Chocolate-Caramel-Banana Upside-Down Cake

Monday, April 26, 2010

Chocolate-Caramel-Banana Upside-Down Cake
Chocolate-Caramel-Banana Upside-Down Cake

The upside-down cake is a big favorite of mine. After the Bundt, of course. And no worries...I'm not going to make 30 days of upside-down cakes. Because people who do that kind of thing are just crazy.
Chocolate-Caramel-Banana Upside-Down Cake
Chocolate.
Caramel.
Bananas.
Perfect!
(Well, this post isn't for my banana hater friends, Clara and Jenn)

Chocolate-Caramel-Banana Upside-Down Cake
This is from the cookbook, Cake Keeper Cakes: 100 Simple Recipes for Extraordinary Bundt Cakes, Pound Cakes, Snacking Cakes and Other Good-To-The-Last-Crumb Treats by Lauren Chattman. I made the Orange-Ricotta Pound Cake Bundt earlier this month and it was delicious. So I'm two for two with this cookbook. And the rest of it looks very very promising!

Chocolate-Caramel-Banana Upside-Down Cake
Chocolate-Caramel-Banana Upside-Down Cake Chocolate-Caramel-Banana Upside-Down Cake
Some brown sugar and butter is heated to make caramel. A layer of bananas is placed on top. Then a chocolate cake tops the banana-caramel mixture. I thought there was a bit too much caramel, making the cake a bit too sweet. Next time, I would cut the caramel by 25%.

Chocolate-Caramel-Banana Upside-Down Cake
After baking, let it sit for 5 minutes and then flip onto your serving tray. Voila!

Chocolate-Caramel-Banana Upside-Down Cake
I want to try David Lebovitz's Banana-Chocolate Chip Upside Down Cake next!

Chocolate-Caramel-Banana Upside-Down Cake
Chocolate-Caramel-Banana Upside-Down Cake
Click here for printable recipe
Adapted from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman (2009), page 58. Buy it here or see if your library has it here.

Topping:
1 stick butter
3/4 c light brown sugar
3 ripe bananas, cut into 1/4-inch slices
(I thought the caramel was a little too much. I would use 3/4 stick butter, 1/2 c brown sugar next time)

Cake:
3/4 c plus 2 T unbleached all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur flour)
6 T (1/4 c plus 2T) unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
6 T (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs (room temp)
2 t vanilla
2/3 c buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a 9" x 2" cake pan.
2. Topping: Heat butter over medium heat until melted and foamy. Whisk in brown sugar, turn heat to low and cook, whisking constantly, for two minutes or until the mixture is thick. Spread on the bottom of the 9" cake pan.
3. Arrange the bananas in a circle on top of the sugar mixture. Set aside.
4. Sift together flour, cocoa, soda and salt.
5. Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy (I used my KitchenAid mixer on medium for 3 minutes). Scrape down sides of bowl.
6. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition.
7. Stir in vanilla.
8. On low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk (3 flour and 2 milk additions).
9. Scrape down the sides and then beat batter on high for 30 seconds.
10. Pour batter over the bananas and smooth out.
11. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let sit on wire rack for 5 minutes. Then carefully invert onto your serving tray. Let sit at least 20 minutes before diving in. The author says it keeps for 2 days in a cake keeper at room temp.
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43 comments:

Aparna S Mallya said... [Reply to comment]

looks so good! the caramel and banana sure look like they r made for each other!

Steph said... [Reply to comment]

That looks so yummy! I've always wanted to do an upside down cake, but always worried about sogginess.

Gaby said... [Reply to comment]

these is no way that I would be able to control myself if this was in my kitchen. It looks phenomenal!! Great work!

Maria said... [Reply to comment]

What a fun recipe!

Anonymous said... [Reply to comment]

usually bananas are what i'd eat with reservations. not exactly my favorite. but this cake. i've got to try ;)

Mary said... [Reply to comment]

Yum. Delicious. Yet another one on my to-do list.

Cherine said... [Reply to comment]

This is a fabulous desert!!! I'm completely drooling now!!

DailyChef said... [Reply to comment]

I love the way this looks! Delicious.

Roxan said... [Reply to comment]

Beautiful cake! Let me know i you need help eating it :)

Amie said... [Reply to comment]

This looks really tasty - it reminds me the chocolate banana bundt that I posted about a while back. I love the combo of banana and chocolate!

Jessie @ simplysifted said... [Reply to comment]

This looks amazing! I love banana desserts, but my boyfriend hates them so I hardly ever make them anymore. This looks so delicious and simple that I think I might just make it for myself!

Marthe said... [Reply to comment]

This sounds delicious and looks really good too!!!

