Sticky Banoffee Cake

Being the proper Anglophile that I am, my television viewing leans heavily towards programs from across the pond. A long favorite is The Great British Bake Off, which, with its charming pastoral setting and English pleasantries, feels refreshing compared to more aggressive American competition shows. Each episode provides a crash course in British culinary vocabulary and offers up endless inspiration for experimentation in the kitchen.

This recipe, blending two British classics, Sticky Toffee Pudding and Banoffee Pie, was my answer to finding a use for overripe bananas other than the classic banana bread loaf. It should be noted here that the British term pudding refers to what most Americans label as dessert, and what we call pudding is closer to what the Brits specifically label as custard. Sticky Toffee Pudding is a moist sponge cake traditionally made with chopped dates that is either steamed or baked, then covered in toffee sauce. Banoffee Pie is made up of a layer of sliced bananas over a soft toffee layer in a pie crust and topped with whipped cream. In the resulting hybrid recipe below, bananas sub in for the dates to make for a moist cake and the molasses gives the toffee sauce a rich, distinctive depth of flavor.

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted

butter, melted and slightly cooled

½ cup sugar

¼ cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

3 overripe bananas mashed, about 1 cup

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground allspice

Pinch grated nutmeg

1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

For the Toffee Sauce:

1 ¼ cups heavy whipping cream

½ cup light brown sugar

½ cup molasses

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8" x 8" baking pan.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the allspice, nutmeg and chopped walnuts.

In another bowl mix the melted butter, white and brown sugars together with an electric mixer or whisk, until blended. Add the mashed bananas, eggs, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix well.

With mixer on low speed stir in the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Do not overmix. Pour the batter into prepared pan and set on middle rack of oven. Bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes.

While cake is in oven make the toffee sauce. In a medium heavy bottomed saucepan, bring the heavy cream, brown sugar, molasses, butter and salt to a boil, over high heat. Whisk continuously as the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a slow gentle boil. Cook for 15-20 minutes, whisking occasionally, until sauce slightly thickens, then remove from heat. Sauce will be the consistency of maple syrup and will continue to thicken as it cools.

When cake is done pull out and pierce several times with a skewer, poking all the way to the bottom of pan. Pour half of the toffee sauce slowly over top of cake, making sure it spreads evenly over surface. Place cake back in oven and bake for 6 minutes until sauce is bubbling. Remove and cool cake in the pan for at least 30 minutes on a wire rack. Cut into squares and serve each with a drizzle of remaining sauce over the top.

Notes:

This cake is versatile enough to be a decadent evening dessert or as part of a weekend brunch buffet. Serve this cake warm or at room temperature. Toffee sauce can be gently reheated before serving. I served it with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

Experiment with adding dried fruit to the cake batter. Chopped dried apricots or medjool dates would be lovely. Try substituting the walnuts with other nuts, such as pecans or pistachios.

Enjoy a slice with a good cuppa.