Banana Upside Down Cake – moist vanilla cake baked on top of a layer of caramelized bananas and flipped upside down after baked. It’s delicous with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Bananas are a favorite around here and most of the time I can’t buy enough, but every few weeks we all get burned out on bananas and a bunch or 2 just sits on the counter until I finally turn it into banana bread. That happened this week, only I wasn’t into the whole banana bread idea.
This cake was one of the best cakes I’ve made. It was almost like banana bread except not as dense as a bread and with caramelized bananas on top. We topped it with homemade vanilla bean ice cream and it was incredible!
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 large, ripe bananas
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 6 tbsp milk
How To Make Banana Upside Down Cake
- Melt butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup together
- Pour butter mixture into a 9-inch cake pan
- Top with sliced bananas; set aside
- In a mixing bowl, sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt
- In a separate bowl, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy
- Add egg and vanilla
- Beat flour mixture into the wet mixture alternating with milk
- Gently spoon batter over bananas
- Bake about 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean
- Cool for about 30 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter
How Long Is Banana Cake Good For?
This Upside Down Banana Cake is a very moist cake so it will be fine at room temperature for 2 – 3 days if stored in an airtight container.
If you prefer to store it in the refrigerator, it will be fine for up to 4 days. I would bring it to room temperature before serving because nobody likes a cold, hard cake!
Can You Freeze Upside Down Banana Cake?
I don’t recommend freezing this cake as the bananas on the top will turn black once frozen and that will not be very appetizing once it’s defrosted!
More Upside Down Recipes
- Apple Upside Down Cake
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Strawberry Upside Down Ricotta Cake
- Pineapple Upside Down Muffins
More Banana Recipes
- Cream Cheese Banana Bread
- Banana Cream Pie
- Banana Pudding
- Banana Muffins with Nutella Swirl
- PB&J Banana Bread
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Banana Upside Down Cake
Banana Upside Down Cake - moist vanilla cake baked on top of a layer of caramelized bananas and flipped upside down after baked. It's delicous with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Ingredients
For the topping:
- 1 cup packed golden brown sugar
- ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 3 large ripe bananas. peeled, cut diagonally into ¼-inch-thick slices
For the cake:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons milk
Instructions
To make the topping:
- Preheat oven to 325F. Combine sugar and butter in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until butter melts and mixture is well blended. Pour into 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides. Spread to coat bottom of pan. Pour maple syrup over sugar mixture. Place banana slices in concentric circles, overlapping slightly and covering bottom.
To make the cake:
- Stir flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl to blend. Beat sugar and butter in another medium bowl until creamy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy. Beat in flour mixture alternately with milk in 3 additions. Spoon batter over bananas. Bake until tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Transfer cake to rack. Run knife around pan sides. Cool cake on rack 30 minutes. Place plate over pan; invert cake. Let stand 3 minutes, then gently lift off pan. Serve warm with whipped cream.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 283Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 142mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 1gSugar: 34gProtein: 2g
Andrea says
Wow. That looks seriously good. Now stop posting delicious looking/sounding recipes! I can’t keep up! :)
Daniel says
Oh my! That is indeed better than plain ol’ Banana Bread. Beautiful!
.-= Daniel´s last blog ..Le Pain Poilâne =-.
alison says
i have to try this recipe. thank you for sharing. it looks beautiful!
Donna says
You got me at “caramelized bananas on top”! Great photo. Makes me want to eat it up!
Thanks for sharing!
.-= Donna´s last blog ..Sausage with Roasted Vegetables and Gnocchi =-.
grace says
pineapple upside down cake? forget that–i’d love this so much more. this is a first for me, amanda–great idea!
.-= grace´s last blog ..get ova it =-.
cookienurse says
I have a similar recipe with the addition of a little rum extract, called bananas foster upside down cake!
amanda says
That sounds delicious! I have some rum extract that I didn’t know what to do with but now I think I’ll have to try that!
Nicole says
Oh that looks fantastic!!
Our bananas never stick around to get brown between the 2 of us and 2 rabbits. I may have to ration some for this to get brown enough!
.-= Nicole´s last blog ..Magic Garden =-.
Dimah says
This looks absolutely delicious!
Melissa says
I made this yesterday and it is awesome!!!!! And easy – which I love!
Debbie s says
If I were to make these into cupcakes how long would I bake it for?
Sharon says
The recipe instructions mention nuts. I do not see any in ingredients. How much nuts are needed and what kind do you suggest? Thank You.
Karen says
Very tasty and very sweet. I think I would cut out some of that brown sugar to 1/2C and half the maple syrup. It is a nice change from banana bread, just a little overly sweet. I would try it again with less sugar.