GLWhiskeyKitchen

Dessert · · By Ashley

Bananas Foster and Candied Pecan Roll

The same hot-rolled sponge as my strawberry roll, finished New Orleans style with caramel bananas and candied pecans.

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Prep
2 hr 40 min
Cook
15 min
Total
2 hr 55 min
Serves
8 to 10
Level
A project
The bananas foster roll from the cut end, showing the cream spiral under caramel bananas, piped cream and chopped candied pecans on a powdered-sugar board

Where the time goes

2 hr 55 min, mostly waiting

  • Hands-on
  • Hands-off
  1. 01Hands-onCaramel bananas foster · cools while the sponge bakes10 min
  2. 02Hands-onMake and bake the sponge25 min
  3. 03Hands-offRoll hot and cool in the towel1 hr
  4. 04Hands-onWhip the cream, fill and roll15 min
  5. 05Hands-offChill to set · at least1 hr
  6. 06Hands-onDecorate5 min

The story

This is the sister to my Fresh Strawberry and Toasted Coconut Roll. The sponge, the hot roll and the spiced vanilla cream are exactly the same. The strawberry jam and the coconut go. In their place, bananas cooked in a dark brown sugar caramel go in twice: mashed into a spread under the cream inside, and sliced on top with chopped candied pecans.

The whole thing still hinges on one step: you roll the cake while it is still hot, still in the towel, before it has any idea what shape it is supposed to be. Let it cool flat first and it cracks the moment you try to curl it.

Roll it hot, cool it curled, fill it cold. Everything else is decoration.

The tiny pinch of cinnamon in the cream sits underneath everything as a warm backdrop and ties straight into the cinnamon in the caramel. Dark brown sugar gives the sauce a deeper, molasses-rich flavor than light brown would.

  • Looking down the length of the roll at the caramel bananas, cream rosettes and candied pecans along the top
    Foster, cream and candied pecans down the spine.
  • The bananas foster roll head-on, caramel dripping onto the board between scattered pecans
  • A sponge roll dusted in powdered sugar, topped with caramel bananas and chopped candied pecans, caramel drizzled across the board
    An earlier batch, with caramel drizzled across the board.

Ingredients

Serves 8 to 10

Tap an ingredient to check it off.

The extra-vanilla sponge

The spiced Madagascar vanilla cream

Chef’s caramel bananas foster

The finish

Method

Tap a step number to mark it done.

Chef’s caramel bananas foster

  1. Melt the butter

    In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter until it begins to bubble gently.

  2. Add the brown sugar

    Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture turns glossy.

    Brown sugar burns quickly, so keep the heat at medium or medium-low.

  3. Make it creamy

    Slowly whisk in the heavy cream and simmer for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly.

  4. Add the vanilla

    Take the pan off the heat briefly and stir in the vanilla, and the rum if using.

  5. Caramelize the bananas

    Add the banana slices and cook gently for about 1 to 2 minutes per side, until softened and coated in the sauce.

  6. Split it for inside and on top

    Lift out about half of the banana slices with a little of the sauce and set them aside for the top. Mash the rest right in the pan with the remaining sauce into a thick spread.

  7. Let both cool completely before they go anywhere near the cake.

    Warm foster melts the cream and soaks the sponge. It cools while the sponge bakes and cools.

Bake the sponge

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Butter a 12x16 inch (30x40 cm) jelly roll pan and line it cleanly with parchment.

  2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.

  3. Beat the eggs, granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons of vanilla on high speed until the mixture is lemon-yellow, thick and foamy.

    This is where the lift comes from. Beat it longer than feels necessary.

  4. Pour in the canola oil and mix until fully incorporated.

  5. Fold the flour mixture in with a spatula, gradually, just until combined. Stop the moment it comes together.

  6. Pour onto the prepared pan and spread smoothly into all four corners with an offset spatula.

  7. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly touched.

The hot roll

  1. While the cake bakes, lay a clean kitchen towel flat on the counter and dust it generously with powdered sugar.

    Do this before the cake comes out. You will not have time afterward.

  2. The moment the cake leaves the oven, flip the hot pan over onto the sugared towel.

  3. Peel the hot parchment away from the bottom of the cake, then dust the exposed surface with a little more powdered sugar.

  4. Roll it hot

    While the cake is still hot and pliable, roll the cake and the towel up together, tightly, starting from one of the short ends.

    This is the whole recipe. A cooled flat sponge cracks; a sponge that cooled in a curl unrolls and rerolls without complaint.

  5. Set the rolled towel aside and let it cool completely to room temperature.

Whip the cream

  1. Put the chilled cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon into a chilled bowl.

  2. Beat on medium-high until dense, ultra-stiff peaks form. Keep it in the fridge until you assemble.

Fill and chill

  1. Gently unroll the cooled cake flat on the counter.

  2. Spread the cooled, mashed bananas foster evenly over the surface, leaving a ½-inch border at the edges.

  3. Spread a layer of the spiced cream directly over the foster. Reserve about ½ cup in a piping bag for the top.

    Reserve it now. It is very easy to spread the entire batch and then remember.

  4. Roll the cake back up tightly, without the towel this time. Wrap snugly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour to set.

Plate and decorate

  1. Move the chilled roll onto a serving board.

  2. The base dusting

    Dust the top and sides with a thick, even layer of powdered sugar. Let some fall onto the board.

  3. The cream

    Pipe the reserved cream down the center spine of the roll.

  4. The bananas foster

    Lay the reserved caramel bananas along the top over the cream, and drizzle any extra caramel across the board.

  5. The pecans

    Scatter the chopped candied pecans over the bananas and around the base.

Things worth knowing

  • Roll it hot. Everything else about this recipe is forgiving; that step is not.
  • Use dark brown sugar for a deeper, molasses-rich caramel.
  • Want a silky, restaurant-style sauce? Whisk in an extra tablespoon or two of heavy cream if it gets too thick.
  • Any extra caramel is perfect warm over vanilla bean ice cream.

Swaps that work

  • For authentic New Orleans-style bananas foster, use ¼ cup dark rum and ¼ cup banana liqueur instead of relying on the cream for the sauce. Flambéing is optional. Never pour alcohol straight from the bottle into a hot pan or near an open flame.

Ingredients · 2 hr 55 min · Serves 8 to 10

The extra-vanilla sponge

  • ¾ cup (95g)all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp (4g)baking powder
  • ½ tsp (2g)salt
  • 4large eggs
  • ¾ cup (150g)granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp (10g)vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp (28g)canola oil
  • 2–3 tbsppowdered sugar

The spiced Madagascar vanilla cream

  • 1 cup (240ml)heavy whipping cream
  • 6 tbsp (60g)powdered sugar
  • 2 tspMadagascar bourbon vanilla extract
  • ⅛ tspground cinnamon

Chef’s caramel bananas foster

  • ½ cup (1 stick)unsalted butter
  • 1 cuppacked dark brown sugar
  • ¼ cupheavy cream
  • ¼ tspground cinnamon
  • 1 tspvanilla extract
  • a pinchsalt
  • 2 tbspdark rum
  • 2–3ripe but firm bananas

The finish

  • ½ cupcandied pecans
  • 2–3 tbsppowdered sugar

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