Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Caramel & Banana Topping
- 55 g unsalted butter
- 100 g light brown sugar, packed
- 1 g salt
- 2 banana, sliced into 1cm coins
Spiced Cake Batter
- 190 g all-purpose flour
- 4 g ground cinnamon
- 3 g ground ginger
- 5 g baking powder
- 2 g baking soda
- 2 g salt
- 115 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 50 g light brown sugar, packed
- 2 egg, room temperature
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 1 banana, overripe and mashed
- 120 ml buttermilk, room temperature
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 427 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- 61 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 37 g
- Sodium
- 263 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 11 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 6 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 93 mg
- Potassium
- 328 mg
- Calcium
- 84 mg
- Iron
- 0.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 24 mg
- Phosphorus
- 123 mg
- Zinc
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin A
- 169 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 4 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.3 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin K
- 2 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.2 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.06 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.13 mg
- Niacin
- 0.7 mg
- Folate
- 23 mcg
- Water
- 64 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F. Thoroughly grease the sides of a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter for the caramel topping. Stir in the brown sugar and salt. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture bubbles slightly and emulsifies into a smooth caramel, about 2 minutes.
Immediately pour the hot caramel into the prepared cake pan, spreading it evenly across the parchment paper. Arrange the sliced bananas in a tightly overlapping circular pattern over the caramel.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low. Add the eggs one at a time, allowing each to fully incorporate before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then blend in the vanilla extract and mashed banana.
With the mixer on low speed, add one-third of the dry ingredient mixture, followed by half of the buttermilk. Repeat this alternation, ending with the final third of the dry ingredients. Mix only until the last streak of flour disappears to avoid a tough crumb.
Carefully spoon the spiced cake batter over the arranged bananas in the cake pan. Gently smooth the top into an even layer using an offset spatula. Bake at 175°C/350°F for 40 to 45 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven and place the pan on a wire cooling rack. Allow it to rest for exactly 10 minutes. Run a thin, flexible knife around the edges to release the sides of the sponge.
Place a flat serving plate upside down over the cake pan. Using oven mitts, securely hold the pan and plate together and invert them in one swift motion. Let the inverted pan sit for 1 minute so gravity pulls the caramel down, then gently lift the pan away. Peel off the parchment paper.
Chef's Notes
- Selecting bananas by ripeness is crucial for this recipe. Use very firm, barely-yellow bananas for the slicing layer so they hold their shape under heat. Save your heavily spotted, brown bananas for the mashed portion in the batter to maximize natural sweetness and moisture.
- Do not skip the parchment paper circle in the bottom of the pan. Even in a non-stick pan, baking caramel will act like glue against the metal, making a clean release nearly impossible without a parchment barrier.
- When melting your caramel, have your pan and arranged bananas ready immediately. The caramel mixture begins to set within seconds of leaving the heat and will resist spreading if allowed to cool.
- To ensure a flat top on your final inverted cake, wrap your cake pan with a dampened fabric baking strip before placing it in the oven. This encourages perfectly even baking and prevents a dome from forming.
- The 10-minute cooling window before inversion is a strict rule. Invert too early, and the structural integrity of the hot sponge might collapse; wait too long, and the caramel cements itself to the pan.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container to keep the sponge moist.
Freezer: 2 months — Wrap individual slices tightly in plastic wrap, then foil.
Reheating: Warm individual slices in the microwave for 15 seconds to soften the caramel.
Troubleshooting
Caramel and bananas stuck to the parchment or pan bottom
Cause: The cake was left to cool in the pan for too long, allowing the caramel to harden
Fix: While the pan is still slightly warm, use an offset spatula to scrape the stuck caramel and bananas off the paper and manually patch them back onto the top of the cake
Prevention: Set a timer to invert the cake exactly 10 minutes after removing it from the oven
The cake has a dense or rubbery texture
Cause: The batter was overmixed after the flour was added, developing too much gluten
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Fold the final flour addition by hand with a spatula instead of using the mixer
Batter split or curdled during mixing
Cause: Cold eggs or buttermilk were added to the creamed butter, shocking the emulsion
Fix: Continue with the recipe; the batter will generally come back together once the dry ingredients are added
Prevention: Ensure all dairy and eggs are brought to room temperature before beginning
Cultural Context
The upside-down cake gained widespread popularity in American households during the 1920s, largely driven by the mass production of canned pineapple and marketing efforts by fruit packing companies. This modern adaptation shifts the flavor profile away from tropical fruits and toward the cozy, autumnal warmth of a British sticky toffee pudding, marrying the rustic comfort of banana bread with an elegant, self-saucing presentation.
