Butterscotch Banana Bread Pudding
Get two amazing desserts for the price of one with this butterscotch banana bread pudding recipe! This twist on a classic uses banana bread for its bread base and then it’s soaked in a butterscotch creme anglaise before being baked to custardy perfection. Top it off with rum Chantilly cream and a drizzle of butterscotch, and you’re ready to cozy up in dessert heaven.
Can You Make Bread Pudding With Banana Bread?
Bread pudding is a bakery and restaurant favorite because you can use leftover or stale bread for a fantastic custard dessert. But why keep it at just old bread when you can also use banana bread!? The key to making the best banana bread pudding recipe is allowing the banana bread to stale out a bit before mixing with the custard base. This banana bread pudding cake is great to make in the winter during those cold, short months.
The Origin of Bread Pudding
Like a lot of amazing dishes we love today, bread pudding was a poor person’s treat as it was a way to utilize stale bread when food was scarce. It was known that too hard bread could be softened with warmed liquid and sugar, and during poor times in the 11th and 12th centuries, that liquid was just water. However, by the 13th century, the liquid changed to milk and eggs were added. It was even given a new name of “bread and butter pudding” which was shortened to just bread pudding. Read more about the history of bread pudding here!
Banana Bread Pudding Ingredients
- Banana puree: I use frozen bananas hanging out in the back of my freezer. I let them defrost then puree in a blender or food processor. You can also puree ripe bananas.
- Buttermilk: If you do not have any buttermilk, you can use equal part whole milk with half a teaspoon of lemon juice. Have leftover buttermilk? Try my cheddar chive buttermilk buns or plum cardamom coffee cake!
- Dark rum: This is completely optional for those who abstain from alcohol.
- Egg yolks: This recipe uses a lot of egg yolks, so be sure to check out my egg white heavy desserts to use up those whites!
Major Allergens Present: Gluten, eggs, dairy, alcohol
Equipment Needed
- Hand or stand mixer: Used to make the banana bread. For a hand mixer, you will use the beaters, and for a stand mixer you will use the paddle. Also used for the whipped cream with the beaters and whip attachements.
- 9″x 13″ pan: Used to bake the bread pudding in. Prepare with pan spray and line with parchment paper.
- Thermometer: Butterscotch requires a certain temperature which is 280*F. You don’t need specifically a candy thermometer, but you do need one that reads up to 300*F.
- Food processor or blender: If you are using whole bananas then you will need either a food processor or blender to puree the bananas.
How to Make Banana Bread Pudding With Butterscotch:
What is Banana Bread Pudding Made Of?
This butterscotch banana bread pudding recipe is wonderful to make for the holidays and made with several components. First and most important is the banana bread made with real bananas using the creaming method. Next up is the butterscotch used for both the anglaise and as a sauce for topping. Finally we have the creme anglaise with the butterscotch that soaks it all up and makes everything work together. Top it with rum Chantilly cream and butterscotch sauce, and grab a cozy cup of coffee.
Make and prep the banana bread
The banana bread uses a basic creaming method. A creaming method is creaming together the butter and sugar until fluffy. This adds air into the dough formed by the sugar crystals slicing through the butter. Second, you add the eggs and extracts, and finally adding the dry ingredients and liquids alternately. Many cakes and cookies use this method and is a foundation for baking. Know this method well. The key is to continuously scrape the bowl and attachment(s) before and after each addition of ingredients. This ensures all the ingredients are playing together cohesively.
I prefer to bake this in a half sheet pan because a larger surface area will take less time to bake. If you do not have a half sheet pan you can use any pan or loaf pan you have. Just keep in mind that the baking time will be different. Allow the cake to completely cool, then slice into cubes. You will have a difficult time slicing if it is still warm. Allow the banana bread cubes to sit uncovered overnight to stale up a bit because this will allow better soaking.
Make the butterscotch sauce
Butterscotch is relatively easy but a little bit risky. It’s simply combining the butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar in a pot and in that order. If you place the butter with corn syrup in the bottom of the pan, it will melt faster and create a liquid to mix the sugar into. Let it cook until it reaches 280*F, then you slowly and carefully stream in the heavy cream. The mixture will bubble and create steam so I wrap my whisking hand in a towel to prevent steam burns. Alternatively, you can warm the cream so it will not be such a temperature shock. You will use half for the anglaise and half as sauce to top.
Turn the butterscotch into anglaise
A creme anglaise is a classic French custard sauce made with dairy and eggs and cooked to a specific temperature then immediately strained into an ice bath to prevent overcooking. The dairy is boiled then tempered into the egg yolks. Tempering in baking is bringing two liquids you plan to combine to a similar temperature before mixing all together. It’s then all cooked together until nappé which means a temperature of 170-180*F. The word nappé means ‘to coat the back of a spoon’ which how we test instead of taking the temp. If it coats the back of a spoon and a finger dragged through leaves a nice line, it’s good.
In this specific recipe, we are using only half of the butterscotch you just made with the whole milk as the dairy portion and tempering into egg yolks as normal. Now, this will not have the same consistency as a normal anglaise due to the increased sugars, so cook until 170-180*F then strain into the ice bath immediately to cool down. You can prep this the day before with the banana bread and preserve in the fridge until you need it.
bake the butterscotch banana bread pudding
Now that we have all of our components, it is time to combine and bake! The banana bread should be stale and the anglaise room temperature. Pour the anglaise over the banana bread cubes and fold together until coated. Fold delicately as not to turn the bread into mush. Spread into the 9″x 13″ pan, even out, and bake until the tops turn brown and slightly crispy. Cozy up and serve with optional rum whipped cream and the other half of the butterscotch.
