Description
Creamy banana pudding with classic Bananas Foster recipe weaves New Orleans charm into a luscious Southern dessert. Caramelized bananas and rich custard create an irresistible finale you cannot resist savoring to the last spoonful.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 ripe bananas, sliced
- 1 box (12 oz/340 g) vanilla wafers
- 1 package (5 oz/140 g) instant vanilla pudding mix
- 2 cups (480 ml) cold milk
- 1 can (14 oz/400 g) sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ cup (50 g) unsalted butter
- ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) dark rum (optional; substitute with vanilla extract for alcohol-free)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1 ½ cups (360 ml) heavy cream, whipped
- Additional sliced bananas for layering (optional)
- Whipped cream
- Caramel sauce
Instructions
- Caramel Preparation: Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat, then integrate brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt, stirring until a glossy caramel forms.
- Banana Caramelization: Immerse banana slices into the warm caramel, allowing them to transform for approximately 12 minutes until achieving a golden-brown exterior.
- Rum Infusion: Remove skillet from heat and introduce rum, creating a momentary flame that naturally dissipates, imparting a subtle spirited essence.
- Pudding Foundation: Whisk instant pudding mix with milk and sweetened condensed milk until smooth, then allow mixture to set for several minutes.
- Cream Integration: Gently fold whipped cream into the pudding, creating a light and airy texture.
- Layering Technique: Construct dessert in a trifle dish by creating strategic layers – vanilla wafers as the base, followed by pudding and caramelized banana mixture, repeating until all ingredients are incorporated.
- Chilling Process: Refrigerate the assembled dessert for a minimum of 4 hours, enabling wafers to soften and flavors to meld comprehensively.
- Final Presentation: Garnish with additional whipped cream, caramel sauce drizzle, and crushed vanilla wafers or caramelized banana slices just before serving.
Notes
- Manage Banana Ripeness: Select perfectly ripe bananas with brown spots for maximum sweetness and caramelization potential, ensuring deeper flavor profiles.
- Control Caramel Temperature: Maintain medium heat while creating caramel sauce to prevent burning and achieve smooth, glossy consistency without scorching butter or sugar.
- Prevent Pudding Separation: Whisk pudding mixture thoroughly and allow proper resting time to guarantee smooth, lump-free texture and optimal setting of creamy base.
- Optimize Layering Technique: Create even, deliberate layers with gentle pressure to prevent air pockets and ensure each bite contains balanced combination of wafers, pudding, and caramelized bananas.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 35 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 58 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg