This show-stopping perfectly spiced Banana Upside Down Cake is full of so much delicious flavor! The magic of the upside-down method is that when you flip it, you're met with a glorious gooey caramelized banana topping that's pure bliss.
Meet banana upside down cake. The pineapple upside down cake's (delicious) step sister. This cake is absolute heaven. The brown sugar and butter on top caramelize beautifully while baking creating a gooey coating that is to die for! The bananas also caramelize making them deliciously sweet. If I had to choose my top favorite desserts, this one would be on the list. The cake baked up super moist with a yummy punch of banana flavor.
In the mood for more cake? Try my glazed banana bundt cake recipe. How about banana bread? My banana nut bread or banana chocolate chip bread are both delicious.
Why you'll love this recipe
- The moment you flip the cake over is pure excitement revealing the gooey topping!
- FLAVOR! There SO much amazing flavor going on in this upside down banana cake. If you love bananas, this is for YOU!
- This cake has turned even banana haters into having seconds!
Ingredients
Topping
- Light brown sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Bananas: 2-3 bananas sliced into ¼" rounds
Banana Cake
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Mashed banana: You will need 1 cup of mashed banana for this recipe. About 2 medium sized bananas.
- Buttermilk: To make your own: Stir in 1 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar or fresh lemon juice to the milk. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes until thickened.
- Vanilla
- Vegetable oil
- Eggs
Substitutions & VAriations
- Add-ins: Add chopped walnuts to the batter.
Storage
Store upside down banana cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freezing instructions
Wrap cooled cake in a layer of plastic wrap and place in a resealable, freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
More banana recipes you'll love
Did you make this recipe?
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📋 Recipe
Banana Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
Topping (Bottom of the Pan)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 6 tbs unsalted butter melted
- 2-3 bananas sliced into ¼" rounds (or more depending on how you arrange them)
Cake
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch salt
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup mashed banana about 2 medium sized bananas
- ½ cup buttermilk see recipe notes to make your own
- 1 tbs vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9" round baking pan very well, set aside.
- Combine melted butter and brown sugar. Press mixture into bottom of the pan. Arrange banana rounds on top of brown sugar mixture. (This will ultimately be the top of your cake.)
- In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and whisk very well for one minute. Add in the wet ingredients and stir until completely combined and no lumps remain. Don't over mix. Pour cake mixture into prepared pan on top of bananas. It will fill almost to the top of the pan.
- RECIPE EDITED TO ADD: Based on reader's reviews, it seems some have had the batter spill over while baking, and some have had great success. To prevent this, simply place the cake pan on a baking sheet when it goes into the oven to catch anything that spills over.
- Bake for 42-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Let cake cool for only 5 minutes in pan then turn out on a large plate or platter. (If you wait too long, the caramelized brown sugar will stick to the pan!)
Notes
Nutrition
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Freda Williams says
Just made the banana upside down cake, it was great. Will make again. Thanks for the recipe
Beth says
Hi. Can this recipe be made in advance and frozen?
Shannon says
Hi, thank you for this recipe. Trying to figure out the best dish to bake this in. Wondering if it would bake well in a cast iron skillet as it is my favorite to cook and bake in. What do you think? Any and all opinio22nd are welcome. Thank you
Lisa says
We are having friends over tonight & I made this cake with GF flour for our dessert. It looks delicious, BUT next time I would use a 9" spring form pan. The directions above state only to use a 9" pan, so I used one of my 9" cake pans. After I poured the batter in it looked way too full so I removed some of the batter. But even with that, it overflowed & made a big mess in my oven unfortunately. Thank goodness for self-cleaning ovens! LOL
Clarisa says
Holy crap!!! Just took this cake out of the oven and it is absolutely delicious..!!! Wow..! I love to bake and try new recipes and this is by far the best I've ever made..!!??
I don't wanna share with anyone...lol
I will soo be making this again and again.
Thanks so much for this awesome recipe!!?
Jessica says
Woo! Ha ha, you are too too funny! So glad you enjoyed the cake, Clarisa!
-Jessica
Claudia says
Made a huge version (2 1/2 times recipe) for large party. I used 1/2 sheet pan, lowered the temperature to 325 degrees and baked for extra 10 minutes due to size. Turned out perfectly. Thanks! Wish I could post a picture. Of it...:-)
Jessica says
I'd love to see!! That sounds awesome! Please post a pic on my Facebook page or tag me on instagram!! 🙂
Valerie says
Cake turned out delicious was wondering if you can store in fridge?
Jessica says
Sure! I usually store it at room temperature though.
Jessie says
I made this tonight after looking for an alternate banana upside down cake to another one I found. It came out delicious!! It slid right out of the pan and I clapped with joy! It looks just like your picture. I'm sure with nuts it would taste great too, I think I'm going to try that next time. Thanks so much for sharing!! (I put a cookie sheet underneath just in case and it was a good idea) wish I could post my picture 🙂
Jessica says
I'd love to see a picture! You can post directly to my 'Sprinkle Some Sugar' facebook page or tag me on instagram using the hashtag #sprinklesomesugar! So glad you loved the cake, Jessie! Isn't the best part about making it flipping it over! 🙂
Rana says
This was a super easy cake to make as well delicious. My husband wouldn't stop eating, but I did substitute a few ingredients due to the fact I did not have at home, buttermilk I used 1 cup of milk with tblspoon of lemon juice, as well I had no baking soda so I added 1 tblspoon of baking powder.... wonderful cake
Chandra says
Had some overripe bananas.Stumbled upon ur recipe. Made this today. It was super easy. Used only half cup brown sugar for the caramel base. It turned out to be so soft, moist and delicious. Thanks a lot !!!