As we peer into fall, I’m guiltlessly leaning into all the fruit-filled pies, pastries and cakes. There is nothing better than having your kitchen fill the aroma of your house with warm scents of cinnamon and spice.

Which brings me to…

Raise your hand if you’ve been personally victimized by overly ripe bananas.

We’ve all been there where we think we’ll eat the bananas, but we don’t so we let them sit on the counter until they bruise and closely inch their way to the trashcan. Instead of making chocolate chip banana bread (because it’s boring), I’ve got an original and delicious recipe to share.

Traditionally known as a banana pudding cake (although there’s not actually pudding in it as the title suggests, psych), this cake is fluffy and drop-dead sexy. The bottom is a Nilla Wafer crust topped with a cinnamon-spiced banana cake with a light texture thanks to yours truly – fluffy egg whites.

And the superstar of the dish is a hot sugar crust, which I’ll explain below.

‍

Make the Bottom Crust

• Can you have banana desserts without Nilla wafers? Absolutely not. Similar to the lemon icebox bars, combine crushed cookies and melted butter to form a granulated texture, and then press into a pan to form the crust.

Make the Cake

• Combine the wet ingredients in a bowl – sugar, butter, egg yolks, bananas, almond extract and lemon juice. Then add the dry ones – flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Then the very satisfying part, fold the egg whites into the mixture and pour over the crust.

Make the Hot Sugar Crust

First off, what is hot sugar crust?

It’s a popular baking technique utilizing water and steam to create a delicate, crisp and thin layer of sugary crust over baked desserts. Forget the frosting, ganache or nuts, this super easy method tops them all.

‍

‍

Before the cake is baked, the hot water dissolves the brown sugar, then creates a translucent crust as it evaporates during the baking process.

‍

‍So, how do I do it?

‍

‍Once the cake mixture is poured into the pan, heavily sprinkle brown sugar over the entire cake WITHOUT mixing. Then, mix a mashed banana with water until it comes to a boil. Gently pour the mixture over the brown sugar WITHOUT stirring. I know it looks so strange, but trust the science. Believe me.

Put that baby in the oven and watch the magic unfold right before your eyes.

‍

This banana cake comes in clutch

Especially when you’re on a time crunch. It only takes 35-40 minutes from the first stir to pulling it out of the oven. This is a perfect dessert to bring to a dinner party, family dinner or simply impress someone with a delicious, low-effort cake.

‍

Equipment Needed

1. Blender or food processor
2. Small and medium bowl
3. 9 X 10 casserole dish
4. Beater or KitchenAid mixer
5. Small pot

‍

I would love to hear if you make this cake! Drop my a line below, and let me know what you think. I'm particularly interested in how you experienced the hot sugar crust.