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This Banana Upside Down Cake will satisfy even the sweetest sweet tooth. A gloriously spongy cake soaks up all the flavors of bananas swimming in a decadent, syrupy caramel-rum sauce.
If you love bananas foster-inspired recipes, you have to try these Bananas Foster Crepes and my Bananas Foster Cheesecake. Oh, and shout out to my Pineapple Upside Down Cake. It definitely served as an inspiration for this fabulous dessert!
Are you a fan of banana foster? You know, the classic dessert made with bananas, brown sugar, butter, and rum, served over vanilla ice cream? If so, you’re in for a treat with this twist on the traditional recipe. I basically took everything good about bananas foster, put it in a baking dish, spread cake batter over it, baked it, and then turned it upside down since, you know, it is an upside down cake. The resulting cake is super spongy and fluffy and absorbs all the sweet, ooey-gooey of the bananas foster sauce.
Why I Love This Upside Down Banana Cake Recipe
- Perfect texture: The cake itself is super spongy, so it absorbs the gloriously gooey bananas foster sauce like no one’s business. The sauce turns the cake super moist and decadent. It’s insanely good.
- Deep, caramel-y flavor: I love the way the natural sugars of the bananas and the sweet sauce marry together in the heat of the oven to create this irresistible caramel-like flavor.
- Waste not: Ok, so you bought too many bananas again and you’re kind of tired of banana bread. This banana upside down cake is the best alternative!
Ingredient Notes
If you are ready to get started, here’s what you’ll need to make this easy upside down banana cake recipe. Check out the recipe card below for a printable list.
For the Bananas Foster Sauce
- Bananas – I like using bananas that are just barely speckled, but a little riper is fine, too.
- Unsalted butter – The butter helps to caramelize the sugar to create a smooth, luscious sauce that coats the bananas.
- Light brown sugar – Dark brown sugar will also work. It will yield a richer, more molasses-y flavor.
- Ground cinnamon – If you’d like to add a pinch of nutmeg as well, go for it.
- Dark rum – Don’t worry. The alcohol will cook out.
For the Cake
- All-purpose flour – Give the cake structure and a tender crumb.
- Baking powder – The baking powder helps the cake rise so that it isn’t overly dense.
- Sugar – I used granulated sugar. If you want to use half granulated sugar and half light or dark brown sugar instead, you can.
- Salt – A small amount of salt enhances the flavors in the cake, balancing the sweetness.
- Eggs – Whites and yolks separated. Oh, and make sure the eggs are at room temperature. They will mix more easily into the batter.
- Apple juice – Orange juice would also work here.
- Pure vanilla extract – A splash of vanilla adds warmth and enhances the overall flavor of the cake, giving it that classic, cozy bakery-style sweetness.
- Unsalted butter – You’ll want to melt the butter and then let it cool for a few minutes before you use it.
How To Make Banana Upside Down Cake
Here’s a quick look at how to make this fabulous upside down cake! With a rich caramel sauce, perfectly ripe bananas, and a light, fluffy cake on top, it’s a showstopper dessert!
- Prep. Preheat oven to 400˚F and grease an 11×7 brownie pan with cooking spray. Arrange the bananas in the pan, cut side down.
- Melt. Combine butter, light brown sugar, and cinnamon in a skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Keep cooking until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved.
- Rum magic. Add the rum slowly and cook for 30 seconds or so before lighting the rum on fire. Let the flames subside.
- Pour. Pour the sauce over the bananas.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- Combine the wet ingredients. Beat the egg yolks on high speed until lemony yellow. Turn the mixer to low speed and mix in the apple juice and vanilla, followed by the melted butter.
- Put it all together. Gradually stir in the flour mixture.
- Add volume. Beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and then gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
- Assemble. Spoon dollops of the cake batter over the bananas and spread to cover the fruit.
- Bake. Bake in the bottom half of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Cool. Let the banana foster upside-down cake cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cake platter. Let it cool for an additional 20 minutes before slicing.
Tips & Tricks
- Keep things moving: When melting together the butter, sugar, and cinnamon, stir the mixture continuously to ensure even cooking.
- Safety first: When lighting the rum on fire, do so with a long lighter or a long match and step back. Otherwise, you might burn your eyebrows off!
- Don’t over-mix: When folding the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mix just until everything is incorporated. Over-mixing will cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop, resulting in a tough, dense cake.
- Maintain volume: When folding the beaten egg whites into the cake batter, do so gently and just until everything is incorporated. Mixing too aggressively or for too long will knock the air out of the egg whites, ending you with a flat cake layer.
- Bake in the bottom half of the oven: Baking the upside down cake in the bottom half of the oven helps give the bananas that nice caramelized color and flavor associated with bananas foster.
- Toothpick test: Some ovens bake hotter or colder than others. This cake generally takes 25-30 minutes to bake, but you’ll want to check on it a few minutes before that. Insert a toothpick in the center of the cake. If it comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs, the cake is done. If the batter is still clinging to the toothpick, it needs more time. Pop it back in the oven and continue checking on it every 3-5 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
This Bananas Foster Upside Down Cake is totally perfect on its own, but for an extra indulgent touch, serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or tiramisu ice cream, or a dollop of whipped cream!
