Bananas Foster Upside Down Rum Cake

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Hey Ya’ll!! We are in Thanksgiving week! That means you should be starting to prepare the dishes that will keep in your fridge and hopping fresh herbs and veggies to make an easier Thanksgiving Day. No clue what those things are? Well, I’ve been making a weekly guide on how to prepare for Thanksgiving to make your cooking experience go as smooth and stress free as possible. I also released a cookbook last week with 27 LOW CARB recipes that are so full of flavor, no one will mind that they’re low carb. And even if low carb isn’t for you, these recipes are because they’re naturally low carb or require just a simple switch to make them how you want (like rice for cauliflower rice). BUT This recipe is a night before type of dessert for you and it’s something I’m 99% sure you haven’t had, but 100% sure you’ll want again and again! And that is the combination of three desserts, Bananas Fosters, Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Rum Cake. Believe me, you want to make this!

THE INSPIRATION

I just told ya’ll the 3 desserts that this is a mash up from, so I can’t really say that the inspiration comes from more than that. However, I will say that this interpretation of the desserts is what makes this recipe special. I am a true lover of banana’s foster. I feel like it is a near perfect dessert. It has almost all of the elements that you want in a dessert: sweet, creamy, salty (if balanced), crunchy and warm. The bananas offer not only a bit of creaminess, but also a little bit of savoriness as they aren’t too sweet when selected properly. At the same time, the caramel sauce and pecans round our the other elements with sweetness, warmth and crunchiness. When you add these to ice cream, it becomes even better. What bananas fosters is missing , for me personally, is a cakey, fluffy element. And that’s where this made-for-Thanksgiving upside down cake comes in. I love cake and rum cake is definitely in the top 5 of my favorite types of cake. When done properly, it’s tender, fluffy and slightly sweet with a good kick of rum that sends you to Island Time. Because this is an upside down cake, it takes the element of cooking a sauce and adding the cake batter, then flipping after baking to have a dessert with a gorgeous presentation and an incredible bite. Let’s get into the details so we can get into the most important part: the recipe.

The Deets

The details for this recipe are built into every layer. The first layer is the bananas fosters. Sweet and succulent butterscotch combined with caramelized bananas and flambéed with rum and toasted walnut added in. The next layer is the rum cake. Very fluffy and tender in texture, thanks to the buttermilk and a strong Caribbean flavor that comes from the rum. This rum cake recipe is a really vanilla cake recipe whose flavor relies on a good vanilla and a great rum! I recommend Ten to One Rum. With the bananas foster, the base is a simple butterscotch: brown sugar and butter melted down until it reaches a caramel like consistency. Then the bananas and walnuts are added and a little rum all over, before being set on fire to burn off that additional alcohol flavor. This is all done in a cast iron skillet which is a fantastic heat conductor that promotes even cooking and is naturally non-stick if seasoned well. The cast iron skillet also offers even heating so you get a great even bake and a nice crust on the cake that supports the structure. However, because cast iron the heat lasts for quite sometime, so be careful when handling this before putting into the oven and when removing. The hardest part though, waiting for it to cool for the flip! I’ll give you a few tips to get to this cake sooner, but trust me when I say, this is definitely the cake you want for your Thanksgiving spread!

Tips For Making

If you want to add this dessert to your Thanksgiving day dessert spread, great! Here’s how to ensure it all goes well and you’re the MVP of Thanksgiving dinner for bringing the best dessert

• Don’t question the butter. It will seem like it’s too much, then like it’s not enough until you make the butterscotch. Trust me, it all comes together!
• I HIGHLY recommend a Caribbean rum as it will give the best rum cake flavor. The brand I suggest is Ten To One, but if you have a favorite, feel free to use that.
• Allow the cake to cool for the full time before flipping out of the pan. This will give you the best chance of getting the cake out without it sticking to the pan.
• If you do not have a cast iron pan, you can make the sauce on the stove, pour into a parchment lined cake pan, add bananas and then add cake batter on top. Just be sure to prepare by spraying the pan.

Alright ya’ll. As this is the last recipe before Thanksgiving, I just wanna say I am thankful for you reading this right now and everyone that has shown me support. Be sure to check out my HoLOWday Cookbook for low carb friendly recipes to bring to your holiday table this year! Have a very happy Thanksgiving!!

Don’t forget to tag me in your photos online @lizeeangel or using #lizeeangel. And as always, comment below and please, like, share and follow me on youtube, instagram, twitter, facebook and pinterest!