A really tasty....and of course, incredibly fattening recipe taken from Bon Appetit, March 2011!

Toffee sauce:

1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons (it says more- it really doesn't need it) heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar (used dark)
1/2 cup dark corn syrup - this I didnt have, and I'll come back to this :3
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
pinch of salt

banana cake:

* optional

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (about 2-3)
1 tablespoon dark rum (I used coconut rum, we'll see how that goes :P)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped (killed it, might as well)*

Special equipment needed: 8 x 8 x 2-inch nonstick metal baking pan (Used a brownie pan...well, can't win them all I guess :P)

For toffee sauce-

•Bring 1 1/4 cups cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and 1/8 teaspoon salt to boil in heavy small saucepan over medium heat, whisking until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook at gentle boil until sauce coats spoon thickly and is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, whisking occasionally, about 15 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Whisk in 3 tablespoons or more cream to thin sauce to desired consistency.

DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm slightly before using.

- Now, because I did not have dark corn syrup, I didn't get the taste of toffee- rather, more of a butterscotch caramel sauce. So you can add or subtract this either way. For those that are lactose intolerant, just cook the sugar as is, with maybe a 1/2 cup water or coconut milk just to keep it from burning.

banana cake

•Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8x8x2-inch nonstick metal baking pan. Dust baking pan with flour, tapping out excess.

•Whisk flour, baking power, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in mashed bananas, rum, and vanilla (batter may look curdled). Add dry ingredients in 4 additions, beating just to blend after each addition. Spread batter evenly in prepared baking pan.

•Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 35 to 38 minutes. Spread 1/2 cup toffee sauce evenly over cake. Return cake to oven and bake until sauce is bubbling thickly, about 6 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack 30 minutes. Cut around cake in pan. Cut cake into 9 squares or 12 rectangles. Serve cake slightly warm or at room temperature with toffee sauce and top with sliced bananas, if desired.

Enjoy :P

Update on tasting: Much similar to my banana bread, thats for sure...

A bit on the "heavy" side as well- Im wondering if maybe baking soda and a bit of salt would have made this rise better:3

And remember- really MUSH those bananas folks, I just kinda chunked it up here and there, but with more of a mash, the banana 'spreads out' through the whole thing :3

Other than that- nom nom nom!