Cast Iron
Caramelized Banana Upside-Down Cake
Popular on Food52
102 Reviews
success1!
February 9, 2021
Banana's Foster on Cake- Yum! This is a simple yet elegant twist on banana cake. Quick and easy directions to follow, and when done appears as if you really slaved on a special dessert. I might add a few pecans in the topping next time, but it was very good as is. I consider this recipe to be a "keeper".
Jessie S.
February 9, 2021
amazing! and love that description "banana foster on cake!" - just perfect!
success1!
February 9, 2021
My mom loved Banana Foster and always ordered it whenever on the menu. I served this cake to my dad and my first comment to him was "mom would have loved this". The best seal of approval I can give. Great recipe, thank you!
thenenebean
November 11, 2020
Light, fluffy delectable. Seriously easy and the result was delicious. Next time I’m adding rum to the caramel.
Jenny
August 18, 2020
This cake was absolutely delicious! Thank you for this recipe! The cake is best with bananas that are just ripe. They melt in your mouth. It is also delicious with vanilla ice cream. Highly recommend!!
Jessie S.
August 19, 2020
Yahoo! So glad you were pleased with the recipe and yes to vanilla ice cream!!
Shannon P.
June 28, 2020
This was probably one of the fanciest looking and tasting and SOUNDING desserts I ever made, and it was by far one of the easiest. I love when a recipe requires minimal effort and delivers such a fantastic result. Definitely making this the next time we have company over :)
Shannon P.
June 28, 2020
Forgot to mention, I did not have a cast iron skillet! So I made the caramel sauce in one of my stainless steel pots, poured it into a 9" non stick cake pan (pre-greased), then put the bananas in the caramel and continued on with the directions. Baked in the oven for about 45 minutes and came out perfectly. No issues with caramel sticking, it flipped over wonderfully :) So for anyone without a cast iron skillet, you can just use any deep-dish cake pan you have! Ours was a deep dish 9"
Jessie S.
June 28, 2020
Yahoo!!! So happy you were pleased and what a ringing endorsement. Love when peeps find my recipes both delish AND easy. That’s what’s the goal. Thanks for sharing.
Jessie S.
June 28, 2020
And thank you for the tip re: a nine inch cake pan. People have asked about what to do if they don’t have a cast iron skillet and glad to hear your report of how well it works with a cake pan.
carolcpaula
April 24, 2020
I wish I could take a picture of this cake. But, I just discovered that you have a instagram account. I will totally following you over there and post the picture of your banana cake. Recipe is super easy, it works perfectly. I read the reviews before making it, but at first I wanted to make it as it is! Thank you so much for sharing this delish recipe! :)
Jessie S.
April 24, 2020
Oh my gosh! So excited to hear you made the recipe as-is and were pleased. I love hearing about twists and tweaks but I also love hearing when a recipe is made as I wrote it. Looking forward to seeing you over on IG! XO
carolcpaula
April 24, 2020
I did post the picture through my account @lacuisinedecharlie! It is a fun page that my dog is the main character watching me cooking. lol once again, thank you so much. Now I will be following your next recipes (and old ones) over there! have a lovely day and stay safe!
Jessie S.
April 24, 2020
Yes! I saw the post in stories. And reposted it! And u and your stay safe, as well.
Jenna M.
March 29, 2020
Absolutely loved this!! Thanks, Jessie!
I'll definitely make it again. I didn't get the caramel quite right (couldn't get the butter to meld all the way with the sugar - need to figure out what I did wrong), but it still turned out great. Looked beautiful and tasted so good! I love how the slight tang of the buttermilk in the cake kept the whole thing from being too sweet. It was so good with a scoop of icecream too. My husband isn't big on sweets, and he loved it as well. Such a perfect indulgent treat while we are "sheltering-in."
I'll definitely make it again. I didn't get the caramel quite right (couldn't get the butter to meld all the way with the sugar - need to figure out what I did wrong), but it still turned out great. Looked beautiful and tasted so good! I love how the slight tang of the buttermilk in the cake kept the whole thing from being too sweet. It was so good with a scoop of icecream too. My husband isn't big on sweets, and he loved it as well. Such a perfect indulgent treat while we are "sheltering-in."
