Bananas Foster Pound Cake

Friends, welcome to Day 11 of the Twelve Days of Pound Cake! And a big welcome to this Bananas Foster Pound Cake. Because she is a beaut.

She is absolutely luxurious and dreamy, and has an incredible banana flavor. But she is also complex: from the vanilla bean ice cream to the decadent cake, to the butter rum reduction, she is a sight and taste to behold.

I have cake to eat, so let’s get to brass tacks quickly, shall we?

About this Bananas Foster Pound Cake

The original Bananas Foster, an absolutely delightful and classic dessert, traces its origins to the early 1950s in New Orleans. The dish was created by Chef Paul Blangé at Brennan’s restaurant and named after Richard Foster, a regular customer and friend of the restaurant’s owner, Owen Brennan. The indulgent treat typically features ripe bananas cooked in a rich caramel sauce made with brown sugar, butter, banana liqueur, and dark rum. The sauce is often ignited tableside, adding a dramatic flair to the dining experience. Once the flames subside, the bananas are served over vanilla ice cream, creating a delightful combination of warm, gooey sweetness and cold creaminess. Bananas Foster has since become a classic and iconic dessert, celebrated for its delicious flavor and entertaining preparation.

This version doesn’t ignite anything, but it’s fiery nonetheless (see what I did there?). Inspired by the original, this decadent banana cake is topped with a butter rum reduction, and finished with vanilla bean ice cream.

Those of you who love rich foods will absolutely love this cake. Heck, those of you who love bananas will love this cake!

Ingredients in this Bananas Foster Pound Cake

The cake portion of this dessert features a few ingredients that work delightfully well together.

All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour is the star of a pound cake, IMHO. The higher protein content helps create the incredible texture that reminds me so much of those pound cakes of my youth. Also, if you want a pound cake that conforms to these beautiful bundt pans and creates a stunning masterpiece, you’ll want all-purpose flour; cake flour doesn’t hold those gorgeous designs nearly as well.

Baking Soda: This cake uses buttermilk as the liquid. For this reason, baking soda is the appropriate leavening. Don’t substitute baking powder in this recipe; it’s not the right tool for the job.

Kosher Salt: Every baked good needs salt to counteract the sugar. A little goes a long way, so be careful when you’re measuring!

Unsalted Butter: Room temperature, unsalted butter is perfect for this cake. I used my favorite cultured butter from Vermont Creamery, but what you use is entirely up to you! The butter helps create the perfect texture in this cake; the creaming process creates beautiful little air pockets that help the leavening work even better!

Vegetable Oil: Oil helps add additional richness to this ultra decadent cake!

Granulated Sugar: Sugar adds sweetness to our cake, but it also aids in caramelization! And with bundt cakes, that beautiful golden crust is largely due to the caramelization from the sugar! 

Eggs: The egg whites in this cake add structure to the cake, while the fatty yolks add flavor. Make sure to take your time whilst adding the eggs! Too much liquid at one time will cause your batter to separate.

Pure Vanilla Extract: This cake uses vanilla extract. It’s the perfect accompaniment for the richness of this cake. 😊

Bananas: You can’t have Bananas Foster without bananas! 😂 In this cake, the bananas add luscious texture to the cake, and fun banana flavor as well!

Buttermilk: You’ll want to use full-fat buttermilk for this recipe. Fat=flavor and you don’t want to skimp on flavor!

Beginners Start Here

If you’re new to baking, or if you want to learn how to do some of the more tricky baking techniques, here are a couple of super helpful articles from the BwB site (and a resource from the BwB Home Baking Academy!) that will help you get set up for success with this Bananas Foster Pound Cake.

