This addictive upside-down banana cake will have you go bananas. 

A lot of people dislike bananas. Thankfully, I don’t.

Why thankfully? Because a lot of the time, bananas in our house tend to become super-ripe. I don’t like to eat bruised, browned bananas, but they go well in my breakfast smoothie.

And also cake. 

This impressive, addictive upside-down banana cake will have you go bananas.

Lily’s banana bread is a fabulous loaf recipe. But I bake a lot and so I cannot limit myself to a single set of instructions. This results in healthy whole wheat banana bread, cinnamon streusel banana cake, chocolate chip banana muffins, chocolate banana bread, banana cake with cream cheese frosting, banana cake with mocha fudge frosting and of course,

This banana upside-down cake recipe is a recent development and most likely one that will remain high up in my banana cake repertoire.

Fluffy (and super easy to make) banana cake meets golden, beautifully caramelised bananas, reminiscent of a tarte tatin, minus the fuss of actually standing by the stove-top caramelising the sugar and butter.

This impressive, addictive upside-down banana cake will have you go bananas.

And guys? The basic cake recipe is a dream.

If upside-down banana cake isn’t your thing, you can really customise the cake any way you like. It is my staple banana cake recipe, one that I often tinker around with. As I write this post, a piece of this utterly delicious banana cake recipe topped with cinnamon sugar, walnuts and dark chocolate chips is wrapped up in a piece of foil, waiting in my backpack.

This impressive, addictive upside-down banana cake will have you go bananas.

Upside-down banana cake is my mom’s favourite variation of this basic banana cake recipe. It is impressive yet super easy to prepare. As slivers turn into slices which turn into seconds and thirds, you’ll thank that site- you know, the one about chocolate-  and realise that Hot Chocolate Hits offers more than just chocolate.

Today, it offers an upside-down banana cake recipe.

upside down banana cake

Upside Down Banana Cake

This addictive upside-down banana cake will have you go bananas. 
Yield: 12 pieces
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
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Ingredients

For the upside-down topping:

  • ¼ cup (55g) butter, melted
  • ⅔ cup (65g)brown sugar
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 medium-sized bananas, don't need to be ripe

For the cake:

  • ½ cup (110g) butter , oil works fine too!
  • ½ cup (100g) sugar , brown/white/raw work
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (250ml) natural yogurt (or buttermilk)
  • 1-2 medium-sized ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 ½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and butter an 8 or 9 inch pan. I used a square pan but a circle works too!
  • In the pan, add the melted butter, sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine.
  • Gently spread the sugar-butter mixture so that it coats the bottom of the baking pan evenly.
  • Slice the bananas (for the topping) into ½ cm slices (¼ inch).
  • Gently lay the banana slices atop the sugar mixture. The thicker the slices, the less chance that they will stick to the bottom of the pan, so make sure you aren't cutting them too thin.
  • Set the tray aside while you prepare the cake batter.
  • To make the cake, combine the butter and sugar.
  • Add in the egg, vanilla, followed by the yogurt and mashed banana.
  • Sprinkle atop the baking soda, baking powder and salt, then gently mix in. You could also combine these ingredients with the flour, which is probably more effective. But I'm impatient.
  • Pour the batter over the sliced bananas and spread evenly.
  • Bake the cake for 30-35 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • While the cake is still hot, loosen the edges by running a knife through the edges, and gently nudging the cake to loosen it from the bottom as you do this.
  • Flip the cake onto a serving plate or surface, and tap the bottom of the pan to release.
  • If you wait too long to flip the cake, you might have difficulties taking it out of the pan, as the caramelised butter and sugar comprising the upside-down part may solidify.
  • Serve warm, with some ice cream or whipping cream. Or plain! Because this cake contains fruit, it lasts for several days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Notes

Base recipe adapted from The Idea Room.
Course: Dessert
Keyword: butter, Dessert, Vanilla

Looking for more topsy-turvy recipes? 

This impressive, addictive upside-down banana cake will have you go bananas.