caramelized banana loaf cake

This is another recipe I snagged from Shutterbean. I swear she makes the best things. And this is definitely one of them. One thing I do like about living back home is that I now have people to cook for. If I made a dessert when I lived in my apartment, I'd probably eat one piece and then the rest would go to waste. Unless Charlie came over. He's good at helping me get rid of sweets. :)

Basically, the other night my mom hinted at wanting a dessert so I quickly scrolled through my arsenal of bookmarked recipes and knew I found a winner. There was one slice left by the end of the night.

Start by getting some sugar caramelizing.


Stir in some butter..


..and get those bananas in there.


Put them in the loaf pan and cover with all the caramel.


Mash the rest of your bananas with sugar.


Get all the dry stuff in there.


Mix it well and pour it over the bananas.


In the oven it goes!

It's one of those things that fills your house with an amazing cinnamony cakey smell. So good.


Some fresh whipped cream to go along side. Eat up! It's funny how much I loved this along with other banana breads or muffins but I can't eat a raw banana without gagging. Weird. I don't know.



Caramelized Banana Loaf Cake
recipe from Rachel Ray via Shutterbean

3 to 4 large bananas
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons salted butter
1 large egg + 1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 325F.

Grease a 9 inch loaf pan. Cut the ends off the bananas and cut them into pieces that fit in the bottom of the loaf pan. Cut the pieces in half lengthwise and peel. You'll probably have 5-6 halves for the bottom. Put the rest of the pieces aside.

In a saucepan, bring 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tbsp water to a boil without stirring it. Cook until the water evaporates and the sugar starts to turn a golden brown (but not too dark!! It will get bitter if it burns.) Remove from heat and stir in the butter until it's all melted. Place the banana slices in cut side down and cook over low heat for a minute. Remove from heat and put bananas side by side in the loaf pan, cut side down. Pour any remaining caramel over top of them.

In a medium bowl, mash up the rest of your banana pieces. They should equal about a cup so use more or less depending. Add sugar and combine. Mix in the egg and egg white and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in banana mix and oil.

Pour batter over bananas and put it in the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 50-55 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out dry. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert it on a plate. Let it cool completely.

Try not to eat the whole thing. ;)