This bananas foster dump cake puts sliced bananas in a brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and rum caramel, then covers them with dry yellow cake mix and melted butter. It takes 10 minutes to prep and 40 to 45 minutes at 350°F in a 9×13 pan, and serves 12.
The one step most dump cakes skip is the skillet. Two minutes of cooking turns the butter and sugar into a real caramel before anything goes in the oven, so the bananas bake in sauce instead of in their own juice. It started with a pan of Bananas Foster I once made for friends in a tiny college kitchen. This keeps the flavor and loses the flambé.
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Try the Recipe Converter →9×13 Pan, 350°F, 12 Servings
- Pan: 9×13 inch baking dish, greased
- Oven: 350°F (175°C), fully preheated
- Time: 10 minutes prep, 40 to 45 minutes baking, 10 minutes rest
- Butter: 1 cup total, ½ cup in the skillet and ½ cup melted over the top
- Cake mix: one 15.25 oz box of yellow cake mix, used dry
- Serves: 12, best warm with vanilla ice cream
Choosing Bananas, Rum, and Cake Mix
Pick 4 bananas that are yellow with only a few brown freckles and still firm when you squeeze them. They are sweet enough, and they hold their shape. Heavily spotted bananas taste great in bread, but after a skillet and a 45 minute bake they turn gray and soft. Slice them about ½ inch thick.
Dark rum gives the deep, slightly molasses flavor Bananas Foster is known for. For a version without alcohol, use 2 teaspoons rum extract instead of the ¼ cup rum. Packed brown sugar builds the caramel, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon with ¼ teaspoon nutmeg warms it without hiding the banana.
Any 15.25 oz yellow cake mix works for the topping. It bakes into a buttery, crisp crust with a softer layer where it meets the fruit. Scatter ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts over it before baking if you like a nuttier top. For more ways to cook bananas this way on the stove, see my caramelized banana recipe.
Cooking the Foster Sauce in the Skillet
Melt ½ cup butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 cup packed brown sugar, the cinnamon, and the nutmeg, and stir for about 2 minutes. The sauce is ready when it looks smooth and glossy and you no longer feel sugar grains dragging under the spoon. Stir in the bananas gently so they are coated but not broken.
When using rum, take the skillet off the heat before you pour it in. Rum can catch near a gas flame, and nobody needs a surprise flambé. Put the pan back and let it simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. That cooks off the raw, sharp alcohol taste, though not every bit of the alcohol, so use the extract when kids are eating. Rum extract goes in after the pan is off the heat, along with the 1 teaspoon vanilla, so their flavor is not cooked away.
Layering Cake Mix and Butter Over the Bananas
Pour the warm filling into the greased 9×13 dish and nudge the banana slices into a single layer. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the top. Do not stir it in. The bottom of the mix soaks up the caramel, and the top bakes into a crust.
Drizzle the ½ cup melted butter over the cake mix slowly, moving across the whole pan so you cover as much powder as possible. If dry spots remain, spread the butter over them with the back of a spoon. Finish with ½ teaspoon cinnamon and the nuts if you are using them.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. It is done when the top is golden brown and crisp and the caramel is bubbling up around the edges. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Straight from the oven the sauce is thin, and it thickens as it cools.
Powdery Patches, Soupy Sauce, or Gray Bananas
- White, powdery patches on top: the butter missed those spots. Next time drizzle slower, or cover the bare spots with the back of a spoon before baking. Halfway through baking you can still dab a little extra melted butter on them.
- Soupy filling: it was cut too soon. Give it the full 10 minutes, or longer if you want neat squares.
- Gray, mushy bananas: the bananas were very ripe or sliced thin. Use firmer bananas and ½ inch slices.
- Top browns before the edges bubble: lay a sheet of foil loosely over the pan for the last 10 minutes so the filling can catch up.
Is This a Bananas Foster Cake or a Banana Dump Cake?
