Marcus Wareing's Banana Bread Pudding - Very Rich, Very Brit, Very Olympic!!

With the gigantic bananas from my dear friend, I decided this would be a good time to test Marcus Wareing's Banana Bread Pudding. MW, as you may know, is an English celebrity chef who has a strong love-hate relationship with Gordon Ramsay.

I found the method very interesting and unlike any other pudding I've made, including the one from Jamie Oliver, or the basic banana tea bread I made. Definitely want to make this again.

Heavily caramelised bananas and toffee syrup!

Verdict:

Love it! Love it! Love it! I enjoy the method of creating the toffee syrup and pouring it over the banana mixture before baking. It is truly differentiating from most of the banana bread recipes I've come across. Texture is moist and sweetness comes from overripe bananas and the caramelisation process. And this with reduced sugar! Awesome.

This is my tribute to all the impressive Brits - Bradley Wiggins who won the Tour de France just 2 weeks back and Andy Murray who came in third in Wimbledon. To Chariots of Fire and Mr Bean, the greatest detective on earth Sherlock Holmes, Dr Who, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Queen and her Jubilee Year, the gorgeous Kate Middleton, the sharp-tongued Simon Cowell, the hidden gem in Susan Boyle, to Great Britain during this Olympic season! I miss the river Thames and I miss my friends in London. Now enjoy that puddin'!

Very moist inside. Warning: also very rich! 

Here's the adapted recipe:

200g Unsalted Butter, divide into 50g + 150g

120g Brown Sugar (original recipe is 200g, but with ripe bananas, 120g is more than enough)

3 Tbsp Golden Syrup

125ml Thick Cream

150g Plain Flour, sieved

1 tsp Baking Powder, sieved with flour

3 Overripe Bananas, mashed (I used about 480g)

3 Large Eggs, beaten

Method:

1. Preheat oven with fan option to 180C. Lightly oil a 9" pan.

2. Make toffee syrup by doing the following: melt 50g butter under low heat, add 50g sugar and stir. When melted and well incorporated, add syrup and thick cream and stir continuously with a wooden spoon. Simmer for about one minute then remove from heat.

3. With a hand mixer, beat remaining butter and sugar till creamy and light. 

4. Mix mashed bananas and beaten eggs together, then add to the butter mixture. 

5. Gently fold in sieved flour and baking powder to butter and banana mixture.

6. Pour 1/3 of toffee syrup to bottom of pan, then add half of banana mixture. Pour another 1/3 of toffee syrup on top, then add the remaining banana mixture. Pour remaining toffee syrup on top of full batter.

7. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. If it comes out wet and soggy, drop temperature to 110C and bake for another half hour. You will see it bubbling in the oven. Enjoy the heavy caramelisation process taking place right in front of you.

8. Remove cake from oven and leave it to cool at room temperature. Toffee will help harden cake in 10-15 minutes if it came out of the oven slightly wobbly.

9. Slice a small piece with a serrated knife and serve with frozen berries or a dollop of cream and a lovely cup of English tea. It's very rich, so don't serve big slices. 

Some tips:

1. It's ok to have a few chunks when you mash your bananas, if you are a banana lover!

2. The berries provide the occasional juicy burst which pairs well with the richness of the pudding.

3. You need a big pot of tea to go with this!