Bananas Foster Coffee Cake

Bananas Foster is a famous New Orleans dessert of flambeed bananas, brown sugar and rum served over ice cream.  It was invented in the 1950s at Brennan's restaurant.  The owner of the restaurant challenged his chef to create a new dessert using bananas because New Orleans was the major port of entry for the fruit from South America.  The recipe was featured in Holiday Magazine and became a sensation.  It's still served at Brennan's and many other New Orleans restaurants.

This coffee cake is a play on that dessert.  It has similar flavors and is downright delicious!

BANANAS FOSTER COFFEE CAKE

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup of buttermilk (see note below)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 TBS baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

Filling:
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp rum extract
pinch of cinnamon

Glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 TBS milk


NOTE:  If you don't have buttermilk you can make your own very easily.  Put 1/2 TBS of bottled lemon juice (or white vinegar) into a measuring cup and add whole milk up to the 1/2 cup mark.  Let sit 5 minutes.  This will work just like buttermilk in the recipe!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine softened butter and sugar well using an electric mixer or a whisk.  Be sure the sugar dissolves into the butter.  (Save the butter wrapper to grease your cake pan).

Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix well until fluffy.

In a separate bowl blend flour, baking powder and salt.  I stir it gently with a whisk until aerated and well combined.

Add half of the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and blend on low speed.

Then add the buttermilk and blend on low speed.

Lastly, add the remaining flour mixture and blend just until combined.

Use the wrapper from the butter to grease a 9 inch cake pan.

Sprinkle in a little flour and shake it around to coat the pan entirely.  Discard any excess flour.

In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork.

Stir in the brown sugar, chopped pecans, rum extract and a pinch of cinnamon.

Spread half the batter into the prepared cake pan.

Spread the banana filling on top.

Then top with the remaining batter.  I dollop it all over then spread it out.  Try to get it to cover the filling completely, if possible.

Bake for 25 minutes or until light golden brown.

Let it cool before cutting.

You can see the caramelized banana filling in the middle.

This cake is so moist and delicious but if you want to take it over the top you can make a quick glaze to drizzle on.

Mix the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and enough milk to make it smooth and pourable.  

Drizzle over the cake before serving and it will look like it came from a New Orleans restaurant!

(If you don't have powdered sugar to make this glaze, you can melt some vanilla ice cream and drizzle it over the cake!)

My daughter went on and on about how awesome this cake was.  I ate it for breakfast today with a cup of coffee and wasn't even sorry.  Make this.  Trust me.