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.

Banana Pudding Parfaits

My Mama, aka Maw Maw, makes the best banana pudding ever.  The best.  Seriously.  If she didn't make it for a family function, there might be a riot.  There would definitely be sad grandchildren,  So, of course, she always makes it.  Even though it's time-consuming.  Whatever it takes to keep those grand babies happy, right?

Well, I came up with a simpler, quicker way to get the same great flavor as Maw Maw's banana pudding without all the work.  Parfaits!

BANANA PUDDING PARFAITS

1 (3.5 oz) box instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
vanilla wafers
whipped cream (I used a can of Reddi-Whip)
A few bananas, sliced

In a big bowl, whisk together the sour cream and milk until smooth.

Add the pudding mix and whisk until thickened.

In clear glasses (I use juice glasses), layer the ingredients in the following order:  A few vanilla wafers, a few slices of banana, a little of the pudding mixture, some whipped cream.  Then repeat the layers.

Garnish the top with a vanilla wafer (or vanilla wafer crumbs).

See how quick and easy these are to make?  

The sour cream makes the pudding extra rich and decadent.  It elevates a simple pudding into something special.  They're pretty, too!  Perfect for entertaining!  Parfait does mean "Perfect" in French after all.  I think Maw Maw would approve.

I love my Ninja Blender!

I just got a new Ninja Blender and I love it!  I can't stop blending.  I have been making smoothies and salsa, even popsicles.  It's been so much fun that I thought I would share a few recipes that you can make using a blender.

Let's start with smoothies.  My kids really like this banana peach smoothie.  In fact, it was the only way I could get fruit into my Pickiest Eater Ever Son when he was little.  I would let him help me make it.  When he felt involved in making something, he was more likely to try new things.  Here's how we did it.

BANANA PEACH SMOOTHIES

2 bananas
1 can sliced peaches, packed in juice
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
2 cups ice cubes
drizzle of honey (optional)

Throw everything into the blender (including the peach juice) and blend until smooth.

This recipe makes 3 large servings or 4 kid sized servings.

It's creamy and delicious.  Sweet but not too sweet and super good for you.

The next recipe is for Watermelon Popsicles.  These are so good and fun to make with the kids.

WATERMELON POPSICLES

9 cups cubed watermelon, seeds removed
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice

Place everything in the blender and puree until smooth.  Put a sieve over a big bowl (one with a pour spout if you have it) and pour the mixture through the sieve to remove any seeds and thick pulp.

Now pour the strained mixture into popsicle molds (if you don't have molds, use little paper cups, cover them with foil, then poke popsicle sticks through the foil and freeze,  Or use ice cube trays and tooth picks).

Freeze for several hours (I like to freeze overnight to be sure they are completely frozen).

When you're ready to serve them, run the bottoms under warm water for a few seconds to help them release from the mold.

These are so good!  They taste like biting into a piece of watermelon.  Perfect on a hot summer day!  You can also fill ice cube trays with this mixture.  Add these watermelon cubes to lemonade or throw in your punch bowl to keep it cool without watering it down.

So, if you have a blender, give these recipes a try.  Get the kids involved.  Make a project of it.  You may think you're just making popsicles or smoothies but your kids will be making memories.