Fall seems to be everyone's favorite season. For us here at Executive Chef Events, it's particularly inspiring! We feature our seasonal Great Pumpkin cooking class at this time of year that uses pumpkin and other winter squashes in many of the recipes.
The dessert we teach and serve as a part of this menu is a Maple Bourbon Banana Pudding Cake - a spectacular combination of Maple syrup and ripe bananas, with a kick provided by a good slug of America's official spirit - Bourbon! This recipe is exceptionally simple and a great use of ripe (or over-ripe) bananas. It's always a crowd favorite, whether you're joining us for an upcoming class or making this at home for family or friends.
Serves 6-8 persons
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup superfine sugar
1 overripe banana, mashed
1 large egg
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ cup pure maple syrup
½ cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons bourbon
¼ cup pecans
Pinch of salt
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375° F.
Melt the butter in a small pot over low heat.
In a medium bowl whisk together the melted butter, superfine sugar and mashed banana, until thoroughly combined. Whisk in the egg and milk.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Pour banana mixture into the flour mixture, mixing well until combined (the batter will be rather loose). Pour batter into an 8 inch round baking dish, or a 7"x9" rectangular baking dish.
In a small pot, heat the maple syrup, light brown sugar and 1/2 cup water until hot, 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the bourbon. Drizzle the syrup mixture over the batter; it will seep to the bottom. Do not stir. Finely chop the pecans and scatter on top of the dish.
Place the cake on a sheet pan or cookie sheet and put into the pre-heated oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes
until the cake is golden.