Use sweet ripe bananas or plantains to make this light, super-moist and delicious upside-down cake!
I love upside down cake! Not only is it easy to make it is quite versatile, too as you can choose the topping you want.
I have done one with berries, mangoes, kiwi and this time I thought why not one with Bananas.
After all, my entire family loves bananas and especially when I use them for cake!
So, it was an easy decision to use bananas for this delicious and moist upside-down cake!
But you know what makes this cake slightly unique? I didn’t use regular bananas for the usual banana cake.
Instead, I went for the plantains and used that instead. I wanted a firmer kind of banana that won’t melt when baked and I thought plantains were the perfect option.
And it worked!! I have made this cake for other people and they have loved it.
The plantains provide a little crunch so it’s not mushy at all.
Of course, you need to use very ripe plantains so their sweetness shines.
Also, they have to be sliced really thin so don’t think chunks as they may not bake properly. If you can’t find plantains or don’t like them, regular bananas would work too.
I just like the plantains because they retain their shape but in terms of taste – the regular sweet bananas should work well, too.
So, the next time you fancy making a banana cake, why not try this one instead of the usual banana loaf. I promise you won’t be disappointed!
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FOR FULL RECIPE & INSTRUCTIONS and to PRINT, SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW.
INGREDIENT LIST FOR Banana Upside Down Cake
- all-purpose flour
- double-acting baking powder
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- salt
- butter
- sugar
- chopped walnuts or pecans
- medium ripe regular Bananas or Plantains
- pure vanilla extract
- eggs
- milk
HOW DO I MAKE Banana Upside Down Cake?
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a round cake pan with a little oil or use a non-stick spray. Set it aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set it aside.
- Melt 6 tablespoons of the butter and sugar on medium heat in a small saucepan. Continue to stir until the mixture comes to a boil. Pour this evenly over the bottom of the cake pan and top with a single layer of sliced bananas. Distribute banana all over. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer beat the remaining stick of butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue to beat until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Pour in the vanilla extract and then add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half of the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the batter. Mix in the milk, then the rest of the dry ingredients. The batter will be thick.
- Spoon the batter over the bananas and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake in a preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let the cake cool down for about 10-15 minutes before you remove them from the pan. Run a blunt knife between the sides of the pan and the cake. Carefully turn the cake out onto a serving platter. If any of the bananas stick to the pan – as they might – just scrape them off with a knife and return them to the cake.
- Pairs perfectly with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream especially if served warm which I prefer. Best eaten on the day it is made. Enjoy!
Yield: 10 slices
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 20 mins.
Cook time: 00 hrs. 50 mins.
Total time: 70 mins.
Tags: Upside Down Cake. Banana, Recipe, Easy, American
Banana Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp double-acting baking powder
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- 6 tbsp butter plus 1 stick (or ½ cup) butter room temp
- 6 tbsp sugar plus extra ½ cup sugar separate each sugar
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- 2 medium ripe regular bananas or plantains sliced thinly, (if using plantains, make sure it's thinly sliced)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup whole or 2 % milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a round cake pan with a little oil or use a non-stick spray. Set it aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set it aside.
- Melt 6 tablespoons of the butter and sugar on medium heat in a small saucepan. Continue to stir until the mixture comes to the boil. Pour this evenly over the bottom of the cake pan and top with a single layer of sliced bananas. Distribute banana all over. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer beat the remaining stick of butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue to beat until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Pour in the vanilla extract and then add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half of the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the batter. Mix in the milk, then the rest of the dry ingredients. The batter will be thick.
- Spoon the batter over the bananas and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake in a preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let the cake cool down for about 10-15 minutes before you remove them from the pan. Run a blunt knife between the sides of the pan and the cake. Carefully turn the cake out onto a serving platter. If any of the bananas stick to the pan – as they might – just scrape them off with a knife and return them to the cake.
- Pairs perfectly with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream especially if served warm which I prefer. Best eaten on the day it is made. Enjoy!
Last updated on March 17th, 2021 at 10:26 pm
This banana cake looks absolutely delicious! I have yet to cook with plantains and am interested in giving it a go!
This sounds really tasty. I have always been a fan of banana breads and banana cakes.
Gorgeous pics! The bananas were a very cool alternative to the pineapple upside down cake.
I've never had banana upside down cake, but looks DELICIOUS. I'm always down for cake, but especially this one!
We love bananas at home great way to use them in a cake. Normally I bake the traditional banana nut cake but this is is much better =)
My Mom loves bananas and I know she'd love this. I've actually never seen a cake done like this with bananas, it's a terrific idea.
Look at those perfect caramelized bananas! This looks so yummy!
I like the caramelized fruit flavour in upside down cake. Usually I try pineapple but banana sounds good. My son likes banana he will love this
I thoroughly enjoy make pineapple upside down cake! I would love to try this version with bananas!!
This is the second recipe using plantains I have come across today, I really need to get some and try them out!! This looks delicious, I love the idea of a banana cake, but never would have thought to make an upside down one 🙂
This is such a gorgeous cake and I wish I had this for my late night sweet craving. We all love bananas in our house and this will be a great variation to try other than the pineapple upside down cake.
Oh that would be a perfect summer cake that would fit any party. I love how moist and fluffy it looks and those banana slices drenched in sauce look Perfect !!!