Upside Down Caramel Banana Cake

I saw the recipe for this cake in a Delicious magazine a few years ago and promised myself I would make it one day. Well that day came and last Sunday was my Caramel Banana cake day. The recipe was measured in metrics which drives me nuts.

I understand how neat the metric system is when you're converting cubic centimetres to litres and I far prefer Celsius to Fahrenheit (0°freezes, 100°degrees boils - Mr. Fahrenheit must be kicking himself: "Why didn't I think of that?"). I'm sure the metric system is very useful when you're building a house, but I have a very hard time trying to work out what 180 gms of flour is. Cooking lends itself to measurements in cups or teaspoons - we have cups and teaspoons just lying around... Why complicate matters?

So to aid me in my cooking conversion crisis, I use the site ConvertMe.com. It's pretty handy and will help you convert measurements from anything from butter to shelled walnuts.

Anyway, the Caramel Banana cake was a success. I added a touch of pure Mexican vanilla which gave the cake a deliciously rich aroma. Another addition was a big dollop of freshly whipped cream.   

Upside Down Caramel Banana Cake Recipe

Cake

1 ripe banana, mashed
3 tbs of sour cream
1.6 cups of self-raising flour
1/2 of ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp of ground nutmeg
6 tbs of butter at room temperature
Just under 1 cup of Castor sugar
1 tsp of pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
Freshly whipped cream for serving

Caramel Banana Topping

4 tbs of butter
3/4 cup of lightly packed brown sugar
2 tbs of dark maple syrup
3-4 just ripe bananas, sliced diagonally

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease a 23cm round cake tin.
2. Now to prepare the topping, melt butter over a medium heat in a saucepan. Add sugar and maple syrup. Stir for 3 minutes or until bubbling but do not burn.
3. Pour the sauce into the cake tin and coat the base well.
4. Cover the base with the sliced bananas, ensuring that you overlap them in a circle. Set aside. 
5. Now for the cake, combine the mashed banana with the sour cream in a bowl. Mix well.
6. In a separate bowl, sift the flour and spices together. Set aside.
7. Next, beat the butter and Castor sugar in a bowl with an electric beater until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and one egg. Mix well and then add the second egg. Mix again.
8. Add the flour to the butter mixture and beat on a low speed. Add the sour cream and banana mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined.
9. Gently spread the mixture into the cake tin on top of the bananas.
10. Bake the cake for about 40-45 minutes.
11. Once the cake is ready, remove the tin from the oven and let it sit for about 3 minutes. Run a knife around the side of the cake and then gently invert onto a serving plate.
12. Serve with freshly whipped cream and a little more maple syrup.   

Comments

[Patricia]

I wish I could take a bite - I find this cake so beautiful and delicious!

[Alita]

aw, that looks so nice! I've tried only with peaches, plums and apricots! Surely a delight with these bananas :) Very Carribbean!

[catering]

Well,thats a good idea its so cheap but so delicious,i like your blog by posting you this. :)

winnie