Unknown said... [Reply to comment]

Oh wow, this looks like a keeper! I'm adding this one as well as David's to my list - thanks :)

Snooky doodle said... [Reply to comment]

Ha that would be nice 30 days of upside down cakes :) this cake looks yummy

Melissa @ For the Love of Health said... [Reply to comment]

That looks so incredible! I LOVE bananas so that looks very good!

Janssen said... [Reply to comment]

Oh. My. Word. I am totally trying to figure out the soonest moment I can justify making this.

Anonymous said... [Reply to comment]

Wow, this looks like a perfect combination. Now I have GOT to make this cake. I'm bookmarking it now and hope to have time soon! Thanks for the detailed recipe and advice!

kristina said... [Reply to comment]

I read this post this morning (happened to have buttermilk and ripe bananas on hand) and my cake just came out of the oven. We dug in while it was still warm. Definitely super tasty! I agree with you, it's a little heavy on the caramel, but still really good. Thanks for posting it!

Katie said... [Reply to comment]

Wow this looks fantastic! I adore the flavours of chocolate and banana together but never tried it as an upside down cake before. So excited about your 30 days of upside down cakes! Yum

Mr. P said... [Reply to comment]

Looks delicious, Mary. Everything you make always turns out well. I want the secret! (Don't tell me it's in the library!)

Linda said... [Reply to comment]

Yum!!! Not a banana hater here --- not only does it sound delicious, it looks amazing!

30 days of upside down cakes --- I double dare ya!

kirbie said... [Reply to comment]

I've never seen a banana upside down cake before. Just the title of this post sounds mouth watering.

Monica H said... [Reply to comment]

An entire month of upside down cakes would be AWESOME!

I don't generally like bananas in warm desserts but this is so beautiful. I want to make it just so I can take pics of it!

LetMeEatCake Eat With Me! said... [Reply to comment]

Wow that cake looks incredible! I want a piece right now! I've never heard of a chocolate banana caramel upside down cake before but now I'm a fan, can't wait to try the recipe!

Aggie said... [Reply to comment]

WOW! That looks amazing! How cool, never seen a banana upside down cake!

Patricia Scarpin said... [Reply to comment]

That is a wonderful combination of flavors - and the cake looks beautiful, too!

Coco Cake Land said... [Reply to comment]

Mary!! you SHOULD make 30 upside down cakes!! but you need to find an awesome rapper from the 80s to be your spokesperson for the project... like your Big Bundts one... :)

Ellie said... [Reply to comment]

I'm going to make this tonight to take to friends' - so excited!!

Bella Baker said... [Reply to comment]

this cake looks beyond amazing!! I am a huge fan bananas and chocolate together. Add in some caramel and I am in love!!!! Your photos are gorgeous!

Linda S said... [Reply to comment]

This recipe turned out perfectly! Thanks so much for sharing! :)

Alisa-Foodista said... [Reply to comment]

I just had to print out this recipe! I havent made this yet but I just know this is one crazy, delicious cake!

eatme_delicious said... [Reply to comment]

I'm not usually one for upsidedown cakes - I don't like how fruits like strawberries soak in and make the cake all mushy. This however looks so very good!

Katrina said... [Reply to comment]

Ooh, yum. I love all things banana, especially when it's with chocolate.

Anonymous said... [Reply to comment]

I made this yesterday for Mother's Day and it was AWESOME! thanks for posting :)

Anonymous said... [Reply to comment]

Here's a picture of my iteration of this cake (inspired by this post :) http://tasha.posterous.com/my-chocolate-banana-upside-down-cake

Eliana said... [Reply to comment]

This looks almost too good to eat!

SueL said... [Reply to comment]

Hi
I came across your recipe for this cake and made it with my daughter for mothers day.We had some trouble with the caramel, took us 2 attempts, the first burning. We really enjoyed it, and it wasn't hard to do, except for the caramel bit!

Megabite said... [Reply to comment]

Oh! This looks so good! And I love the idea of an upside down cake that has nothing to do with pineapples. I want to drop everything and make this right now!

kimberleyblue said... [Reply to comment]

I made this for Mothers Day as well, and it was just perfect! Sooo delicious, thank you for sharing it!

MV said... [Reply to comment]

This is delish, but how did you get the bananas to look like thy are just sitting on top? Mine are all embedded in the cake. Not quite as pretty lol.

Rachel said... [Reply to comment]

This looks amazing, but does anyone have any thoughts on how to incorporate peanut butter?

Anonymous said... [Reply to comment]

Hey, the batter was perfect, but caramel was burnt and bananas tasted weird!!!!!! What did I do wrong?????? next time,post pics of each stage please. THANKS

The Food Librarian said... [Reply to comment]

@Anonymous If you burnt the caramel, that probably affected the taste of the bananas. This isn't my recipe, I got it from a book. This is just a fun hobby so I don't know if I'll be able to take "photos of each stage" in the future. You may wish to read about caramelizing. It is easy to go too far and burn the caramel. Good luck next time.

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