Help Making Butterscotch Banana Bread Pudding:
How to Make Butterscotch Sauce:
- Layer the ingredients butter, corn syrup, then brown sugar. You don’t want the brown sugar first because you don’t want it start cooking or burning before the butter melts. Allowing the butter to melt first will turn it to liquid making mixing everything together easier.
- Once everything is melted and mixed together, leave it alone. Nothing you need to do but keep track of the temperature.
- Adding cold cream to 280*F liquid can cause a light eruption, and I have a few tips to make it easier. First, you can warm your cream so the combination is not so violent. Second, wrap your whisking hand in a hand towel to prevent any steam burns. And third, add small amounts of cream while whisking continuously until the butterscotch cools down enough.
- If it separates (which happens!) just whisk it back together.
Enhancing The Best Banana Bread Pudding Recipe:
- Chop up some walnuts or other nuts and toss with the cubed banana bread before mixing with the anglaise for some crunchy texture and a nutty bake.
- Or you can use chopped chocolate or chocolate chips to add a chocolatey element!
How to Store and Freeze Banana Bread Pudding:
- Freeze the banana bread wrapped for up to 4 months or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
- Store the butterscotch sauce in an airtight container for up to 6 months at room temperature.
- Store the bread pudding covered at room temperature for up to 5 days. Make sure to take the whipped cream off first.
Troubleshooting Butterscotch Banana Bread Pudding
- My banana bread got all mushy when I added the creme anglaise! Your creme anglaise was too hot or your banana bread was not stale enough. If the banana bread is fresh then it is too soft and will turn to mush with the liquid. Make it and cube it the night before, and then leave it out exposed to air overnight. Allow the butterscotch anglaise to cool to room temperature. The warmer it is the more it softens and breaks down the bread.
- My butterscotch separated! Totally normal and totally fine! Just whisk it back together.
- My creme anglaise has weird chunks in it! It overcooked and you cooked your eggs! Strain it through a fine mesh strainer for now, and next time make sure to cook to 180* MAX and immediately cool.
Something else going wrong? Reach out and we will troubleshoot together!
Butterscotch Banana Bread Pudding
Equipment
- Hand or stand mixer
- Candy thermometer can read up to 300°F
- 9"x 13" pan
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
Banana Bread
- 128 g Butter, unsalted
- 300 g Granulated sugar
- 1 ea Whole eggs
- 30 g Vegetable oil
- 165 g Buttermilk
- 338 g Banana puree about 4 bananas
- 338 g All purpose flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1¼ tsp Baking soda
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
Butterscotch Creme Anglaise
- 208 g Light brown sugar
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 147 g Corn syrup
- 57 g Butter, unsalted
- 1 Tbs Dark rum optional
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 156 g Heavy cream
- 332 g Whole milk
- 150 g Heavy cream
- 5 ea Egg yolks
Rum Chantilly Cream
- 200 g Heavy cream
- 25 g Granulated sugar
- 1 Tbs Dark rum (optional)
Instructions
To prepare the banana bread
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a half sheet pan with pan spray and lined with parchment paper.
- Puree about 4 bananas for 338g (it's okay if you're over or under, just add or subtract buttermilk) and set aside.
- With a stand mixer and paddle or hand mixer and beaters, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add in the egg and oil and continue to cream on medium low until combined.
- Alternately add in the dry ingredients and wet (including banana puree) ingredients. Mix on low speed until combined.
- Pour into your prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until it springs back when poked. Allow to fully cool.
- Slice the banana bread into roughly one inch cubes. No need to be perfect! Allow to sit on a cooling rack uncovered overnight to stale.
To prepare the butterscotch creme anglaise
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare your 9×13" pan with pan spray and lined with parchment paper.
- Combine in a medium sized pot in this order the butter, corn syrup, light brown sugar, and salt.
- Warm on high heat until the butter is fully melted and all ingredients are mixed together. Cook until it reaches 280°F.
- Slowly and carefully pour in the first measurement of heavy cream while whisking continuously. Reserve half for sauce in a separate container, and keep the other half in the current pot.
- Prep an ice bath by filling a large bowl half way with equal parts ice and water. Place a smaller bowl inside with a mesh strainer resting on top.
- Add the whole milk and second measurement of cream to the pot and have your egg yolks nearby.
- Bring the butterscotch with dairy to a boil. Temper (add some of the liquids into the yolks while continuously whisking) into the egg yolks and bring back to the heat.
- Cook until 170-180°F while stirring continuously with a spatula. Strain immediately into an ice bath, and allow to cool until room temperature.
To bake and finish the butterscotch banana bread pudding
- Carefully fold together the butterscotch anglaise and the banana bread in a bowl, and spread into the prepared 9×13 pan.
- Bake for 40 – 45 minutes or until the tops of the breads turn brown and crispy.
- To make the rum Chantilly cream whip the cream, sugar, and rum until stiff peaks. Reserve in the fridge until ready to use.
- Slice your butterscotch banana bread pudding into 15 pieces and serve (preferably warm) with whipped cream and the reserved butterscotch sauce.
Nutrition