• BwB Masterclass: Perfect Pound Cakes Encore! Learn my secrets for making the absolute most delicious pound cakes over and over again!
• BwB Home Baking Academy: Creative Cakes Workbook: Learn how to create your very own cake recipes with this fun workbook! Only $99 this holiday season!
• My Favorite Bundt Pans
• Meet Your Kitchen BFF–Your Digital Kitchen Scale!
• Technique Tips for the Best Pound Cakes (& Big News!)
• How to Cream Butter and Sugar (With New Video!)
• Baking 101: How to Measure Ingredients
• How to Grease a Bundt Pan
• The Best Tools for Perfect Pound Cakes
• Knowing When to Stop a Technique

These resources are super helpful to help you build consistency and confidence on your baking journey. Happy Reading!

Important Tools Used in this Bananas Foster Pound Cake

Below, you’ll find some tools that I used for this pound cake. These are the tools that I use all the time in my own kitchen.

**I get paid a small commission if you purchase directly from these links, but they are truly amazing products that you’ll find in my kitchen.**

If you have them already, great! Think of this as a checklist to help you build the confidence that you’ll need to execute this recipe!

• Oven Thermometer
• Digital Food Scale
• KitchenAid Hand Mixer
• KitchenAid Stand Mixer 
• Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set
• OXO Spatula Set
• Sifter

This dessert is fully classic southern, and I am absolutely here for it. This holiday season, this is the one that I cannot wait to share with my family. I hope you all enjoy it too!

See you tomorrow for Day 12! I can’t believe it’s our last day together!

Bananas Foster Pound Cake

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This Bananas Foster Pound Cake is inspired by the classic New Orleans dessert.  I am so glad to be able to share this one with you; I’m looking forward to serving it on my holiday table.

• Total Time: 5-7 hours
• Yield: 18 servings 1x

Ingredients

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For the Cake:

• 384 g (3 c) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 227 g (1 c) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 500 g (2.5 c) granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 248 g (1 c) ripe mashed bananas (about 2 large bananas)
• 227 g (1 c) buttermilk, room temperature

For the Butter Rum Reduction:

• 100 g (1/2 c) Sugar
• 125 g (1/2 c) Water
• 113.6 g (1/2 c) Butter
• 83 g (1/3 c) Rum
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt
• 63 g (1/4 c) Banana liqueur (optional)

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Instructions

To Make The Batter:

1. Set your oven to a true 325°F.  An oven thermometer is extremely useful here, since most ovens will not reach 325°F when set to 325°F.
2. Sift together the all-purpose flour, kosher salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.  Set aside.
3. Mash the bananas and combine with the buttermilk in a small bowl.
4. Add the room-temperature butter and vegetable oil to the bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl.  Mix with your hand mixer or stand mixer until the fats are completely smooth and combined. Add the granulated sugar and cream until the mixture is light and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing each egg until completely incorporated into the mixture.  Scrape the sides and bowl as needed to ensure even mixing.
6. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.
7. Add half of the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
8. Add all of the buttermilk/banana mixture and mix until just combined.
9. Add the second half of the flour mixture and mix until just combined.  Using a rubber spatula, give the sides and bottom of the bowl a final scrape to ensure that the batter is evenly mixed.
10. Prep a 10- or 12-cup bundt pan as you normally would (I use butter and flour to prep pans for this cake)
11. Bake for 65-75 minutes in a true 325°F oven, or until an instant-read thermometer reads 212°F-215°F.

To Make the Butter Rum Reduction:

1. Add sugar, salt, and water to a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
2. Add butter, rum, and banana liqueur (if using) and stir gently to combine.
3. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring frequently with a whisk, until the mixture has reduced by 1/3 and thickened.  The alcohol “bite” should be gone as well.
4. Allow the cake to cool in its pan for ten minutes, then invert and place on top of a cooling rack.  Brush butter rum reduction on the cake and allow to cool completely.
5. Serve with vanilla bean ice cream and enjoy!  For an additional flair, you can add more butter rum sauce to the plated dessert.

• Author: Shani
• Prep Time: 45 minutes
• Cook Time: 60-70 minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: American