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Caramel Banana Upside Down Cake

Guests will certainly go bananas for this amazingly sweet (and gorgeous) treat.

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We absolutely flipped over this ooey-gooey caramel-banana upside down cake! This is a cake that looks elegant but is super simple to create. Use your favorite cake recipe, but next time try this as a topping instead of your usual frosting routine: sliced bananas and buttery brown sugar melted together, which are a heavenly alternative to buttercream. While we never need a reason to make cake, being able to use up bananas before they go bad is a bonus here – don’t let ‘em go to waste!

One trick with this cake is removing it from the pan, so make sure to use a springform pan, then find your favorite cake platter and get ready to test your flipping skills! This is definitely a cake that is best served warm, but if that isn’t possible, we recommend making extra caramel sauce that can be warmed just prior to serving and drizzled over individual slices of cake. We guarantee guests will be left speechless, other than the occasional mmmmmmm that is sure to follow every bite of this sweet dessert.

Yield(s): Serves 8-12 servings

1 hour

4.0
Rated 4.0 out of 5
Rated by 3 reviewers
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Ingredients
  • Cake Ingredients:
  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • Topping:
  • 2 bananas, sliced
  • 1 ½ cups brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
Preparation
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Prepare cake batter by combining dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) in a large bowl, then set aside.
  3. In a large bowl or mixer, cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla. One at a time, add in eggs and milk, mixing until just combined.
  4. On low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients until batter comes together. Set aside and prepare topping.
  5. In a saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar, stirring to combine. Place sliced bananas all over the bottom of a springform cake pan; this will be the top of your cake.
  6. Pour half of the brown sugar caramel mixture over the bananas and then pour in cake batter, making sure to spread batter evenly around the pan and over the bananas.
  7. Place cake pan in oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until top of cake is golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
  8. To serve, remove the sides of springform pan, then take desired serving platter and place it over the top of the cake. Holding the bottom of the cake pan and the top of the serving platter together, flip them over, then lift the cake pan gently until it releases from the cake. Use remaining sauce to drizzle over individual servings of cake. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Broma Bakery