🍌 Banana Upside-Down Cake
A banana upside-down cake is a sweet, moist cake baked with caramelized bananas at the bottom of the pan, which becomes the top when inverted after baking. It’s a tropical twist on the classic pineapple version.
🥣 Ingredients (Serves 8)
For the topping:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2–3 ripe bananas, sliced lengthwise or into rounds
For the cake:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk (or milk with 1 tsp vinegar)
👩🍳 Instructions
- Prepare the topping:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Melt ¼ cup butter in a 9-inch round cake pan.
- Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over melted butter.
- Arrange banana slices over the brown sugar.
- Make the cake batter:
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In another bowl, cream ½ cup butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.
- Gradually add flour mixture alternating with buttermilk, mixing until smooth.
- Assemble and bake:
- Pour batter over the banana layer.
- Bake 35–40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Invert the cake:
- Let cool 5–10 minutes, then carefully invert onto a serving plate so the caramelized bananas are on top.
- Serve:
- Warm or at room temperature, optionally with whipped cream or ice cream.
🔹 Tips & Variations
- Richer flavor: Add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg to the brown sugar topping.
- Extra moist: Brush banana slices with a little melted butter before adding brown sugar.
- Mini cakes: Bake in muffin tins for individual servings.
- Tropical twist: Add a few slices of pineapple or a splash of rum to the caramel layer.
Banana upside-down cake is sweet, caramelized, and moist, making it a crowd-pleasing dessert for brunch, tea time, or family gatherings.
I can also provide a quick 30-minute skillet version that uses caramelized bananas on top of a simple batter for faster preparation.
