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 bananasΒ sliced into ΒΌ" 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.Β 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?
Please leave a βοΈ review below and tag @sprinkle_some_sugar on Instagram!
π 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 ΒΌ" rounds (or more depending on how you arrange them)
Cake
- 1 Β½ cups all-purpose flour
- Β½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch salt
- ΒΎ cup light brown sugar
- ΒΌ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup mashed banana about 2 medium sized bananas
- Β½ cup buttermilk see recipe notes to make your own
- 1 tbs vanilla extract
- β cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350Β°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.
Heather Smylie says
I wanted a 9x13 cake so I did one and one half the recipe. It fits perfectly. I added walnuts for the protein and texture and a bit of pumpkin pie spice because I love it.
Jessica says
Sounds like some yummy additions!
Nivedita says
Hi, i want to bake this cake for my mum's birthday and i'd like to know if brown sugar can be replaced with castor sugar.
Jenny says
Do you think this could be done in a cast iron skillet?
Jessica says
I have never tried, but have had readers tell me that they have made this in a cast iron with great success. Just be sure to grease very well! π
P.J. says
I just made this in my 10 inch cast iron skillet and it turned out great. I used dark brown sugar so mine is a lot darker than the picture. I greased the pan really well with coconut oil and it came out of the pan easily. It did not flow over the pan as others have stated (but I did put a cookie sheet under just in case). Hope this helps.
Jessica says
Great idea to make this in a cast iron!
Nancy Evanek says
This banana cake is THE BOMB! Everyone that tried it, loved it!
Jessica says
So happy to hear that! π
- Jessica
Sabrinyah says
This is a great recipe. I made it and I loved it, my little ones really like bananas so we keep a surplus in stock I will be using this to rid our house of the over ripe ones they donβt eat. Thank you.
Susan says
I have a round 2 quart, deep casserole dish. When I make the banana upside down cake it will be in the casserole dish! Greased and floured, the cake should come out.
Minuv says
Yay!! I Baked this cake for my husband's birthday yesterday and when i took this cake out of the oven and it is absolutely delicious π My Husband and i loved the cake π
I'm sure i will be making this again π
Thanks so much for this awesome recipe! π
Ritika says
What can I use instead of buttermilk?
Jessica says
Regular milk will be just fine. Or you can mix in a little bit of vinegar or lemon juice to the milk to make "buttermilk."
Janice says
I made this cake last night. After about 25 minutes the top was a deep golden brown, so I checked it with a toothpick in three spots because I didn't want it to burn, but was skeptical about the quick browning. The toothpicks all came out crystal clean, no crumbs, no wet batter, so I took it out of the oven. I followed the cooling instructions, then inverted it onto a plate and it looked like the center sunk when I flipped it out on the plate. I let it cool, but found that it was runny in the center. My oven temperature is accurate. Any ideas?
Freda Williams says
Just made the banana upside down cake,it was fabulous, will make again. Thanks for the recipe
Jessica says
Woo! Thanks for letting me know, Freda. Have an awesome weekend!
- Jess