This quirky spin on a traditional dessert combines two New Orleans classics: bananas foster and bread pudding. This decadent dessert is silky, rich, buttery, and full of the wonderful typical bananas foster flavors of bananas, rum, and custard. French bread is submerged in a sweet spiced custard and topped with a banana caramel sauce before baking. Then it’s served warm with a luscious rum caramel sauce for a knock-your-socks-off dessert that is sure to be a favorite.
I made this while we were getting 25 inches of snow and it was the perfect heartwarming and comforting dessert for a cold, wintry day.
Ingredients
Bananas Foster Topping
6 Tbsp salted butter
¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed
3 bananas, cut into 1-inch slices
4 Tbsp spiced rum
Bananas Foster Bread Pudding
12oz French bread, stale and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 bananas, cut into ½-inch slices
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2½ cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 Tbsp salted butter, melted
1 Tbsp spiced rum
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Rum Caramel Sauce
6 Tbsp salted butter
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ cup spiced rum
¼ cup heavy cream
Directions
Bananas Foster Topping
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar until melted.
Add the banana slices and sauté for about a minute.
Then add the rum and simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat.
Bananas Foster Bread Pudding
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Spread the stale bread cubes evenly in the baking dish. Mix 3 sliced bananas into the bread until evenly distributed. (I did one layer of bread, topped with a layer of sliced bananas, and then another layer of bread cubes.)
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, butter, rum, vanilla, brown sugar, and cinnamon until combined. (Ensure there are no lumps. I used an immersion blender to ensure the mixture was completely smooth.)
Pour the egg mixture all over the bread and bananas in the baking dish. Press the bread down and tilt the dish from side-to-side to evenly coat the bread so it soaks up the egg mixture.
Pour the bananas foster topping on top of the bread pudding and ensuring the bananas are evenly distributed.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the custard is set, but it still jiggles a little and the edges of the bread have browned.
Rum Caramel Sauce
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar and cinnamon and whisk until the sugar is melted.
Add the vanilla, rum, and cream. Simmer the sauce, whisking constantly, until the sauce has thickened, about 5-7 minutes. Take the sauce off the heat until ready to serve.
To serve, scoop the warm pudding onto dessert plates or into bowls. Top each serving with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, drizzle with the rum caramel sauce, and serve immediately.