Banana Foster Upside-Down Cake (Printable)
Caramelized bananas and brown-sugar caramel atop a moist, buttery cake — best served warm with vanilla ice cream.
# What You Need:
→ Caramel Banana Topping
01 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter
02 - 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
03 - 2 tablespoons dark rum (optional)
04 - 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
05 - 3 to 4 ripe bananas, sliced lengthwise
→ Cake Batter
06 - 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
07 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
08 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
09 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
10 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
11 - 2 large eggs, at room temperature
12 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
13 - 1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
14 - 1/4 cup whole milk
# How-To:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line the base with parchment paper.
02 - Melt 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and cook for about 2 minutes, or until dissolved and bubbling. Remove from heat. Stir in rum (if using) and ground cinnamon.
03 - Pour the prepared caramel into the cake pan and spread evenly. Arrange the banana slices, cut side down, in a single layer over the caramel.
04 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
05 - In a large bowl, beat softened butter with granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add vanilla extract and mix well.
06 - Add the flour mixture in three increments, alternating with sour cream and milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix gently until just combined.
07 - Carefully spoon the batter over the bananas and caramel. Smooth the surface evenly with a spatula.
08 - Bake for 38 to 42 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean.
09 - Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, then carefully invert onto a serving platter. Remove the parchment paper and let the cake cool slightly before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The caramel banana topping feels like unwrapping a secret dessert gift.
- The moist crumb and hint of rum make it taste like something you'd order at a fancy bistro.
02 -
- Overmixing the batter once the flour goes in can turn your cake dense—stir gently and stop as soon as the streaks disappear.
- Trying to invert the cake while completely hot or too cold leads to caramel sticking everywhere—10 minutes of cooling is the sweet spot.
03 -
- Making the caramel in advance and letting it cool slightly avoids splattering and easier assembly.
- Layer the bananas tightly, as they shrink slightly during baking and leave little pockets of golden caramel for every bite.