Banana upside down cake

Banana upside down cake is a beautiful moist cake, topped with caramelised bananas. This classic cake is a great way of using up leftover bananas.

Banana upside down cake is a delicious cake with a caramelized banana topping. It’s a bit of a retro bake, but I think it still deserves a space in our recipe collection.

We bake with bananas a lot, normally because we’ve got some over ripe ones in our fruit bowl, but this is a lovely alternative to a classic banana bread, our usual go to bake. I think it’s the addition of the caramelised bananas as well as the banana flavoured cake batter. There’s nothing not to like about this delicious warming bake.

How can kids help to make a banana upside down cake?

This is a fun bake for kids to get involved in. As well as all the usual jobs they can get stuck in with making the cake batter (measuring, mixing, and cracking eggs), kids can practice their knife skills preparing the bananas. Bananas are one of the best fruits to practice a bit of chopping as they’re nice and soft and really easy to cut without a sharp knife. If your kids are a bit younger, you could get them to mash the bananas for the cake instead.

Once you’ve prepared the bananas, you can also get your kids to help arrange them in your cake pan, before dolloping on the cake batter.

Can I use regular bananas, or do they have to be overripe?

Normally during baking it’s good to use over ripe bananas as they are sweeter and easier to mash. For this recipe, i’d recommend using over ripe bananas for mashing into the cake batter, but the bananas you see chopped on the cake are better if they’re not overly ripe and have a slightly firmer texture.

Can I use other fruits besides bananas for the topping?

While bananas are traditional, you can experiment with other fruits like apples, pears, pineapples or even a combination of fruits to create your own unique upside-down cake variation.

Can I make this banana upside down cake in advance?

Yes, you can prepare this cake ahead of time. After cooling, store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days or in the refrigerator for longer freshness. I think it’s best served warm, so you can reheat it gently in the oven again before serving it.

What’s the best way to serve this cake?

This cake is delicious on its own, but it’s also fantastic served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream, or a drizzle of caramel sauce for an extra touch of indulgence.

What is baking spread?

Baking spread, (something like Stork for example), is a non dairy margarine that’s great for baking. It makes cupcakes and cakes lighter and fluffier than butter, which means it’s a great, cheaper alternative.

I still prefer the taste of butter in buttercream icing so I wouldn’t swap the butter for baking spread in that but it’s great for the traybake itself.

What else can I bake with bananas?

If you have lots of bananas in your fruit bowl needing to be used, why not try one of these delicious recipes:

Easy banana bread
Banana oat cookies
Banana and chocolate chip slice
Chocolate and banana loaf
Caramel banana bread
Nutella and banana muffins
Banoffee cupcakes
Chocolate banana bread
Banana muffins
Cinnamon banana bread
Chocolate chip banana muffins
Peach cobbler
No bake key lime pie

Useful equipment

You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make this banana upside down cake

Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
23cm loose bottomed cake tin
Wire rack

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Ingredients

For the caramelised banana topping
150g soft brown sugar
85g butter
2-3 bananas

For the cake
185g (1 1/4 cup) plain / all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
165g (7/8 cup) soft brown sugar
50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
125g (1/2 cup) butter or baking spread
2 bananas
75ml (1/3 cup) milk

how to make banana upside down cake

Preheat oven to 180C / 170C Fan / 350F and prepare your baking tin

Get your toddler to grease a and line the base of a 23cm (9 inch) round cake tin with baking or parchment paper.

Make the caramelised banana topping

Get your child to measure out the butter and sugar and pop them into a small pan.

Heat them slowly, stirring occasionally until it’s all melted and come together.

Pop your cake tin on top of a baking tray in case any caramel oozes out the bottom. Pour the mixture into the bottom of your pan, spread it out and press it down.

Meanwhile, peel and chop the bananas into 0.5-1cm pieces. This was a good bit for both the kids to help with. Even the littlest cooks can help peel bananas, and it doesn’t matter if all the bananas aren’t exactly the same size so it’s a good way to practice cutting skills.

Get your kids to help arrange the bananas to the top of your butter/sugar mixture – this will ultimately be the top your cake.

Make the cake batter

Get your kids to add all the cake batter ingredients into a mixing bowl or the bowl of your free-standing mixer. You can do this in any order, but if you follow the order the ingredients are listed, you’re less likely to miss anything out.

Start by getting your kids to measure out the flour, baking powder and sugars. When you add the baking powder, make sure your kids use their finger to level the teaspoon so that you add just the right amount.

Add the vanilla extract and eggs. We normally, crack the eggs into a small bowl before adding them to our mixing bowl just in case any shell goes in. If it does, simply fish it out with a larger piece of shell or a tea spoon.

Add the butter or baking spread. If you’re using butter, make sure it is soft before adding it. If it isn’t, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it, but not long enough for it to melt. If you’re using baking spread, you can add that straight into your bowl.

Using the k-paddle of your free-standing mixer or a hand held mixer, beat everything together until the batter is nice and smooth.

Add the bananas and milk

Get your kids to peel and mash the bananas. This is a great, easy job if you have any really young chefs helping you. Add them to your mixing bowl and stir them through with a spatula or wooden spoon.

Finally, add the milk to your batter to loosen it.

Bake the banana upside down cake

Get your kids to pour or dollop the cake batter on top of the banana and caramel layer in your cake tin. Level the top with a spatula or palette knife.

Bake the banana upside down cake for 45-50 minutes. It’s ready when it’s browned and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean (or with a few moist crumbs).

Leave the cake to cool for a few minutes and turn out onto a large plate or platter. Don’t wait too long or the caramelized sugar will stick to the pan.

The upside down cake best served warm with custard or ice cream and will keep for a few days in an airtight container.

Serve and enjoy.