Upside-Down Caramelised Banana Cake

Overview

Upside-Down Caramelised Banana Cake on a white plate

Upside-Down Caramelised Banana Cake

By Amy // Posted Sept 11, 2021 // Category Cakes

My Upside-Down Caramelised Banana cake has the most amazing sticky and toasty banana topping with moist banana cake. I patiently waited for weeks for my bananas to ripen to black all over and it really made a huge difference to the intensity of the banana flavour in the cake.

Sometimes people avoid eating the edge pieces of a cake as it can by drier, but with this cake, it was extra buttery and caramelly. I loved how some of the caramel crystalised and added another textural element to the cake.

It’s quite a fool proof recipe. I’ve been making this banana cake for years and it has never failed me, it turns out great each time. That’s what I love about oil based recipes. The caramelised banana topping is also easy to make, it’s just essentially just butter and sugar heated in a saucepan!

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tips

1. Ingredients

You need 3 yellow bananas (ones you’d typically eat) for the topping and 3 really ripe, black bananas for the cake. Your eggs need to be at room temperature so please make sure you leave it on the counter for a few hours before baking. Cold ingredients can alter the overall baking time of your bake, this is why we need it to be at room temperature. When making the topping, you can choose to use vanilla bean paste instead for an even more vibrant vanilla caramel taste.

2. Equipment

I used a silicone square cake pan(click on link) with this recipe. It just makes it so much easier to unmould when you make an upside-down cake. Please don’t use a springform as the buttery caramel will leak when you bake it. Other than this, you’d need some baking paper, a small saucepan, a whisk, a large mixing bowl and some medium sized bowls.

3. Ripening bananas quickly

To recreate the same deep banana taste in the cake, you need bananas that are very ripe to the point they are black all over. To help them ripen quickly, you can put them in a brown bag and store it in a warm place until they are ready to use. 

4. Flipping the cake upside down

After the cake comes out of the oven, you need to let it cool in the tin for a while. When the cake is still hot, but cool enough to handle with your hands, then it is ready to flip. You would still want the cake to be a little hot so that the caramel doesn’t dry and is still oozing a little. Place a large plate on top of the cake and flip the cake over.

5. Use different baking tins

You could bake this cake in a round tin (24cm,9inch) and a loaf tin but it would increase the baking time to around 50-60 minutes. Always check the doneness of a cake by inserting a skewer in the middle and seeing if it comes out clean.

*Disclosure: The links to Amazon products are affiliate links. I will be paid a commission if you use this link to make a purchase.

RatingDifficultyBeginner

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Yields12 Servings
Prep Time10 minsCook Time40 minsTotal Time50 mins

Caramelised Banana Topping
  cup unsalted butter (80gr)
 ¾ cup soft brown sugar (150gr)
 1 tsp vanilla extract
 3 bananas
Banana Cake
 1 ½ cups self raising flour (180gr)
 1 tsp baking soda
 ¾ cup soft brown sugar or white sugar (150gr)
 3 ripe bananas, mashed
 ½ cup neutral vegetable oil (125ml)
 2 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

Caramelised Banana Topping
1

Preheat the oven to 150C (300C) and line the bottom of a square baking tin (21-22cm, 8-8.5 inches) with baking paper.

2

Put the butter and sugar into a small saucepan and put it on a medium heat. Keep stirring continuously until the sugar melts and comes together with the butter. Turn off the heat and add the vanilla, then mix together. Pour the caramel into the prepared cake tin and spread the caramel evenly in the tin.

3

Slice the bananas lengthways and place the banana on top of the caramel, ensuring the bananas fill up the space all over bottom of the tin. Set aside.

Banana Cake
4

Prepare the dry ingredients. Sift the flour and baking soda into large mixing bowl. Add sugar into the same bowl and whisk the ingredients together to incorporate. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture.

5

Add the beaten egg, mashed bananas and oil(wet ingredients) into the centre of the well(dry ingredients). Gently fold the ingredients until you see no clumps of flour, ensuring you scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. Place the banana cake mixture into the cake tin, on top of the caramel and banana.

6

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the tin for around 10-15, then place a large plate on top the cake tin and flip the cake upside-down. Remove the baking paper and let cool. Serve warm or cold. Keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Ingredients

Caramelised Banana Topping
  cup unsalted butter (80gr)
 ¾ cup soft brown sugar (150gr)
 1 tsp vanilla extract
 3 bananas
Banana Cake
 1 ½ cups self raising flour (180gr)
 1 tsp baking soda
 ¾ cup soft brown sugar or white sugar (150gr)
 3 ripe bananas, mashed
 ½ cup neutral vegetable oil (125ml)
 2 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

Directions

Caramelised Banana Topping
1

Preheat the oven to 150C (300C) and line the bottom of a square baking tin (21-22cm, 8-8.5 inches) with baking paper.

2

Put the butter and sugar into a small saucepan and put it on a medium heat. Keep stirring continuously until the sugar melts and comes together with the butter. Turn off the heat and add the vanilla, then mix together. Pour the caramel into the prepared cake tin and spread the caramel evenly in the tin.

3

Slice the bananas lengthways and place the banana on top of the caramel, ensuring the bananas fill up the space all over bottom of the tin. Set aside.

Banana Cake
4

Prepare the dry ingredients. Sift the flour and baking soda into large mixing bowl. Add sugar into the same bowl and whisk the ingredients together to incorporate. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture.

5

Add the beaten egg, mashed bananas and oil(wet ingredients) into the centre of the well(dry ingredients). Gently fold the ingredients until you see no clumps of flour, ensuring you scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. Place the banana cake mixture into the cake tin, on top of the caramel and banana.

6

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the tin for around 10-15, then place a large plate on top the cake tin and flip the cake upside-down. Remove the baking paper and let cool. Serve warm or cold. Keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Upside-Down Caramelised Banana Cake
Nutrition Facts

Servings 12


Amount Per Serving
Calories 315
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 15.1g24%
Saturated Fat 4.2g22%
Cholesterol 41mg14%
Sodium 157mg7%
Potassium 264mg8%
Total Carbohydrate 43.3g15%
Dietary Fiber 1.9g8%
Sugars 24.7g
Protein 3.1g7%

Calcium 2%
Iron 11%
Vitamin D 31%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

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2 thoughts on “Upside-Down Caramelised Banana Cake

  1. Decadent and delicious! It was so easy to prepare but it took a full hour at 300F to cook through. It came out of the pan perfectly. My husband declared this to be a new favorite. Thanks for this quick, yummy take on Banana Bread!

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