I’m a lover of all things chocolate. When it comes time to try a new recipe, or experiment with some ingredients, I’m usually drawn to dark cocoa powders, luxurious bars of chocolate, and other rich things that are best served with a scoop of ice cream.

But sometimes, a bunch of bananas sits on your counter until they go mushy and brown. And the carton of whipping cream in the fridge is begging to be used. And sadly, the pantry is devoid of anything remotely chocolate.

That’s where this cake comes in. Banana Toffee Cake, straight from the oven, doused in caramel and served still warm. Better yet, the whole thing comes together in about half an hour. Let’s face it, isn’t that the hallmark of a good dessert?

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Banana Toffee Cake

Banana Cake:
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
3 medium bananas, mashed (the riper, the better)
splash of vanilla extract

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Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, mix together butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and banana until well blended. Stir in the dry ingredients just until blended. Pour batter into a greased 9×9 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

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Toffee Sauce:
1/4 cup salted butter
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup of whipping cream (35%)

In a saucepan, mix together the ingredients and bring to a boil. Stirring frequently, boil for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce thickens slightly.

Poke holes all over the surface of the cake, and pour about 1/2 cup of toffee sauce over the top. Let it sit for a few minutes while it soaks in, then add more sauce. Reserve the remaining sauce to pour over individual slices as you serve them.

If your carton of whipping cream has any left, you can innovate like Mr O did, and whip the cream up with 1/2 oz of Fireball Whiskey. Spiked cinnamon whipped cream is a pretty excellent addition to this cake.

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