Banana Upside Down Cake is an old-fashioned cake recipe that uses ingredients I have on hand. Don’t you always have bananas in your kitchen? I guess this is where I insert some mom-joke observation about my family being a bunch of bananas hanging around my kitchen, but I will spare you. What we really want to talk about is including more cake in our lives! Let’s get started on this Banana Upside Down Cake!
Bananas and more bananas
The first thing you will need are bananas. The ripeness of the bananas matters in this recipe. We use bananas in the cake batter and also we use bananas as a topping for the cake. The bananas in the cake batter can be super overripe. The bananas for the top of the cake should be less ripe so that they hold their shape when baked.
Because this is an upside-down cake, the bananas are exposed to a lot of heat at the bottom of the pan. For that reason, the topping bananas need to be a bit more firm. The banana design on the top of the cake should look like bananas and not a bunch of mush.
The second thing you need is the proper sized baking pan. You can use a square pan for this recipe or a round ring mold. Just make sure that whatever pan you use holds 8 cups (1.9lt) of cake batter. Most Bundt cake pans hold 12 cups (2.83lt) and shallow square pans only hold 6 cups (1.4lt.)
To confirm the capacity of your baking pan, simply use a measuring cup filled with water. See how much water you can add to the baking pan. There should be about 1-2” (2.5-5cm) of space to the edge of the baking pan so you have space for the cake to rise.
I love serving Banana Upside Down Cake with coffee. Such a delicious home-made treat!
Banana Upside Down Cake is an excellent dessert
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Ingredients
Brown sugar base:
⅔ cup packed brown sugar
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces (57g)
½ cup chopped pecans (57g)
3 bananas, slightly under ripe, sliced into ½”/1cm thick rounds
Cake batter:
⅓ cup unsalted butter-softened (80g)
¾ cup granulated sugar (150g)
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract (6ml)
⅓ cup plain sour cream (80ml)
2 large eggs
2 bananas, over ripe
1 cup all-purpose flour (125g)
¾ cup whole wheat flour (94g)
1 ½ tsp. baking powder (6g)
1 tsp. baking soda (6g)
Pinch of salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon (1g)
For Caramel Glaze:
¼ cup brown sugar (50g)
¼ cup heavy cream (60ml)
4 tbsp. unsalted butter (57g)
¼ tsp. salt (1g)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Grease an 8 cup (2lt) ring mold or an 8”x 8”x 2” (20cm x 20cm x 5.08cm) square cake pan
Distribute ⅔ cup of brown sugar and butter evenly in the prepared cake pan. Place the pan in the oven for 5-7 minutes until butter has melted. Remove the pan from the oven. Spread the butter and sugar evenly across the bottom of the cake pan. Sprinkle over the chopped pecans. Arrange sliced bananas over the melted butter, brown sugar and pecans. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, stir together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric hand mixer in a separate large bowl, cream together ⅓ cup butter and ¾ cup sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix to combine well. Add the sour cream and bananas and mix to combine.
Add spoonfuls of the dry ingredients, mixing between additions. Pour the cake batter over bananas in the prepared cake pan, distributing the batter evenly. Bake 30 minutes at 350°F (176°C) then reduce the heat to 325°F (162°C) and bake for additional 25-35 minutes until atoothpick inserted in the center comes out completely clean.
Allow the cake to cool completely. Invert the cake onto a cake plate before serving.
To make caramel glaze, in a saucepan combine butter, brown sugar, heavy cream and salt. Simmer gently over for 2-3 minutes over medium heat while stirring constantly. Allow to cool for 2 minutes. Pour the glaze over the cake right before serving.
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