no fire required

While there are a number of sweet treats associated with New Orleans (beignets and bread pudding, to name a few), one of the most awesome desserts that has its origins in The Big Easy is bananas Foster. For my money, it’s hard to beat the combination of bananas, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and rum.

While the traditional bananas Foster is often flambeed tableside for an amazing dining experience, it’s safe to say that fire doesn’t pair too nicely with cake. (No, I didn't try to flambe my cake just to make sure. I'm going on a pretty well-educated hunch here.) The rest of the components are there, though. The slices of banana along with the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and rum form what will become the ooey-gooey bottom-turned-topping of the soft, fluffy cake.

So, while these little cakes don’t give you an excuse to break out your kitchen torch, they do pack quite a punch in the flavor department. Whatever they lack in visual wow-factor is redeemed in yum-factor.

Upside-Down Bananas Foster Cakes
Makes 12
Ingredients:
Cakes:

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Goo:

• 12 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
• 1 banana, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Rum, to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
To make the cakes, place the butter and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Warm the mixture, stirring occasionally until the butter melts, then let cool.
Meanwhile, to prepare the goo, put the following into each cup of a 12-cup muffin pan: ½ tablespoon of unmelted butter, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Place the pan in the oven until the butter melts, about 3 minutes.
Remove from the oven and top each cup with slices of banana and a squirt of rum.
To finish the batter, in a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, and stir the ingredients with a fork until evenly blended.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir until the flour is fully incorporated.
Add the milk-butter mixture and stir well to combine the ingredients into a smooth batter.
Pour the batter into the muffin pan, dividing it evenly among all the cups. Bake the cupcakes until lightly browned, dry around the edges, and pulling away from the pan a little, about 25 minutes.
Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 5 minutes.
Use a butter knife to carefully loosen each cupcake from the edges and bottom of the pan, then place a cookie sheet over the top. Invert the pan, turning the cupcakes out onto the cookie sheet, then transfer them back to the rack to cool completely.
Serve warm! With ice cream!