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:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease a 23cm round cake tin.
- 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.
- Pour the sauce into the cake tin and coat the base well.
- Cover the base with the sliced bananas, ensuring that you overlap them in a circle. Set aside.
- Now for the cake, combine the mashed banana with the sour cream in a bowl. Mix well.
- In a separate bowl, sift the flour and spices together. Set aside.
- 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.
- 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.
- Gently spread the mixture into the cake tin on top of the bananas.
- Bake the cake for about 40-45 minutes.
- 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.
- Serve with freshly whipped cream and a little more maple syrup.
I wish I could take a bite - I find this cake so beautiful and delicious!
Posted by: Patricia | 01 November 2007 at 10:43 PM
aw, that looks so nice! I've tried only with peaches, plums and apricots! Surely a delight with these bananas :) Very Carribbean!
Posted by: Alita | 05 November 2007 at 10:19 AM
Well,thats a good idea its so cheap but so delicious,i like your blog by posting you this. :)
winnie
Posted by: catering | 01 December 2009 at 07:37 PM