The Ridiculously Easy 5-Ingredient Dessert That Will Still Impress Guests

Dessert can't always be a three-tiered cake, covered in meticulously piped rosettes. Luckily, simple ingredients often yield the most delicious (and equally impressive) results. That's the #dessertgoal the Chatelaine Kitchen was chasing with this Banana Sundae Tart. This nostalgic, crisp, caramel-covered confection was modelled after everyone's favourite childhood ice-cream treat, with a decidedly more grown-up addition: bourbon-soaked cherries. And the best part? There's not a rosette in sight.

Here are a few other reasons why we love it

It’s fast. The tart demands just 10 minutes of active time in the kitchen, so it will bail you out when you decide to throw a last-minute gathering on a Friday night (remember how you were going to leave work super early to cook?).

It's simple. There are just five ingredients! And one of them is water. The rest: frozen puff pastry, an egg, bananas and brown sugar. Assembly is as easy as putting toppings on a pizza.

It's impressive. Any time bananas are caramelized with brown sugar, you're guaranteed oohs and aaahs. Then you can humbly declare, "Oh, I just whipped it up."

It serves a crowd. There's enough dessert for nine people from a one-pan recipe. (Or think of it as generous seconds for four.)

Topping tips

We like keeping the toppings classic with vanilla ice cream and slivered almonds — plus a generous drizzle of rich caramel sauce and a cherry on top (obviously). But don’t be afraid to customize: chocolate sauce, sprinkles, fresh berries, whipped cream — whatever you fancy. For a bit of fun, create a do-it-yourself bar — add bowls with sundae toppings to the table and let everyone dive in.

Watch: How to make an almond butter banana sundae