Bananas Foster Eton Mess

bananas foster eton mess

Last week, we talked all about meringue so it’s only fitting that today we make some! This bananas foster Eton mess is essentially a big crunchy, marshmallow-y pillow of baked French meringue topped with whipped cream and bananas swimming in a rum caramel sauce. Literally, what else could you need?

I like any desserts that are called “mess” because it makes me feel like the decorative bar is set so low. The Eton Mess is the ultimate lazy show-stopper. It made it’s first appearance in England in the late 1800s at Eton College’s cricket match (hence the name) and traditionally consists of just meringue, whipped cream, and strawberries. But you guys know how we feel about tradition around here, so I took the liberty of subbing our strawberries for bananas foster. Eton mess is a such a beautiful dessert to showcase whatever fruit you have in season, don’t limit yourself!

For this particular version, a French meringue is spread into a big circle on a sheet pan and then baked low and slow until crisp and the bottom easily releases from the pan. While the meringue is cooling, a simple brown sugar, rum, butter-filled caramel sauce is made and a few past-their-prime bananas are tossed in. Heavy cream gets whipped with a little sweetened condensed milk and everything is very slouchily piled high on the meringue. One thing to note, none of the components of this dessert hold very well on their own and so when you put them together, you have a beautiful dessert that needs to be eaten immediately. If you are making this for a dinner party or other evening soiree, I recommend baking the meringue sometime in the late afternoon, and then making the caramel and whipped cream just before serving (they are both very quick to toss together). Serve immediately after assembling or you will find yourself in a puddle of sweet cream and caramel, which is honestly not a bad thing, but also not exactly what we are going for here.

bananas in caramel sauce

bananas foster eton mess

bananas foster eton mess

Yield: makes one large desserts, serves 8-10

Author: Anna Ramiz

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Bananas Foster Eton Mess

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 30 M

Instead of the traditional strawberries, this Eton Mess is made of a crisp, marshmallow-like baked meringue topped with bananas swimming in rum caramel and lots of homemade whipped cream.

Ingredients

for the french meringue

• 200 g (about 5-6) egg whites
• 350 g (1 3/4 cup) granulated sugar

for the bananas foster

• 3 ripe bananas, sliced
• 4 tbsp (57 g) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar
• 1 tbsp coffee liqueur
• 2 tbsp heavy cream
• Pinch of salt

for the whipped cream

• 1 cup (227 g) heavy cream
• 1/4 cup (78 g) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, optional 

Instructions

to make the meringue

1. Preheat oven to 200° F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and begin whipping on medium speed. When the egg whites begin to froth, gradually stream in sugar while the mixer continues to run. When all of the sugar has been added, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and continue to whip until smooth and glossy and medium peaks form.
3. Pour meringue onto your prepared baking sheet and use an offset spatula to smooth into a circle, about 9” in diameter.
4. Bake for 1 to 1- 1/2 hours, until meringue is dry and crispy and easily releases from the bottom of the pan. Set aside to cool.

to make the bananas foster

1. Set a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and brown sugar to the pan and cook without stirring, until butter is melted. When the butter is melted, you can begin to whisk the caramel occasionally. Continue to cook for 5-7 minutes, until brown sugar is dissolved and caramel is deep brown and bubbling. Whisk until smooth and homogenized.
2. Carefully whisk in coffee liqueur and heavy cream and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Stir in bananas and salt and remove from heat to cool slightly while you make the whipped cream.

to make the whipped cream and assemble

1. Place heavy cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Begin whipping on medium-low speed, until frothy and then gradually increase speed. When the cream has reached soft peaks, add the sweetened condensed milk and then continue to whip until whipped cream has reach medium peaks.
2. Spread half of the whipped cream over the meringue. Spoon bananas and caramel on top of the whipped cream, followed by the remaining whipped cream and toasted walnuts. Serve immediately.

Notes:

• a note on "peaks": Most of the time, meringue done-ness is discussed in terms of peaks—soft, medium or stiff. I usually like to explain the difference between the three by using pictures, but I’ll try to use my words to help you create a picture in your head. When you remove the whisk from the bowl, the meringue at the top should create a tip. If the tip immediately falls back over onto itself, you’ve reached the soft peak stage. If the tip stays upright, but the very top of it falls back onto itself creating a little wave look, you’ve reached medium peaks. If, when you pull the whisk out of the bowl, the tip stands upright, you’ve reached the stiff peak stage. **This also applies to whipped cream**
• None of the components of this dessert hold very well on their own and so when you put them together, you have a beautiful dessert that needs to be eaten immediately. If you are making this for a dinner party or other evening soiree, I recommend baking the meringue sometime in the late afternoon, and then making the caramel and whipped cream just before serving (they are both very quick to toss together). Serve immediately after assembling or you will find yourself in a puddle of sweet cream and caramel, which is honestly not a bad thing, but also not exactly what we are going for here.

