Banana Upside-Down Cake

From the kitchen of Carly

Buttery caramelized bananas arranged in a skillet, then crowned with spiced cake batter and baked until golden. The result: sticky, tender fruit clinging to soft crumb. Dark rum and warm spices make this upside-down cake deeply comforting.

Banana Upside-Down Cake

Caramelized banana and rum in the pan first, then a tender, spiced cake baked right on top. The butter-brown sugar base gets deep and sticky after just four minutes of heat, the bananas soften into the glaze, and the cake inverts to reveal a glossy crown of fruit. The trick is not overthinking the flip, and the payoff is that mahogany, jammy surface that looks more impressive than it deserves to be.

Prep
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Cook
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Total
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Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 3/4 stickunsalted butter
  • 3/4 cuppacked light brown sugar
  • 2 tbspdark rum
  • 3 largejust-ripe bananas, halved lengthwise and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 3/4 cupall-purpose flour
  • 2 tspbaking powder
  • 1/2 tspcinnamon
  • 1/2 tspgrated nutmeg
  • 1/4 tspsalt
  • 3/4 stickunsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cupgranulated sugar
  • 2 largeeggs
  • 1 tbspdark rum
  • 1/2 tsppure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cupwhole milk
  • 1a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet

Instructions

  1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F.

  2. Melt the butter in the cast-iron skillet over medium heat, then stir in the brown sugar, rum, and a pinch of salt. Let the mixture simmer, stirring, for 4 minutes until it thickens slightly. Pull the skillet off the heat and arrange the banana pieces on top of the sugar mixture in concentric circles, tucking in as many pieces as you can fit.

  3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a bowl and set aside. In a separate large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Mix in the rum and vanilla. Drop the speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the milk and starting and ending with the flour, mixing each addition until just incorporated.

  4. Spoon the batter over the bananas and smooth the top. Bake until the surface is golden and a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.

  5. Rest the cake in the skillet for 5 minutes, then set a plate firmly over the skillet and, holding both together, flip the whole thing in one confident motion. Lift off the skillet and press any banana pieces that stuck back into place on top of the cake.

  6. Cut and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Arrange banana pieces in a snug, concentric spiral before pouring batter. You want them overlapping slightly so they stay put and cook evenly in the caramel.
  • Let the cake rest exactly 5 minutes in the skillet after baking, no more. Too long and the caramel sets too hard to release cleanly; too short and it's still too soft to flip safely.
  • Use a cast-iron skillet that's well-seasoned or nonstick. If the caramel sticks badly to the bottom, set the hot skillet on a wet kitchen towel for 30 seconds to loosen it slightly, then try again.
  • Just-ripe bananas are key. Ones that are too green won't soften and sweeten; ones that are too soft will turn to mush in the caramel.

Variations

  • Swap the dark rum for brandy, bourbon, or even orange liqueur for a different spice note in the caramel.
  • Skip the rum altogether and add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to the sugar mixture instead, which brightens the dish and plays well with nutmeg.
  • Layer thin slices of fresh ginger in with the bananas before pouring the batter, or infuse the milk with a vanilla bean and whole cardamom pods.
  • Make this in a 9-inch round cake pan instead of cast iron, then invert onto a platter. The shape changes, but the technique and flavor stay the same.

Make ahead and storage

Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 4 days. The cake dries out faster than it spoils, so eat it while the crumb is still tender. Freezing breaks down the structure of the fruit, so skip it.