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Banana Tarte Tatin Recipe Test – Ainsley Harriott, Burnt Fingers & Spiced Rum Dreams
Let’s set the scene: It’s a moody weeknight. I’m testing a recipe from the ever-charming Ainsley Harriott. Sugar is melting. Butter is bubbling. I’m feelin’ cute, confident… and apparently immune to common sense—because I touched the hot caramel.
Yes, friends. I burned the tip of my finger and had to pause the shoot to ice my poor, curious fingertip like I was nursing a broken heart.
(Spoiler alert: sugar caramel is NOT to be trifled with. It holds a grudge.)
The Recipe: Banana Tarte Tatin with Spiced Rum Cream
Inspired by Ainsley’s Caribbean travels, this banana-forward take on a French classic is bold, buttery, and drama-filled in all the right ways. It starts with a sugar caramel base in a skillet, topped with bananas and pastry, then baked until golden and flipped for the iconic upside-down reveal.
On the side? A spiced rum cream that honestly deserves its own spin-off show.
What Worked (And What Burned)
✓ The texture: Buttery, flaky pastry with soft, roasted bananas is always a win.
✓ That flip moment: Iconic. Terrifying. But deeply satisfying.
✓ The rum cream: A revelation. Boozy, warm spices, and perfectly balanced—would slather it on anything.
❌ The sweetness: Let’s be real—it was too sweet for our moody palettes. The caramel-to-banana ratio tipped into sugar shock territory. Next time, I’d cut back a little on the sugar or balance it with lime zest or more salt.
❌ The pain: Burnt. Finger. Tip. IYKYK.
Tips if You Try It (and You Should… Carefully)
- Use firm bananas—ripe but not mushy. You want them to hold their shape.
- Prep your pastry in advance so you’re not frantically cutting dough while the sugar darkens ominously.
- Caramel = lava. Do not poke. Stir gently. Respect the pan.
- Double the rum cream and thank me later.
Final Thoughts: Worth It?
If you love rich, sweet, dramatic desserts that feel like a tropical vacation on a vintage French train, this one’s for you. I’d just file it under:
Desserts to make when I want to impress… and have bandages on hand.
Ainsley, you genius—but next time, give us a warning label for the caramel, will you?
✰✰✰✰ star TRY but be warned this is a very sweet dessert
Ainsley Harriott’s Banana Tarte Tatin with Spiced Rum Cream
Equipment
- 1 Cast iron skillet
Ingredients
For Banana Tarte Tatin
- 6 large bananas
- ½ orange, juice of
- ¼ tsp allspice, ground
- 175 g golden caster sugar, or turbino sugar
- 60 g unsalted butter, cubed
- 225 g ready-rolled puff pastry
- plain flour, for dusting
For the Spiced Rum Cream
- 200 ml double cream
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 splash dark rum
- ½ tsp nutmeg, grated
- ½ tsp cinnamon, ground
- 1 orange, zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.
- Meanwhile, peel the bananas, cut into thick slices, place in a bowl and toss in half of the orange juice and the allspice. Set aside.
- In a heavy-based ovenproof frying pan, without stirring, gently heat the sugar over a low heat until dissolved and then turn the heat up to medium–high and cook for 1–2 minutes until the sugar turns a golden caramel colour. If necessary, gently move the pan in a circular motion but do not stir. Remove from the heat. Gradually add the cubed butter, stirring to combine, until the mixture looks like a thick, glossy caramel.
- Place the cut bananas in the pan in a circle nestled into the caramel.
- Open out the pastry on a lightly dusted work surface and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a circle just bigger than the frying pan and about 2½cm thick. Place the pastry on top of the pan and roughly tuck in the edges with a fork (so that when the tarte is turned out, it will hold in the caramel).
- Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 20–25 minutes, until the pastry is risen and golden brown.
- Meanwhile, make the spiced rum cream. Whisk the double cream with the icing sugar until soft peaks form, then add the rum, nutmeg, cinnamon and orange zest, and whisk gently until combined.
- Remove the tarte from the oven and let rest for no more than 2 minutes, then loosen the edges with a blunt knife. Place a large plate on top of the pan and, in one swift movement, invert the tarte onto the plate (reshape if you have to). Cut into slices and serve with a dollop of the spiced rum cream.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Please let us know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @moody.eater on Instagram and hashtag it #moodyeater #moodyeatersclub .