Similar Recipes

All About Meringue — Gathered at my table

Brown Sugar Pavlovas with Mascarpone Cream — Gathered at my table

A Fancy Strawberry Shortcake — Gathered at my table

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @gatheredatmytable on instagram and hashtag it #gatheredatmytable

Created using The Recipes Generator

Salted Honey and Banana Snack Cake

This easy banana cake recipe is made with ripe bananas, sour cream, and a few warming spices and is topped with addictive salted honey whipped cream.

This week has been a busy one and I barely had time to get this recipe typed up and posted, but, whew! We made it! This is a perfect cake for busy days because it’s super easy to throw together and uses ingredients that are probably already hanging out in your pantry. On top of that, I feel like every Wednesday needs a good snack cake.

Salted honey is my new favorite flavor combo and I’ve been incorporating it any way I can. It started a few months ago at the restaurant when we threw together a salted honey chantilly last minute for a special dessert and it was love at first bite. The salty-sweet combo complements pretty much everything and gives a surprisingly complex flavor to otherwise simple treats. In this cake, the tanginess of the sour cream really highlights the salted honey and this little banana snack is one you’ll be coming back to time and time again.

Yield: one 9x13" pan

Author: Anna Ramiz

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Salted Honey and Banana Snack Cake

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 40 Min

This easy banana cake recipe is made with ripe bananas, sour cream, and a few warming spices and is topped with addictive salted honey whipped cream.

Ingredients

for the cake

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup (60 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (50 g) brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (115 g) sour cream, at room temperature
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour

for the frosting

• 1 cup (230 g) sour cream
• 3/4 cup (170 g) heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (30 g) powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup (80 g) honey
• 1 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

to make the cake

1. Preheat oven to 350° F and line a 9x13” pan with parchment paper.
2. Place butter in a small saucepan and set over medium heat, swirling regularly, until it begins to foam, about 6 minutes. Butter should be fragrant and nutty, with little brown flecks. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon, and kosher salt. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine browned butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix on medium speed until smooth and reaches the consistency of very wet sand.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition until homogenous, followed by the vanilla extract and the bananas.
6. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the sour cream beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. When the last of the dry ingredients have been added, mix until just combined and no dry streaks remain.
7. Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth into an even layer with a small offset spatula. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until cake is golden brown and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. A knife or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

to make the frosting

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment combine sour cream and heavy cream. Whip, starting on low speed and gradually increasing speed until cream is thickened and soft peaks form.
2. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, honey and salt, and continue whipping on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, or the consistency of whipped cream.
3. Scoop and swirl frosting over the cooled banana cake and serve immediately.

Similar Recipes

Banana Tahini Breakfast Cake

Banana Muffins with Cinnamon Oat Crumble

Dirty Chai Banana Bread

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @gatheredatmytable on instagram and hashtag it #gatheredatmytable

Created using The Recipes Generator

Banana Muffins with Cinnamon Oat Crumble

My aunt makes the best banana bread. When I was a kid, every year after Christmas, all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins would squeeze into a condo on Pensacola beach for three or four days for the New Year’s holiday. The highlight of this trip was always banana bread. When we got to the condo, there would be petite-sized loaves wrapped in red and green cellophane sitting atop the small, beige-colored countertop and it was all my sister and I could do not to consume all of them in the first afternoon. As I got older and started puttering around in the kitchen, I asked my aunt for her recipe and began making my own banana breads. I had a very elaborate system for how to cool, rest, and wrap these little dark, speckle-y loaves in order to maximize that gooey top layer synonymous with banana bread and I would always save that little top ridge for my last, most savored bites.

But sometimes you get tired of making banana bread, especially if you’re anything like me and seems you always have a never-ending supply of too ripe bananas. My husband loves muffins and always requests them when we have a surplus of bananas rapidly browning on the counter, but I have never been able to master that sticky, soft top layer on the muffin. But, alas, I have come up with a solution to the problem. This cinnamon oat topping is not a traditional bakery-style muffin topping. I actually developed it from a cobbler recipe, so this is the real-deal crunch topping. Oats and brown sugar are bound together by a hefty amount of softened butter and you are really going to lay it on thick so that you get some of that crunchy goodness in each bite. Who knows, maybe this year I’ll wrap them in red and green cellophane and send them to my nieces and nephews to carry on the aunt who makes the best banana baked goods tradition.

Banana Muffins with Cinnamon Oat Crumble

Yield: 12 large muffins

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 large, ripe bananas

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled 

for the crumble: 

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

2 tbsp + 2 tsp light brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt 

4 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed 

Procedure: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 12 muffin cups, or line with cupcake liners, and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In medium sized bowl, combine sugar, mashed bananas, egg, and coconut oil. Use a whisk to mix well, until combined and homogenous. Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth and no dry spots remain. Use a large cookie scoop to divide among prepared muffin tin and set aside.

4. To make the crumble: In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer), combine flour, oats, cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar. Stir together. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the butter. When all the butter has been added, increase speed to medium and beat until fully incorporated and no dry spots remain.

5. Use your fingers to scatter oat topping evenly over the muffin batter. Bake for 18-22 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until muffins are golden brown and the tops spring back slightly when touched. Let muffins cool for 5 minutes in pan and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.