Get ready to go bananas for this incredibly delicious and easy-to-make caramelized banana upside-down cake! It’s jam-packed with banana flavor and just the right amount of sweetness and caramelization. With step-by-step instructions and helpful tips, you can effortlessly create this banana cake, ensuring consistent results every time.
Ingredients You’ll Need & Why It Works:
Banana Cake:
All Purpose Flour: The moderate amount of protein in all-purpose flour creates a tender crumb while also providing the necessary structure for this cake.
Baking Powder: Baking powder’s active ingredients typically consist of a base and at least one acid. The base is typically sodium bicarbonate (commonly known as “baking soda”), and the acid is typically monocalcium phosphate (MCP). When baking powder is mixed with water from a wet batter, such as the water from sour cream, the base and acid react with each other to create carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide bubbles form within minutes of mixing, contributing to the batter’s rise and delicate texture.
Table Salt: Adding just a pinch of salt to the batter accentuates other flavors in this cake. Without it, the cake would taste flat and unbalanced.
Bananas: For the cake portion, I suggest selecting over-ripe bananas. As bananas ripen, their starch content decreases while their sugar content increases. Using over-ripe bananas intensifies the banana flavor and adds sweetness to the cake.
Unsalted Butter: Unsalted butter contributes to the cake’s rich flavor and soft texture and also allows for better control over the amount of salt added.
Eggs: Eggs play an essential role in structuring this cake in two ways. First, the egg yolk contains lecithin, an emulsifier that effectively combines fats and liquids in the cake. Similarly, the egg whites contain mostly water and protein. It undergoes a process called “protein aggregation.” This process causes the egg proteins to unravel and solidify, creating a flexible network that traps water and other liquids, providing structure to the cake. In summary, the egg yolks give the cake its richness and bind ingredients together, while the egg whites maintain the cake’s structural stability.
Sour Cream: Sour cream contains approximately 74% water and is classified as a high-acid ingredient, with pH levels around 4.5. The water content in sour cream adds moisture to the banana cake through steam during baking. Additionally, the acid in sour cream, combined with the baking powder, helps to leaven the cake further, resulting in a light and airy crumb. If sour cream is unavailable, Greek yogurt can be used as a substitute for a 1:1 ratio.
Granulated Sugar: Like all baked goods, sugar is essential for maintaining a soft and tender texture. That’s because sugar attracts and bonds with water, drawing moisture from proteins and starches. This results in a thinner batter that yields a soft and moist cake. After conducting numerous test batches and factoring in the natural sweetness of the overripe bananas, I have concluded that 95g of granulated sugar was enough to keep this cake moist without being excessively sweet.
Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract is created by infusing real vanilla beans in a solution containing at least 35% alcohol. The natural flavor chemical vanillin and hundreds of other flavor volatiles are extracted during this process, resulting in a more complex flavor profile. One of the advantages of using vanilla extract is its consistency in flavor and higher quality, ensuring consistent results every time. Additionally, the vanilla extract helps to balance and enhance the other flavor nuances in this cake.
Banana Upside Down Part:
Unsalted Butter: Unsalted butter comprises of at least 80% butterfat and around 18% water. When you melt the butter on the stove, you start to brown it. Once it reaches a temperature above 285℉, the Maillard reaction begins, causing the butter to bubble and the water to evaporate. The sugars and amino acids react during this process, creating a new flavor compound and changing the color from white to brown. This technique is essentially called browning butter. I found that using six tablespoons of unsalted butter was ideal for the caramelization in this recipe.
Light Brown Sugar: Caramelizing bananas for this recipe involves melting light brown sugar and butter on the stovetop for 3 minutes and then finishing it in the oven. Once in the oven, the heat (350℉ ) will continue with the caramelization process, known as the Maillard reaction. This chemical process will result in a gorgeous and delicious layer of caramelized bananas that will grace the top of the cake.
Ripe Bananas: Opting for ripe bananas with a yellow color and some brown spotting works best here. This type of banana has a higher starch content, which means it is less likely to break apart during baking and will remain intact.