If you’re looking for the perfect drink pairing, this cake goes great with a hot cup of coffee—my cinnamon dolce latte or a cup of cortado are amazing options. Not a coffee drinker? A warm cup of my London fog drink or golden milk latte would complement the rich banana flavors beautifully.
How To Store
- Refrigerator: Once the cake has cooled completely, wrap it tightly with a double layer of plastic wrap or seal slices in an airtight container. You can store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Wrap the cooled banana upside-down cake in a double layer of plastic wrap or seal slices in an airtight container. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow the cake to thaw in the fridge before enjoying the leftovers.
More Easy Cake Recipes
- Olive Oil Cake
- Black Magic Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Mug Cake
- German Marble Cake
- Banana Pound Cake
- Chocolate Mousse Cake
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Bananas Foster Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
For the Bananas Foster Sauce
- 3 to 4 bananas, halved longwise
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup dark rum
For the Cake
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature, whites and yolks separated
- ½ cup apple juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled for about 3 minutes before using
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚F.
- Grease an 11×7 brownie pan with cooking spray, or you can also use an 8-inch cake pan or an 8×8 brownie pan. (***see notes)
- Arrange the bananas, cut side down, in the prepared pan and set aside.
For the Sauce
- Combine butter, light brown sugar and cinnamon in a skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until butter is melted, sugar dissolved and mixture is well combined.
- Slowly add rum and cook until heated through.
- Using a lighter, stand back and carefully light the rum.
- Shake the pan a bit until the flames subside.
- Remove from heat and pour over prepared bananas; set aside.
For the Cake
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt; set aside.
- In your mixer’s bowl, beat the egg yolks for 4 to 5 minutes on high speed, or until lemony yellow.
- With the mixer on low, add apple juice and vanilla.
- Slowly add the melted butter and continue to mix until combined.
- Gradually add in the flour mixture, about 1/4-cup at a time; continue to mix until thoroughly incorporated.
- Remove bowl from mixer and set aside.
- In a clean, dry mixing bowl, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the flour mixture. (***see notes)
- Spoon dollops of the cake batter over the bananas and using an offset spatula, gently spread the batter, covering the fruit.
- Set a baking sheet on the bottom of the oven.
- Bake the cake in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Invert the cake onto a platter.
- Let the cake cool slightly; about 20 minutes.
- Cut into squares and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Hi, this cake looks delish! I was wondering if it was really necessary to light the sauce on fire after adding the alcohol? If it is just to “burn” off the alcohol, won’t that happen in the oven as the cake bakes? If I skip that step will it affect the taste of the cake? Thanks for your help!
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Great recepie, delicious!
Hvala. Vi blagodaram ๐
So zadovolstvo!! ๐ Pozdrav!
Can I add milk or plain yogurt instead of apple juice? Thank you for your recipe)
Hi Yana! Yep, you can definitely add milk or yogurt. Let me know if you make the cake! ๐
What could be a good substitute for rum?
Hi! You can just skip the rum. You can also skip the lighting part since there wonโt be any alcohol in it. ๐ Hope that helps!
Just whipped this up and placed it in the oven. It smells like heaven! Can’t wait to taste it. Thank you for sharing!
Have you tried this recipe in cast iron?
Hi Amy! No, I personally have not tried making it in a cast iron. However, I think it should do fine as long as you keep a close eye on it since the baking time may need some adjusting. I hope that helps! Have a wonderful Sunday!
Puedes escribirla la receta de banana en espaรฑol ? Gracias
Hi Yasmin! I think you’re asking for the recipe in Spanish? I don’t speak Spanish, but I’ll leave the question on here just in case a reader sees it and can help you out. Thank YOU!
Yasmin, Creo que si usted hace un corte y pegar en Google Traducir, usted debe conseguir una buena traducciรณn de esta receta. (Lo he probado y se ve bien.)
GRACIAS POR COMPARTIR RECETAS TAN DELICIOSAS
I am definitely eager to try this cake, but one big problem is that i live with someone with an apple allergy and I wanted to ask how significant is it for the recipe, to either substitute or just leave out altogether?
This looks amazing and it’s making my mouth water! *_*
Hi Rose! Swap it out with a different juice. How about pineapple juice or strawberry juice? You can’t really taste it, but you do need the liquid. I hope this helps. Let me know if you need anything else! Have a great Sunday!
This is gorgeous and brilliant! And I bet it tastes ah-mazing!
Looks so delish I immediately wanted to try this one. But problem is I’m in Saudi Arabia at this time and Rum would be a big no-no and impossible to find. I know it would alter the flavor but can you suggest a non-alcohol alternative to add in??
Hi Fern! You can just skip the rum altogether. It does add to the taste, but it’s just as delicious without it. You can also skip the lighting part since there won’t be any alcohol in it. ๐ Let me know if this helps. Thank YOU!
I was out of rum, so I added vanilla to both the sugar butter mixture as well as the batter and it heightened the aromatic flavor. Next time I will definitely use Myer’s dark rum (personal favorite), but use light brown sugar so it doesn’t come out too dark.