Banana Upside Down Cake

Banana Upside Down Cake is gooey and caramel-delicious. Buttermilk and grated zucchini add moist texture and chocolate chips add decadence.

Banana Upside Down Cake is the perfect dessert when you want something impressive, fancy, even fussy looking. A nice change for what to do with those too-ripe bananas we all end up with at one time or another. Though this recipe for Carrot Zucchini Banana Bread is the best banana bread on the planet and Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread is beautiful and different, sometimes we want a banana CAKE recipe, not a bread recipe, especially if we’re looking for dessert. This cake is super special and gooey-delicious with a topping that’s caramel-banana-goodness and a moist substantial cake with a hint of chocolate.

The bananas in the topping become soft and creamy but not mushy, so if some of your bananas aren’t super blackened-ripe, all the better. And speaking of the topping, are you like me and always fearful/hopeful that your topping that started out as the bottom, will end up staying on the cake and not sticking to the pan? I’ve seen recipes that advise letting the cake cool for several minutes on the rack before inverting and others that say to invert it immediately. I’ve tried it all and for me, the no-fail way is to let the cake cool for only a few minutes before inverting onto the plate. But don’t lift that pan immediately after inverting. Leave the pan inverted on the cake for a few minutes so all the gooey topping can absorb onto the top of the cake. And THEN remove the pan for success every time.

The topping is certainly the star of Banana Upside Down Cake. But the cake itself is substantial and moist thanks to the tangy buttermilk and a little bit of grated zucchini. This cake is almost thin enough to be more of a tart, so baking to the right doneness doesn’t take long. Test the very middle of the cake after it’s baked about 40 minutes and if just crumbs come out on your cake tester, it’s ready.

It looks very pretty served with some fresh whipped cream and extra banana slices, but it’s also amazing served with no extra toppings at all. I personally liked it better left unadorned. The edge of the cake gets almost crunchy from the glaze (best part!). This is one incredibly easy cake that will impress… incredibly.

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5 from 4 votes

Banana Upside Down Cake

For this cake, I try to use nicely ripe but not black bananas for the top and for the bananas in the cake, the more ripe the better. Zucchini adds even more moistness to this delicious dessert cake but is optional. Also, you can add more or less chocolate chips (or none), depending on your taste.

Course Dessert

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 8 -10

Calories 318

Author Good Dinner Mom

Ingredients 

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For the Topping:

• 2-3 just ripe bananas
• ⅔ cup brown sugar
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup rough-chopped walnuts, optional

For the Cake:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 medium ripe bananas, about 1 cup
• ⅓ cup finely grated zucchini, optional but awesome
• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 Tablespoons melted butter
• ⅓ cup buttermilk
• ¼-½ cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Generously grease a 9-inch cake pan with butter, place parchment in bottom of pan and grease the parchment.
• Melt 4 Tablespoons butter. Mix well with ⅔ cup brown sugar. Pour this mixture into the bottom of the cake pan and spread to the edges. If including ¼ cup walnuts, sprinkle them over the brown sugar/butter mixture.
• Slice 2-3 just-ripe bananas in about ¼-inch slices and place them side-by-side evenly over the brown sugar and walnuts. Usually 2 bananas is enough for this depending on their size.
• In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. Whisk together and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer place 2 ripe bananas and ⅓ cup grated zucchini, mix until creamy (or mash together by hand in a medium bowl).
• Add 1 egg while the mixer is on low speed, then add ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 3 Tablespoons melted butter. Continue to mix on low until the sugar fully incorporated and dissolved.
• Add ⅓ cup buttermilk and turn up the speed to mix on medium for another 30 seconds.
• Turn the mixer back to low and add the flour mixture. Mix until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds.
• Turn off the mixer and add desired amount of chocolate chips (I highly suggest using the mini chips) and fold them into the batter until evenly distributed.
• Pour the batter over the bananas in the cake pan. Spread to edges.
• Bake for 42-45 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out barely clean.
• Place cake pan on a rack and cool for just 5 minutes. Then invert onto serving platter and do not remove the pan for about a minute, allowing the glaze to completely absorb onto the cake.
• Remove pan and serve warm or at room temperature. Freshly whipped cream and extra banana slice can be used to top the cake but it's fabulous (fabulous!) with no toppings at all.
• Wrap any leftovers in plastic wrap, can be left at room temperature overnight.
• Recommend eating within 24 hours of baking.

Nutrition Facts

Banana Upside Down Cake

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 318 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Fat 15g23%

Saturated Fat 8g50%

Trans Fat 0.4g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 3g

Cholesterol 49mg16%

Sodium 251mg11%

Potassium 443mg13%

Carbohydrates 44g15%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 25g28%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 414IU8%

Vitamin C 6mg7%

Calcium 105mg11%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Recipe adapted from Broma Bakery.