into 3 slices. Arrange banana slices in a spoke pattern over pecans. Cut 6 cherries in half. Place 1 cherry half between each banana slice. Place remaining whole cherry in center of skillet.
• Beat remaining 1/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add milk, sour cream, and vanilla, beating just until blended. Combine baking mix and cinnamon. Add cinnamon mixture to milk mixture, beating just until blended.
• Beat egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter. Spread batter evenly over bananas in skillet.
• Bake at 350° for 45 to 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in skillet on wire rack 10 minutes. Invert cake onto a serving plate. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired.
• Note: For testing purposes only, we used Bisquick All-Purpose Baking Mix.

LEFTOVER BANANAS FOSTER CAKE MILKSHAKE

Steps:

• Add the ice cream, milk and bananas foster filling to a blender and blend until smooth.
• Yield:
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Active Time: 15 minutes
• Ease of preparation: easy
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 1/2-by-3 1/2-inch bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Prepare the quick bread mix according to the package instructions. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool.
• To make the bananas foster filling: Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and mix until dissolved into the butter. Remove the skillet from the heat (turn off the heat) and stir in the rum. Return the skillet to medium heat and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the diced bananas and cook until softened just a little bit but not mushy, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool until warm.
• Heat the cream in a medium pot over low heat just to a simmer. Remove from the heat, add the butterscotch chips and let sit until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and mix until well blended. Let cool completely so that it is thick but still pourable.
• Place the cake presentation-side up on a large round platter. Using a spoon, remove some of the cake from the hole in the center to make a slightly larger well. Fill the hole with the filling; the filling should come up to about 1/4 inch from the top surface of the cake. (You should have some of the filling left over, which can be used to top the individual slices of cake or mixed into a milk shake.)
• Starting in the center, gently pour the glaze over the filling, slowly moving in a concentric circle toward the outer part of the cake and allowing some of the glaze to pour down the sides of the cake. Garnish with the candied walnuts. Serve within 15 minutes of assembly. Slice and let the filling ooze out of the cake.

BANANAS FOSTER CRUNCH CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Beat 1/2 cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
• Stir in mashed bananas, rum and vanilla extract.
• Combine 1 1/2 cups flour and next 4 ingredients; add to the butter mixture, mixing until blended. Pour into prepared tube pan; set aside.
• Combine 1/2 cup flour and remaining ingredients;; sprinkle over batter, Bake for 55 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan and let cool completely on wire rack.

BANANAS FOSTER UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE RECIPE - (4.2/5)

Steps:

• Grease or spray a 9-inch round cake pan that is at least 2" high. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside. In another mixing bowl and using a hand mixer on high speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Beat in one egg at a time until each one is well blended. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk to the creamed mixture, starting and ending with flour. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350° F. Meanwhile, make the topping: In a small 1-qt. non-stick saucepan, heat together the butter slices and brown sugar just until the sugar is melted and tiny bubbles are beginning to form around the edges of the pan, stirring frequently. Do not let it boil. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour into the greased cake pan. Peel and diagonally slice bananas in thick slices, at least 1/4" thick. Arrange banana slices over the brown sugar topping in the pan. Carefully, pour the batter over the bananas. (NOTE: I was afraid that my pan would overflow in the oven so I had about 1/2 cup of batter leftover. I also pushed the batter from the center toward the edges of the pan with a rubber spatula, creating a slight dip in the center since the cake always rises higher in the center. Worked out perfectly.) Bake on centered rack in oven for 45-50 minutes, or until center of cake tests done with a wooden toothpick. Cool in pan on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. Using a thin-bladed paring knife, loosen edges of cake from the pan. Place a serving plate over the cake pan then invert the cake onto the plate. Immediately, spoon any topping left in the pan over the cake. Cool to lukewarm on the cooling rack. Serve warm as is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

BUTTERED RUM POUND CAKE WITH BANANAS FOSTER SAUCE

Steps:

