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Caramelized cake with bananas

Caramel Banana Cake (Banoffee)

Delicate, melts in your mouth — for everyday and for celebrations! This caramel banana cake is one version of the famous English dessert called banoffee pie. The combination of caramel, bananas, shortbread crust, and the silkiest cream is simply unbeatable!

Nika

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Shortbread cookies

250

Butter

120

Sugar

200

Heavy cream (33%)

Butter

Salt (1 pinch)

Bananas

Heavy cream (33%)

200

Cream cheese

200

Powdered sugar

Syrup (homemade caramel)

Chocolate

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 8 % 5 g

Fats 39 % 25 g

Carbohydrates 53 % 34 g

402 kcal

GI: 6 / 44 / 50

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make a caramel banana cake? Gather your ingredients. Any plain shortbread cookies will work. The cream must be heavy — at least 33% (heavy whipping cream) — natural and good quality. Same with the butter: choose a product with no milk-fat substitutes.
Step 2:

Make the shortbread base for the cake. Crush the cookies into crumbs using a meat grinder or a blender. You can also use a rolling pin. Melt the butter any way you like and let it cool. Combine the cookie crumbs with the melted butter and mix them thoroughly so all the crumbs are moistened.
Step 3:

Take an adjustable cake ring, set it to a diameter of 7 inches (18 cm), and pour the butter-soaked crumbs inside. Press the crumbs down to form the bottom and sides of the cake. Put the pan with the base in the refrigerator for 2 hours. If you don't have a cake ring, you can use a small-diameter baking pan instead.
Step 4:

Make the caramel. Pour the granulated sugar into a heavy-bottomed saucepan, set it over the heat, and melt the sugar until it dissolves completely and turns a beautiful amber color.
Step 5:

Lower the heat, pour in the warmed heavy cream, and stir. Take the pan off the heat, add the butter, and stir until fully dissolved. Add the salt and cook the caramel for another 2 minutes over low heat. Let the caramel cool to room temperature.
Step 6:

Spread the cooled caramel over the shortbread base, setting aside 1 tablespoon for the cream.
Step 7:

Peel the bananas and cut them into rounds. Arrange the banana slices on top of the caramel.
Step 8:

Make the cream. Whip the chilled heavy cream into stiff peaks, starting on low speed and gradually working up to maximum. Gradually add the powdered sugar as you whip.
Step 9:

Using a mixer, blend the soft cream cheese with the reserved caramel.
Step 10:

Gently fold the whipped cream into the caramel cream cheese with a silicone spatula.
Step 11:

Spread the cream over the layer of bananas and sprinkle the top of the cake with grated chocolate. Refrigerate the cake for 2 hours to chill and set. Then serve. Enjoy!

For the cream, I recommend a soft cheese like Philadelphia or mascarpone; you can also use other soft fresh cheeses, but they must be soft. They can even be a little salty, which adds an extra twist to this dessert. You can also add a pinch of salt to the shortbread base. Another very interesting variation is to add crushed salted pretzel sticks to the cookie crumbs. There's plenty of room to get creative here!
How do you whip cream properly? It's important that the cream is high-fat, at least 33%. The bowl and the cream itself should both be cold — keep them in the fridge for at least 1–2 hours. Whip with a mixer on the lowest speed, gradually increasing it. How do you know when the cream is whipped enough? The cream should hold its shape and not run. Stop whipping at that point, or the cream will turn to butter.
You can melt butter in the microwave or in a water bath. How do you melt butter in the microwave? Cut the butter into small pieces and put it in a microwave-safe container. To keep it from splattering as it heats, cover the container with a paper towel. Melt the butter on the lowest power or on the defrost setting. Five seconds is enough to start. If the butter hasn't melted yet, set another 5 seconds and run the microwave again. Repeat a few times until you get the result you want. How do you melt butter in a water bath? You'll need two containers of different sizes. Pour water into the larger one and set it on the stove. Set the smaller container on top so it sits about halfway in the water. Put the cut-up butter in it. The boiling water will start to melt the butter. Stir it gently to speed things up. As soon as the pieces of butter have fully melted, take the container off the stove.
Important! The pan size should match the amount of ingredients. If you don't have a pan of the diameter the recipe calls for, or you want to make a larger or smaller cake, the article on how to choose a pan of the right diameter will help you do the math and get it right.