Butterscotch Raisin Banana Bread Cake
When I was younger I was lucky enough to work on a cruise ship for a few years and one of my favorite treats was the rum cakes you could get in the Cayman Islands. This recipe was originally supposed to be a brownie with the flavors of bananas bread. I ended up with this incredible thing. Butterscotch Raisin Banana Bread Cake. HOLY $%@# is it tasty and moist!
This cake combines the flavors of butterscotch, bananas and plump, scotch-soaked raisins. It is soaked in a simple syrup made from the slightly boozy liquid from the raisins.
Mis En Place:
3 overripe bananas
1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
1 stick (1/2 cup, 8 Tbsp) butter, browned and cooled to room temperature
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp pure Vanilla or other flavor
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup AP flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butterscotch chips.
1/2 cup raisins, plumped in scotch and hot water.
Procedure:
This recipe uses the muffin method, which means you mix all the liquid ingredients together in one bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together in another bowl, then combine the two. Done!
Soak the raisins in equal parts scotch and just boiled water, enough to cover them completely, around 1 cup total (1/2 cup of each), for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour, stirring regularly.
DON’T HATE ON RAISINS BEFORE TRYING THIS PLUMPING METHOD. It changes everything.
Preheat the the oven to 350F and prepare the pan you are going to use by either lining with parchment, greasing and flouring, or by doing both.
Mash bananas and combine with the brown sugar and butter.
Beat in the flavoring and add the eggs, one at a time until well combined.
Sift or whisk flours and salt together and fold into the wet ingredients. If you don’t have self-rising flour, you could make this cake with 2 cups of AP flour plus 1 tsp baking powder.
Finally, fold in the butterscotch chips and plumped raisins.
Pour into the prepared bundt cake pan, 9 x 5 bread pan, cake pan, 9x9 square pan, muffin tins, etc..
Bake anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until puffy and fully set and a skewer inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out clean.
The final step is to soak the cake in the syrup made from the raisin soak. After the cake comes out of the oven, let it cool on the counter or wire rack for 5-8 minutes.
Strain the liquid off the raisins, measure the leftover liquid and add an equal amount, by volume, of sugar. Bring to a boil, completely dissolve the sugar and set aside to cool. It should be between 1 & 1 1/2 cups when finished.
With the warm cake still in the pan, poke holes all over it with a small skewer and slowly drizzle the syrup over the cake until it is all absorbed. Let the cake cool for 10-15 minutes and then turn it out of the pan onto a cake plate to finish cooling.
DO NOT LET IT COOL COMPLETELY IN THE PAN. The syrup may set and cause the cake to stick to the pan.
Dust with powdered sugar, make a sour cream glaze, serve with a scoop of vanilla on the side, or honestly, eat it plain. And I dare you to eat only one piece . . .
It. Is. So. Good!