• To make glaze combing glaze ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in pecans.
• To make cake, beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty mixer until creamy. Add 2 1/2 cups sugar, beating 4 to 5 minutes or until fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating just until yellow disappears.
• Combine flour and baking soda; add to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in flavorings.
• Beat egg whites until foamy; gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter.
• Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan.
• Bake at 325°F for 1 1/2 hours or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan, and place on a serving plate. While warm, prick cake surface at 1-inch intervals with a wooden pick; pour warm Buttered Rum Glaze over cake. Let stand 4 hours or overnight before serving. Serve with Bananas Foster Sauce and vanilla ice cream.
• To make banana fosters sauce, combine ingredients in a large skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until bubbly. Add bananas, and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat.
• Heat rum in a small saucepan over medium heat (do not boil). Quickly pour rum over banana mixture, and immediately ignite with a long match just above the liquid mixture to light the fumes (not the liquid itself). Let flames die down; serve immediately with Buttered Rum Pound Cake.

BANANAS FOSTER ICE CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 3 (9 inch) round cake pans with nonstick baking spray with flour. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat cake mix, eggs, 1/2 cup water, and butter at low speed with an electric mixer until moistened, approximately 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium; beat 4 minutes. Stir in pecans. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. bake according to package directions. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.
• Using an ice cream scoop, place 10-12 small scoops of ice cream on a baking sheet (approximately 2 cups ice cream). Freeze 30 minutes. On a cake plate, place 1 layer, bottom side up. Top with one third of remaining ice cream, smoothing with an offset spatula. Repeat procedure twice. (For best results, freeze cake 20 minutes after adding each layer of ice cream.) Place scooped ice cream around edge of cake, leaving center open. (Scoops should be touching.) Freeze at least 1 hour.
• Make the caramel rum sauce: In a medium saucepan, cook butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon over low heat until sugar melts. Remove from heat; add rum and 2 tablespoons water. Return to heat, stirring until sauce is thick and smooth, approximately 10 minutes. Let cool. To serve, pile banana slices in center of cake. Top with 3/4 cup cooled Caramel Rum sauce. Serve remaining sauce with cake.

BANANAS FOSTER UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake pecans in a single layer 8 to 10 minutes (watch carefully) or until toasted and fragrant, stirring once.
• Melt 1/4 cup butter in a lightly greased 10-inch cast-iron skillet (or 9-inch cake pan with sides at least 2 inches high) over low heat. Remove from heat; stir in brown sugar and rum.
• Cut bananas diagonally into 1/4 inch thick slices; arrange in concentric circles over brown sugar mixture. Sprinkle pecans over bananas.
• Beat granulated sugar and remaining 1/4 cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add milk and next two ingredients; beat just until blended. Beat in baking mix and cinnamon until blended (batter will be slightly lumpy). Pour batter over mixture in skillet. Place skillet on a foil-lined jelly-roll pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in skillet on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen. Invert onto a serving plate, spooning any topping in skillet over cakes.

BANANAS FOSTER ANGEL FOOD CAKE RECIPE - (4.5/5)

Steps:

• Bananas Foster Sauce: Cut bananas in 1-inch pieces. Top with 2 tablespoons water and set aside. Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add sugar and cinnamon and cook, stirring until sugar is almost dissolved, about 2 minutes. Add banana liqueur (mixture will bubble). Carefully add the rum; the alcohol will flame on its own, then die down. Add bananas and water to skillet, turning bananas with a spoon as the liquid caramelizes. Remove from heat and keep warm. Mint Simple Syrup: Puree the mint in the blender. Bring water to a boil in a small, heavy-bottomed pot. Add mint and steep for 10 minutes. Pour liquid through a fine mesh strainer. Keep the water, discard the mint. Bring the mint water back to a boil and add the sugar, boiling about 3 minutes until clear and reduced to a thin syrup. Assembly: Place 2 slices of angel food cake in a generous serving bowl. Add a scoop of wanilla ice cream to the side. Pour bananas Foster sauce over the angel food cake. Drizzle mint syrup over ice cream; garnish ice cream with a sprig of mint.