It is a dump cake, which means fruit on the bottom and a buttery crust of dry cake mix on top, eaten with a spoon. A bananas foster cake is a layered cake baked from batter, and a bananas foster poke cake is a sheet cake soaked with sauce. A soft sliced cake starts with my banana cake recipe, or try the banana pudding poke cake for the poke style.
For a plain banana dump cake, make the same recipe and skip the rum and nutmeg. The brown sugar caramel still carries it. For more toppings, the banana split dump cake and chocolate banana dump cake go in that direction.
Serving It Warm and Reheating Leftovers
Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into the caramel. A spoonful of homemade caramel sauce on top is generous but not wrong.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. A single serving reheats in the microwave in about 30 seconds. To warm a bigger piece or bring back the crisp top, warm it uncovered in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes.
If this one disappears fast, the caramel pecan dump cake uses the same butter and cake mix trick with pecans.
Before You Bake It, Bakers Ask
Can I make bananas foster dump cake without rum?
Yes. Use 2 teaspoons rum extract and stir it in after taking the skillet off the heat.
Can I use a different cake mix?
Yellow is the standard, but a butter golden or spice cake mix of a similar size works. Spice cake makes it taste more like fall.
Can I make it ahead?
It is best baked the day you serve it, because cut bananas darken while they wait. Bake it up to a few hours ahead and rewarm it in the oven for 10 minutes before serving.
Banana Foster Dump Cake Recipe
This bananas foster dump cake is a warm banana dessert made with sliced bananas in a brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and dark rum caramel, topped with dry yellow cake mix and melted butter. It takes 10 minutes to prep and 40 to 45 minutes to bake in a 9x13 pan, and it makes 12 servings with a golden, crisp top over soft, saucy bananas. The filling is cooked in a skillet first for about 2 minutes, so the caramel is ready before the cake mix goes on. Serve this banana foster dump cake warm with vanilla ice cream or caramel sauce for a fall dessert, a potluck, or a holiday dinner. Use rum extract for a version without alcohol, and keep leftovers in the fridge for 3 days.
Ingredients
- FOR THE BANANA FOSTER FILLING:
- 4 ripe bananas, sliced
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ cup dark rum (or 2 teaspoons rum extract for a non-alcoholic version)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- FOR THE CAKE TOPPING:
- 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- OPTIONAL:
- ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- Vanilla ice cream for serving
Instructions
- PREHEAT THE OVEN: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish to prevent sticking.
- MAKE THE BANANA FOSTER FILLING: In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, stirring until the sugar dissolves into a smooth caramel sauce, about 2 minutes. Stir in the sliced bananas, gently coating them in the sauce. If using rum, carefully pour it in and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes to cook off the alcohol. If using rum extract, stir it in after removing from heat. Stir in the vanilla extract and set aside.
- ASSEMBLE THE DUMP CAKE: Pour the warm banana foster filling evenly into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the top without stirring. Drizzle the melted butter over the cake mix, covering as much as possible. Sprinkle the cinnamon on top, and if using, add chopped nuts for extra crunch.
- BAKE: Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is golden brown and crisp, and the banana filling is bubbling around the edges.
- COOL AND SERVE: Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes to allow the filling to thicken slightly. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Notes
Use bananas that are yellow with only a few brown freckles and slice them about ½ inch thick; very ripe bananas turn mushy in the oven.
Take the skillet off the heat before adding the rum, then simmer 1 to 2 minutes. For a non-alcoholic version, replace the dark rum with 2 teaspoons of rum extract and add it after removing the skillet from heat.
Chopped pecans or walnuts add a crunchy texture but can be omitted if preferred.
Distribute the melted butter evenly over the cake mix for a crisp topping. If dry spots remain, spread the butter with the back of a spoon before baking. If the top browns before the edges bubble, cover loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
Let the cake rest 10 minutes so the sauce thickens. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven before serving.
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 634Total Fat 30gSaturated Fat 15gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 69mgSodium 438mgCarbohydrates 87gFiber 3gSugar 57gProtein 4g
