Baked Banana Desserts

[punkin712]

I've been experimenting with some baked banana desserts. I recently made a Banana Foster-style tart which had sliced bananas on top that were sprinkled with brown sugar. When I took the tart out of the oven, the bananas looked cooked but had a strange grayish hue to them. I assumed they oxidized but I'm not sure how that happened during baking.

Should I have dipped the banana slices in acidulated water before adding them to the tart? I don't want the tart to be too...well...tart, but I don't think this would be very visually appealling to most people. I was hoping to get a shiny yellowish hue somehow. Would brushing them with a glaze either before or after baking help?

[GTO]

Perhaps the prolonged oven cooking rendered the life from them?

We know that banana works well "in" things - Banana cake for example, but maybe you only get that golden colour by grilling?

[dystopiandreamgirl]

maybe it's the exposure to air rather than heat?

here are 2 upside down cakes (not mine) whose insulated bananas either retained their color or got golden caramel colored with the help of sweeteners...

[SundaySous]

I don't know why but have been told when baking bananas it's a good idea to mash them first. I don't think I've ever baked with fresh bananas, going to have to start I think.

[punkin712]

maybe it's the exposure to air rather than heat?

here are 2 upside down cakes (not mine) whose insulated bananas either retained their color or got  golden caramel colored with the help of sweeteners...

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Those look amazing! Definitely ones to add to the recipe file.

I was trying to make a variation of rustic apple tarts using bananas instead of apples so the bananas are baked on top. I thought they might be turning color because of their exposure to the air, but I'm not sure why it would happen during cooking and not when they are raw.

I was sprinkling the banana slices with a generous helping of brown sugar - could that be the cause of their discoloration? Maybe I need to completely cover them with brown sugar so it almost creates a shell.

[jumanggy]

Maybe just applying the bananas on top pre-cooked (sauteed), or applying them uncooked and torching them would help!