BANANAS FOSTER ICE CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350?F Spray two 8-inch round cake tins with cooking oil. Flour lightly.In a medium mixing bowl, mix together cake mix, water, 1/2 cup softened butter and eggs at low speed. Then beat at medium speed for 4 minutes. Pour batter evenly into pans and bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 30 minutes. Then place cakes in the freezer until ready to assemble.Toast chopped pecans on a baking sheet in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until fragrant and lightly browned. Set aside to cool.Pour caramel ice cream topping into a small bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and whisk until fully incorporated. Set aside. Reserve remaining caramel sauce for drizzling the cake later.In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tbs. butter. Once the butter begins to bubble slightly, add sliced bananas. Saute for 2 minutes. Then add half of the caramel sauce mixture, stir until bubbling, remove from heat and set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Refrigerate until ready to place atop the cake.To assemble, place one cake layer onto a cake plate. Top with half the ice cream, making sure to leave at least 1/4 inch of space around the edge of the cake (to allow for melting and settling). Sprinkle with toasted pecans and drizzle with reserved caramel sauce.Return both ice-cream-topped cake and ice cream carton to freezer for 30 minutes. Then add second layer of cake, top with ice cream and sprinkle with pecans.To finish off, place bananas in a mound atop the cake. Drizzle around the edges of the cake with remaining caramel sauce and sprinkle with remaining pecans.Freeze for 2-4 hours or until ready to serve. If the cake is frozen-hard, allow to sit at room temperature for 5-8 minutes or until softened to your liking.Freeze any remaining cake.Source: food.com

UPSIDE-DOWN BANANAS FOSTER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter just the sides of a 9-inch round cake pan.
• For the caramel topping: Stir the sugar and 1/3 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring, and gently swirl the saucepan occasionally until the mixture is the color of deep amber, 8 to 9 minutes. If needed, brush any sugar crystals off the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and carefully whisk in the butter (take care: the mixture can bubble up considerably). Pour the caramel into the prepared cake pan, tilting the pan to cover most of the bottom (be careful: the pan will be very hot from the caramel). Arrange the bananas in a single, tight layer, then cover any gaps with the remaining slices.
• For the cake: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together the milk and sour cream in a small bowl.
• Beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition and scraping down the side of the bowl as needed, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the milk-sour cream mixture, mixing until just incorporated.
• Pour the batter over the bananas in the cake pan, and spread evenly. Bake the cake until it is golden brown and bounces back when pressed and a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean when inserted in the center, 50 to 60 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to separate it from the pan. Poke the cake all over with a skewer, and brush the cake with the rum. Let cool in the pan on a rack until just cool enough to handle, 20 to 30 minutes. Invert a serving platter over the cake pan and, while holding them together, quickly flip them over so the cake unmolds, banana-side up. Let cool completely. Cut into wedges, and serve.

MOLTEN BANANAS FOSTER CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 1/2-by-3 1/2-inch bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Prepare the quick bread mix according to the package instructions. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool.
• For the filling: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and mix until dissolved into the butter. Remove the skillet from the heat (turn off the heat) and stir in the rum. Return the skillet to medium heat and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the diced bananas and cook until softened just a little bit but not mushy, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool until warm.
• For the glaze and garnish: Heat the cream in a medium pot over low heat just to a simmer. Remove from the heat, add the butterscotch chips and let sit until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the butter and mix until well blended. Let cool completely so that it is thick but still pourable.
• Place the cake presentation-side up on a large round platter. Using a spoon, remove some of the cake from the hole in the center to make a slightly larger well. Fill the hole with the banana filling; the filling should come up to about 1/4 inch from the top surface of the cake. You should have some of the filling left over, which can be used to top the individual slices of cake or mixed into a milk shake. Starting in the center, gently pour the glaze over the filling, slowly moving in a concentric circle toward the outer part of the cake and allowing some of the glaze to pour down the sides of the cake. Garnish with the candied walnuts. Serve within 15 minutes of assembly. Slice and let the filling ooze out of the cake.

BANANAS FOSTER CRUNCH CAKE

Steps:

• •Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray.
• •In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until crumbly. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in bananas, rum, and vanilla extract.
• •In a separate bowl, combine 1-1//2 cups flour, the cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; blend well. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and stir just until blended. Pour mixture into prepared Bundt pan.
• •In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients to make streusel topping. Sprinkle top of cake batter with streusel topping.
• •Bake 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 to 15 minutes. To remove cake from pan, first loosen sides, then invert onto a serving tray, and remove pan.