Bánh Chuối Nướng (Baked Banana Cake)

I seem to be fond of anything that's made out of bananas. I was at Sam's Club one day and saw tons of ripe bananas. My first reaction was "Oh no, I have got to save these bananas." Browsing my mental catalog for recipes using bananas, I remembered I still have a bag of white bread left over from my daughter's birthday. I can use it to make banana cake. 

My younger daughter has been craving for raisins of late, so I thought adding raisins to the banana cake will entice her to eat my baking. This banana cake not only produces a wonderful aroma accented by coconut milk, butter and the burnt raisins, but it's a delicious treat or dessert to have with tea, coffee, or the wine of your choice.  I love to eat it while it's still warm.

Recipe: Bánh Chuối Nướng

Ingredients 

4 ripe Bananas, sliced diagonally

1/4 cup dried Golden Raisins

1/2 cup plus 3-4 tablespoons Sugar

A pinch of Salt

1 cup Coconut Milk

½ teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract 

7 slices White Bread

3 tablespoons melted Butter

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Making Bánh Chuối Nướng

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a mixing bowl, sprinkle a few tablespoons of the sugar and a pinch of salt over the sliced bananas.

Set aside.

In a saucepan, cook 1/2 cup of sugar in the coconut milk until dissolved, then stir in the vanilla.

Remove the outer brown part from the bread.  Discard it.  Soak the bread in the coconut milk mixture. 

Grease a nonstick baking pan with melted butter.

Arrange a layer of the bananas on the bottom.  Break the soaked bread apart then cover bananas with a layer of bread.  Sprinkle some dried raisins.

Repeat the process and finish with bananas and raisins on top.  Brush melted butter on top.

Place the banana pan in the middle rack of the oven.  Bake for about one hour. Make sure to brush butter on top occasionally.  If you don't want the raisins to burn, just cover the  pan with foil wrap while baking it.

Remove the banana pan and adjust the oven rack one notch higher and then remove the foil wrap if used and broil it on high for about 5 minutes or until the top is golden brown. 

Allow it to cool before cutting. You can also keep it in the fridge and enjoy it cold.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or tapioca coconut milk and sprinkle some roasted peanut on top.

Enjoy!