There comes a time in life where you have to accept the fact that you are an adult and need to make adult decisions. Case in point: embracing the decision to drink (and like!) bourbon. With the guidance of bourbon-aficionado friends, I gradually adopted the taste for it. It was a deliberate process– initially, adding water and ice to the bourbon to mellow it out, and then decreasing the amounts each time I imbibed until I became accustomed, and appreciated, the flavor of the bourbon itself. Tasting different varieties of bourbon and figuring out which ones I preferred was an adventure in and of itself (and continues to be!) during my introductory phase. I very quickly learned that I favored a dry, spicy bourbon as opposed to a sweeter one. I can now say in earnest that I love drinking bourbon and always have it stocked in my bar. Being an adult isn’t so bad after all.
Now that I’ve thoroughly divulged my regard for bourbon, it should come as no shock that I make a cake with it. This banana pudding cake is sticky. It’s luscious and sinful. The banana cake itself is delicious and custard-like but melts in your mouth. The real showstopper here is the maple-bourbon syrup that awaits you at the bottom. Warm and gooey, this pooled and drizzled over the cake is complete rapture. Serve it with ice cream (butter pecan, here) and powdered sugar and you’ll be one very happy adult.
Sticky Banana Pudding Cake with Maple-Bourbon Syrup and Bourbon-Soaked Cherries
Notes
adapted from food & wine’s, maple-bourbon banana pudding cake
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons kerrygold unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 ripe banana, mashed
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup vanilla almond milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup good maple syrup
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 8 bourbon-soaked cherries, stemmed and halved
- butter pecan or vanilla ice cream, for serving
- powdered sugar, for serving
Instructions
- preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- in a 2 1/2 quart baking dish, melt the butter in the microwave. add the sugar and mashed banana; whisk to combine. whisk in the egg and milk.
- in a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt; add flour mixture to the baking dish in batches, whisking to combine batter.
- in a glass measuring cup, heat the maple syrup, molasses, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup hot water in the microwave until hot, about 1 minute. pour in the bourbon. drizzle this syrupy mixture over the batter. do not stir, most of it will sink to the bottom. scatter the bourbon-soaked cherries over the top.
- set the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, until the top is golden; the middle will still jiggle like it’s not cooked but will set as it cools. wait at least 10 minutes before serving with ice cream and powdered sugar on top.
// Other ooey gooey syrupy sweet things:
