Banana Bread Tiramisu

I love banana bread. I love tiramisu. I love making recipes with a bajillion components (although I kind of hating writing out those long recipes…sigh). I really love putting on my fancy pants and going to town with frou-frou decorations. So obviously, these banana bread tiramisus in edible chocolate wrappers are basically my own culinary Mr. Darcy. (Colin Firth version, natch.)

And yes, you read that right. Banana bread tiramisu. These gorgeous desserts have:

1. Homemade banana bread, soaked in…
2. Dulce de leche soaking syrup, topped with…
3. Caramelized bananas, covered with….
4. Mascarpone cream, finished with…
5. Whipped cream, chocolate pearls, and an edible chocolate shell around the entire thing!

They’re not for the faint of heart, but they are for all lovers of banana bread, creamy dessert enthusiasts, fearless culinary adventurers, aspiring pastry super stars, and/or those with a lot of time on their hands who prefer cooking projects to sensible hobbies like knitting. (I hear that.)

The credit for this idea goes to Dominique Ansel. I mentioned last month that I stopped by his bakery when I was in New York. While there, I saw that he sold a banana bread tiramisu in an edible chocolate cup. I was too busy stuffing my face with five other desserts to try his tiramisu that day, so considering that I have no idea what his actually tastes like, this is not intended to be a copycat recipe. But he is definitely the inspiration behind this, and I would love to try his version some day!

As a traditional tiramisu lover, I wasn’t sure what to expect from a banana bread version. Banana bread is already soft, so would the finished dessert be too gooey? Unpleasantly gummy? Weirdly moist? Honestly, it was fantastic. It’s like a gourmet banana cake on steroids. The hint of dulce de leche in the bread is a wonderful addition, and I’m now convinced that all banana bread should be served with a side of mascarpone, because the soft, sweet cheese is the perfect accompaniment to the bread. The caramelized bananas really boost the banana flavor and add a deeper sweetness and just a hint of (optional) rum.

If you make these tiramisus, you will probably want to spread the process out over the course of several days, both for sanity and for funsies. The banana bread and dulce de leche can be made one day, the desserts can be assembled either the next day or that evening, and then left to rest for several hours to firm up. They can then be wrapped in chocolate and finished once they’re fully set.

The only caution I have is regarding the caramelized bananas. Jason & I both loved them in the tiramisu, but I think if you’re planning on making the dessert several days in advance (since tiramisu keeps so well, it’s an excellent make-ahead dish) you might consider omitting them from the recipe. I liked the bananas at first, but several days later I found them a bit too soft for my taste. So take that into account if you expect to be eating these for days after assembly.

Let’s talk about the chocolate wrapper! It’s not too hard to do, but you will need some special equipment, specifically acetate cake collars. I always try to provide alternatives to any specialty tools, because I know many home cooks don’t have access to or aren’t interested in buying tools just for one dish….but in this case, there really isn’t a great substitute for the acetate. You can definitely make these tiramisus in glass cups (like this!) instead of wrapped in chocolate, and I provide instructions for that below. But if you want the full chocolate shell experience, hop on Amazon or head to your local cake supply store and pick up some 4” acetate strips. It makes chocolate work like this a breeze!

The pictures make it pretty self-explanatory, and I hope you can see how non-intimidating the process actually is. The tiramisus are formed in acetate rounds, then the acetate is cut away, leaving a sad naked little tiramisu. Then, chocolate candy coating or tempered chocolate is spread on a strip of acetate and wrapped around the dessert before being taped together in back. Once it’s set, you just peel the acetate strip off and you’re left with a shiny, perfectly formed chocolate shell enclosing your dessert! They probably won’t all be perfect on your first try, but the more you practice the better you’ll get…and even the occasional crack or scratch won’t make it any less impressive.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we did! If you’re not up for the full enchilada, try assembling them in a 9×13 pan, making only a few of the components from scratch, or forgetting the tiramisu entirely and using the chocolate-wrapping technique on another dessert. I really just want to encourage you to play, to have fun with your food, and to try new things in the kitchen. Oh, and to eat dessert regularly. But you probably already knew that.

⇒ Click Here for the Recipe - Banana Bread Tiramisu

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