Tips for Making Caramelized Banana Upside Cake:
Cutting Bananas — A clever hack to prevent your bananas from breaking apart while slicing them is cutting them lengthwise with the peel still on. When ready to use, slowly remove the peels and gently place the bananas into the baking pan. Refer to photo 3 of the step-by-step instructions for a visual guidance.
Ripeness of Bananas — When making the cake part, opting for overripe bananas is key as they provide a rich banana flavor and yield a moist crumb. However, when choosing the bananas that will be caramelized on top of the cake, it is best to use ripe bananas to achieve a perfectly caramelized top, as they are more likely to maintain their shape after baking.
Grease Baking Pan — Make sure to grease the 8-inch square baking pan with butter generously. This will make it easier to invert the banana cake onto a plate without causing damage after cooling it for 20 minutes.
Step By Step Instructions — Caramelized Banana Upside Down Cake:
Prep The Ingredients —
1. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Measure out the ingredients for the banana cake.
2. Measure out the ingredients for the caramelized banana upside down part.
3. Slice 2 ½ bananas lengthwise for the caramelized banana upside down part.
4. Generously grease a 8″ x 8″ baking pan with butter.
Caramelized Banana Upside Down Part —
5. Add unsalted butter and light brown sugar into a small saucepan.
6. On the stove over medium heat, melt the butter and light brown sugar. Stir continuously until the brown butter mixture is glossy and well combined, about 3 minutes.
7. Pour the brown butter mixture into the baking pan and swirl it around to even it out.
8. Carefully arrange the bananas that have been sliced lengthwise on top of the brown butter, one on top of each other. Set aside. Next, make the banana cake.
Banana Cake —
9. Mash 2½ bananas in a mixing bowl.
10. Next, add sour cream, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract.
11. Whisk until combined.
12. Add dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.
13. Fold dry ingredients into the cake batter. Stop mixing as soon as there are no longer white streaks of flour. Do not overmix.
14. Pour cake batter onto the bananas in the prepared baking pan; even out the batter. Bake the cake for 40-42 minutes. It’s done when the edges turn golden brown and the caramel bubbles up the sides of the pan. You can also use a toothpick to check for doneness; if the toothpick comes out clean after insertion, the cake is ready.
15. Allow the cake to cool for at least 20 minutes before inverting it onto a plate.
16. Once cooled for at least 20 minutes, invert the cake onto a plate. Serve the cake while it’s still warm, and enjoy it with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Storing Instructions for Caramelized Banana Upside Down Cake:
For the most enjoyable experience, it’s best to savor the banana cake right after it’s baked while it’s still warm. If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat them again, microwave the cake slices for 10-15 seconds.
Caramelized Banana Upside Cake
Equipment
- Electric hand mixer
- Mixing bowl
- Small saucepan
- 8" x 8" baking pan
Ingredients
Caramelized Banana Upside Down Part —
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 65 g light brown sugar
- 2½ ripe medium-sized bananas sliced in half lengthwise
Banana Cake —
- 2½ ripe mashed bananas
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 100 g (1/2 cup) sour cream
- 95 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp table salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 120 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
Instructions
Caramelized Upside Down Part —
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice 2 ½ bananas lengthwise for the caramelized upside part. Next, generously grease an 8 x 8" baking pan with butter. Set both aside. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and light brown sugar over medium heat. Stir continuously until the brown butter mixture is glossy and well combined, about 3 minutes. Then, pour the brown butter into the baking pan and swirl it around to even it out. Carefully arrange the bananas that have been sliced lengthwise on top of the brown butter, side by side. Next, make the banana cake.
Banana Cake —
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine mashed bananas, melted butter, eggs, sour cream, vanilla extract, and sugar. Whisk until combined. Next, add all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until there are no longer visible white streaks of flour. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter on top of the bananas in the baking pan and spread it out evenly. Bake the cake for 40-42 minutes. You'll know it's done when the edges turn golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean once you insert it.
- Allow the cake to cool for at least 20 minutes before inverting it onto a plate. Serve the cake while it's still warm, and enjoy it with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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