BANANA UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

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My first taste of upside-down banana bread was exciting, though a bit too sweet for my liking. As I savoured the unfamiliar dessert, I found myself craving a glass of milk to balance the sweetness. Despite the initial intensity, I was determined to refine the recipe.

Through several trials, I gradually reduced the sugar content until I achieved a version that truly satisfied me. Now, I devour this dessert-like bread with gusto, treating it more like a meal than a mere sweet indulgence. Have you ever found yourself eating dessert as if it were a main course? You’ll understand once you try this delicious upside-down banana bread!

Balance of Flavours!

This cake features a delightful blend of banana, caramel, and spice infused with toasted nut flavours!

Achieving the perfect balance of flavours is key with this cake. With a caramel base, layers of cooked bananas, and fluffy butter cake infused with toasted nuts, therefore, it’s important not to overdo the sweetness. The caramel base and the chunks of cooked bananas in the cake naturally provide sweetness, so you’ll find that you only need a small amount of sugar in the cake batter

What is Upside Down Banana Cake?

An upside-down banana cake offers a delightful twist on traditional banana bread. This cake features a caramel base layered with bananas, typically baked in a skillet but adaptable to various baking pans. Once fully baked, the cake is flipped upside down for serving, showcasing its beautiful caramel and banana layers on top, creating a unique and appealing presentation.

The Best Upside-Down Banana Cake Recipe

It is caramel, nutty, rich in flavour and fluffy all in one. This cake is baked with a caramel base, cooked with full bananas and incorporated with nuts and spices in the cake batter.

Reduced sugar amount brings out the cake flavours. The best upside-down banana bread has high tones of caramel and banana without it being overly sweet which is what this recipe is all about.

It is an easy and failproof recipe.

Recipe Run Through

Cut medium-sized bananas longitudinally in half and layer in your baking pan, the more coverage the better.

Afterwards, make the sugar caramel, and pour over the bananas that you have laid out on the baking pan. Set it aside. Make a simple butter cake; cream sugar, and butter until fluffy, add eggs. Combine the egg mixture with the flour mixture alternating with milk and fold to combine.

Pour the cake batter over the caramel banana that is laid out in the pan and bake until a toothpick or a skewer comes out mostly clean.

You do not necessarily need bananas inside the cake batter

One of the common variables I tested with this upside-down banana cake was whether to add or not add bananas inside the cake batter. I finally settled for the latter here is why;

1. The laid-out bananas at the bottom of the pan are enough! As the bananas are cooking during baking the flavour infuses with the cake batter. In addition, the generously laid out bananas at the bottom of the pan, ensure every slice and bite is accompanied by a chunk of cooked bananas.
2. Sugar amount. This cake has a layer of caramel, and unmashed bananas, and still has sugar in the cake batter. Adding more bananas to the cake batter without weighing out the other variables can make it just too sweet and unpalatable.

How To Make Upside-Down Banana Cake Step By Step

Cut the bananas and make the caramel syrup

Grease your baking pan with butter. Then, cut ripe bananas longitudinally in half. Closely layer the bananas on the prepared pan.

Make the caramel syrup; in a small pan add brown sugar and a bit of water. On low heat let the mixture cook until the sugar completely melts and is not grainy.

Add in room temperature butter and stir until it completely melts. Remove from heat then immediately stir in vanilla paste or extract; pour over the layered bananas in the baking pan. Set aside and make the cake.

Mix the cake batter

Preheat the oven to 180C.

In a mixing bowl, add room-temperature butter, granulated sugar and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed for five minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs then mix thoroughly to combine.

Next, sift the flour over the egg mixture and add baking powder, cinnamon powder, and toasted nuts. Pour in the milk and gently mix everything using a spatula until well combined.

Pour the cake batter into the baking pan that is layered with the banana mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for up to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean, Start checking from the 35th-minute mark.