Banana Sticky Toffee Pudding

Alabama is currently under a snowmagedden 2 warning.  Y'all remember snowmagedden 1, right?  2014.  Snow....ice....the one salt truck sent to another part of the state....panic, and pandemonium.  Fun times.  That's apparently happening again today.  Business and schools announced closings on last night's news.  The snow was arriving at 10:00am, the temperatures would start dropping and pandemonium would arrive by 10:01.  The grocery stores promptly sold out of everything you'd need to make your milk sandwiches, everyone made their liquor run (maybe that was just me) and hunkered down for a long winter's nap.  Except it's now 1:30pm and NO SNOW.  But I'm drunk, so........

I made Banana Sticky Toffee Pudding.  That's a lie.  I made this on Saturday.  But if I weren't drunk I'd make this again today.  It is hands down the best sweet I've made since I don't know when.  Maybe snowmageddon 1.  And I lurve the addition of the banana.  I'd never hate on plain ole sticky toffee pudding, but add in some really ripe bananas?  I mean.  Crazy good.  

And don't even think about skipping the sauce.  Or the whipped cream.  Because we're half-way through January and y'all know those resolutions are trash (again, maybe just me).  Drizzle half of the sauce on the cake while it's still warm from the oven and then ask your extremely tall husband to put the rest of it out of your reach until you're ready to serve the cake to your guests.  Or don't and keep dipping in for just one more taste until there isn't any left to pour over your guest's piece and you have to make that sauce AGAIN.  I swear that didn't happen here.

Here's the recipe:

Banana Sticky Toffee Pudding

Food and Wine Magazine

January 2018

Serves 9

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided plus more for greasing

3/4 cup boiling water

6 oz pitted dates, chopped (1 cup)

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 medium-size overripe bananas, mashed (1 cup)

1/2 cup heavy cream

Whipped cream for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 deg.  Grease a 9-inch square metal cake pan with butter.  In a small heatproof bowl pour the boiling water over the dates, stir in the baking soda.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat 1/4 cup of the butter with 3/4 cup of the brown sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  At low speed, beat in the flour mixture until just combined.  Add the date mixture and bananas and beat at low speed until just combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile in a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream, the remaining 1/4 cup of butter, and the remaining 1 cup of brown sugar.  Bring to a gentle boil over moderate heat and cook until slightly thickened and deep golden, about 3 minutes.  Keep warm.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack.  Using a skewer or toothpick, poke holes all over the cake.  Pour half of the warm sauce over the cake and let stand until absorbed, about 10 minutes.  Serve warm with the remaining sauce and the whipped cream.

(If you don't use all the sauce, it will need to be reheated to use.)