Anna Polyviou’s wacky dessert recipes to make: Sticky Date & Banana Pudding plus Tea Raisin Buttermilk Scones

Anna Polyviou is one of Australia’s most recognisable pastry chefs — not just for her pink mohawk but for her creative approach to food.

She uses her wild imagination, to create show-stopping sweets that push the boundaries.

She shared two recipes — one is a decadent cross between banana bread and sticky date pudding, baked into a loaf and crowned with mascarpone and caramelised bananas. The other is a tea-infused twist on classic scones — guaranteed not to spill the tea.

Sticky Date And Banana Pudding

Prep time: 20 minutesCook time: 1 hourServes: 8

Ingredients

• 190g dates, seeds removed
• 250ml water
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 85g unsalted butter, softened
• 200g brown sugar
• 2 very ripe medium bananas
• 2 eggs
• 170g self-raising flour

For the salted caramel sauce

• 160g brown sugar
• 85g unsalted butter, chopped
• 225ml cream
• Pinch of sea salt flakes

For the mascarpone crème

• 200g mascarpone
• 200ml thickened cream
• 50g pure icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste

For the caramelised banana

• 1 banana
• Caster sugar, to sprinkle

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 155C fan forced. Grease a 14cm x 21cm loaf tin or 20cm round ring, line base and long sides with baking paper.
2. Place the dates and water in a small saucepan over high heat. Once it comes to the boil, remove from the heat and add the bicarbonate of soda. Set aside to cool completely, then drain.
3. Using an electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add the bananas and beat until combined.
5. In alternating batches, add the eggs and self-raising flour and beat until combined, then fold through the chopped dates.
6. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf or round tin. Bake for 55–60 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
7. Meanwhile, make the salted caramel sauce. Place the brown sugar, butter and cream in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Add the sea salt at the end.
8. For the mascarpone crème, combine all ingredients and whisk to soft peaks. Place the crème in a piping bag fitted with a St Honore nozzle. Pipe the mascarpone on the pudding.
9. To prepare the banana, halve it lengthways and sprinkle with caster sugar. Using a kitchen blowtorch, toast the sugar until caramelised (alternatively, caramelise the banana and sugar in a frying pan).
10. Place the caramelised banana on top of the crème and drizzle over the warm salted caramel sauce.

Tea Raisin Buttermilk Scones

Ingredients

• 400g plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
• 60g caster (superfine) sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 160g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• Pinch sea salt
• 2 eggs
• 160ml buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

• 1 egg yolk, whisked

• Cream and jam to serve

For the tea sultanas

• 2 teaspoons loose leaf Earl Grey tea (250ml boiling water)

• 100g sultanas (golden raisins)

Method

1. For the tea sultanas, place raisins into strained Earl Grey tea. Cover and allow to cool for up to one week in fridge
2. To make the scones, put the dry ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add a pinch of salt and the butter, then beat on low speed for five minutes until the mixture is crumbly.
3. Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla bean paste. Gradually add this mixture to the flour mixture. Mix on high speed for two to three minutes, until the dough comes together and there are no crumbs in the bottom of the bowl
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it into two halves. Gently knead one portion of dough into a rectangle shape and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
5. Lightly knead the sultanas (strained of tea) into the remaining dough portion, form into a rectangle shape and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 190C. Lightly spray two baking trays with baking spray.
7. Roll out each dough portion to a thickness of 2cm. Use a 5.5cm circle cutter to cut out discs. Try not to touch the dough, as this makes it shrink — just hold the side of the cutter ring and push down.
8. Arrange the scones, flat side up, on the prepared baking trays. Brush the tops of the sultana scones with the egg yolk and lightly dust the tops of the plain scones with the extra plain flour. Set aside for one hour to allow the gluten to relax.
9. 9 Bake the scones for 10–12 minutes, until just golden. Wait a couple of minutes, then eat them straight away, served with clotted cream and your favourite jam.

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