A new take on pineapple upside-down cake. Here, a sticky brown-sugar caramel drips down the sides of a super-moist banana cake.
Ingredients
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Topping:
Cake:
For topping:
Step 1
Spray 8-inch round cake pan with 2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Bring butter, sugar, and corn syrup to boil in medium saucepan, stirring constantly until butter melts. Boil syrup 1 minute. Stir in nuts. Spread topping in prepared pan. Let topping cool completely.
For cake:
Step 2
Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift first 4 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in large bowl until blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then mashed bananas, sour cream, rum, and vanilla. Beat in dry ingredients in 2 additions just until combined. Spoon batter into pan.
Step 3
Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes. Cut around cake. Place platter over pan. Holding pan and platter together, turn over. Let stand 5 minutes, then gently lift off pan. Cool at least 15 minutes for topping to set. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
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Reviews (77)
Back to TopIncredible, perhaps my favorite dessert. I browned the butter in the cake -not sure if that contributed or not, but OH MY! so good. Yes, I did have to use a larger cake pan and my nuts stuck the bottom (I tried a parchment round to help, but I think it only made things messier). Please pair this with the banana-caramel cream "frosting" that tops the "banana layer cake with caramel cream" also on this site. It will be talked about for days.
carolinehdowni
Birmingham AL
3/22/2016
I love this cake so much! I've made it several times over the past few years. It's like a decadent banana bread with a yummy caramel walnut topping. Utterly addictive! The first time I made it, I used an 8" pan per the recipe directions and it overflowed onto the bottom of the oven. It's only because it was so good that I made it again. I now use a 9" pan with no problems. No need to use a springform pan as the topping comes out easily if you follow the directions given in the recipe. Any portion still stuck to the pan can be scraped out and spooned back onto cake since it's still warm. Be sure to check your cake after 45 minutes -- using a 9" pan can shorten the baking time a bit.
nightowlgal
Meridian Idaho
5/25/2014
而不是核桃我使用山核桃s (they aren't as bitter as walnuts). Delicious cake with a cup of tea.
Anonymous
3/4/2013
Like others, I soon realized that the recipe made too much batter for one pan. I made this for my sister's birthday and incidentally started a small fire in her oven with overflow caramel, even after splitting it into 2 round pans. It made for a great story for my 2nd graders! I also made a chocolate ganache that we drizzled over at the end and I used pecans instead of walnuts. Everything's better with chocolate, right??!!
szietlow
Columbus, WI
6/25/2012
Not bad. I had some leakage so I had to accommodate for that and ended up making some extra caramel topping that I drizzled on top afterwards. Nice and moist, very yummy!
lola0706
Montreal
12/29/2011
This turned out fabulous! I made a couple of small changes - I didn't have quite enough brown sugar, so for the topping, I used 2/3 brown sugar, and 1/3 palm sugar. For the cake, I just reduced the overall amount of sugar to about 3/4 cup (again, using brown and palm). After reading the reviews, I baked in a 9.5" springform pan, set on a foil-lined pizza pan. There was a tiny bit of leakage, but not too much and the net result was perfect. It looked pretty much like the picture (and the topping that stuck to the pan, I just scraped off and put on the cake while still warm and gooey. I baked the cake the night before, and just warmed it a bit in the oven (at 150F) so it would be gooey and delicious. Rave reviews all around and very easy to make. Score!
lesliemari
Ottawa, ON
5/11/2011
I made this cake for my uncle Lloyd's birthday and it worked out well. I used roasted pecans which most people prefer. I suggest using the whipped cream vs. the ice cream. Also while the cake was upside down cooling I drenched it in dark rum and lime juice. yum
ebest
Newfoundland
2/14/2011
Delicious. I always put it in TWO 8" cakes pans and it makes two good sized cakes. The caramel can bubble out of the cake tin though, so I am sure to line the bottom of my oven with tin foil.
mcswatson
Boston, MA
1/12/2011
I made this yesterday for a dinner with our neighbors and our next door neighbor thought is was the best dessert ever (he loves caramel). An 8" pan was way too small and the batter filled a 9" pan with 2" sides. Even though it was a nonstick pan, I sprayed it w/ nonstick spray and I had no problem with sticking. I think next time I will use pecans instead of the walnuts.
lmcclark
Bedford, TX
6/14/2010
The cake is so moist and flavorful! I might make it without the topping next time: I followed the cooling and removal directions but the topping still stuck to the bottom of the pan. The cake has such a nice flavor that the topping really isn't necessary.
acchaplin
Philly, PA
3/19/2010
Followed other reviews with a 9 inch spring form. Good idea. Best served warm, if the caramel cools too much its chewy. Quite tasty, though it's true, it is just glorified banana bread. But glory is glory, right? In the future, I think I'll try to make this as a coffee cake-type breakfast cake and probably HALVE the sugar -- it's very, very sweet. I wouldn't make it as it again, but I think it'd be worth tweaking and trying again.
bundleomundle
2/16/2010
Excellent recipe for the overriped bananas. My cake did not look as good as the the pciture for the recipe, but nontheless was very tasty. My husband said it's his favorite banana cake recipe now.
NYCamateur
NYC
1/14/2010
I'm not a huge fan of banana cake, but I had some bananas that were starting to get too ripe, so I tried this one. I was pleasantly surprised. The flavor reminds me of bananas foster, and it's wonderful served warm. I left out the dark rum because I didn't have any, and instead of making the cake "upside down", I made the cake in a cast iron skillet, then poured the caramel topping over the top immediately after removing it from the oven. Also, I left off the nuts because I didn't have any. This cake was a hit with my family and I would definitely make it again.
Anonymous
Birmingham, AL
11/19/2009
I can tell you right now, that the cake in the photo for this recipe was not made the way the recipe states. This cake was baked without the caramel and nuts, most likely in a spring form pan, and the caramel and nuts were added after baking, allowed to cool and set. Delicious either way....but don't worry, they couldn't do it either ;)
Anonymous
Los Angeles
11/13/2009
I loved this cake. I used a 9 inch cake pan and cooked it for 45 minutes and it came out perfectly- just like the picture. I followed the directions about taking it out of the pan. I used nonfat vanilla yogurt instead of the sour cream because that was what I had, and toasted pecan pieces for the nuts. yum- will make again when I have overripe bananas!
Anonymous
7/16/2009