Jessie S.
March 29, 2020
Yay yay yay!! So happy to hear this. Hope U and your husband stay safe and healthy. XO
Meribethcakes
March 27, 2020
This cake was easy and delicious. It can be mixed by hand, so no need to drag out the Kitchenaid. I’ve found that it works better with bananas that are still firm. I had a few bananas that still had a tiny bit of green and some with brown spots and the slightly under ripe fruit held it’s shape better. After reading reviews, I increased the butter to 3oz and the brown sugar to 1/2 cup. I’m wondering if coconut oil would be a delicious alternative to veg oil?
Diana N.
January 17, 2020
This is a very simple and delicious recipe for upside-down cake that could be used as the base for any fruit. It's a keeper. However, the cake itself is FAR too sweet and it could use more topping. The second time, I used more butter and brown sugar at the bottom of the pan and added only 1/2 C sugar to the cake. Now I have it pinned to my Keepers board rather than recipe category boards so that I can always use it for my upside downs. Far faster recipe than the flour milk separation method my previous go-to used. Thanks!
keithcancook
December 29, 2019
Fantastic,better than pineapple upside down cake.I made it exactly as written.
Next time I will double brown sugar for more caramelization.
Next time I will double brown sugar for more caramelization.
Gigi S.
November 26, 2019
I just signed up only to place a review about this cake. Very easy to make and so delicious! I had a lot of ripened bananas but I was kind of tired of banana bread so I was looking to make a banana cake without having bananas inside the batter. This was perfect! I made a few changes though, based on what I had on hand. I don't have a cast iron skillet without ridges so I made this cake in a 9 1/2 deep glass pie dish. I melted the butter in the oven and then I added Sucanat instead of brown sugar which I ran out. Sucanat didn't dissolve so I thought it would turn out a horrible mess. Not at all! I placed 3 large bananas cut in half lengthwise. I didn't have buttermilk so I put 4 1/2 tsp white vinegar in a measuring cup and then filled to 1 cup with whole milk. I don't know why my batter turned out more liquid than the one in the video since I measured everything correctly. This was the second time I thought: "this is going to be a disaster". After 40 min. in the oven I tested it and it was still raw (obviously because it was in glass dish and not in cast iron) so I let it cook for full 60 min. It turned out AMAZING! I'll make it again definitely, thanks!
Jessie S.
November 26, 2019
honored that you only signed up to comment on my cake and SO glad it all worked out - i was getting nervous as i was reading your recap - yay!!! and so happy to hear you will make it again.
Don M.
November 18, 2019
This dessert is ridiculous. My wife and two boys loved it. It was very easy. The only modification I made was used 1 tsp of the baking powder and added 1/2 tsp of baking soda. I was able to fit 4 large bananas in the skillet. I simply cut them in half down the bias, putting the cut side down. Extra banana taste!! Will make again and again.
Jessie S.
November 18, 2019
Yay!!! Love that your fam was into it and that it will be on repeat in your home.
Tam
October 3, 2019
Wow that's a good cake. I followed the recipe exactly, except my bananas must be extra large because I could only fit a little under 3 bananas in the pan. After the cake has been in the oven for about 25 minutes it looked like it may overflow, a little bit of caramel was dripping out. I promptly put the skillet on a large baking sheet to catch any drippings. The cake puffed up to the very top of the pan and no more, only a couple of drops of the caramel overflowed. Baked for the full 40 minutes. After cooling for the indicated 20 minutes I had to cut into it to try. OMG that's delicious. Not too sweet and so incredibly moist. I will be making this cake again.
Jessie S.
October 3, 2019
Yay! So happy to hear this and thanks for sharing the whole baking experience! XO
Carolyn
May 31, 2019
I am not a baker so not sure if what I did was wrong but I did not have a cast iron so I just put the nine inch cake pan directly on the stove for the carmelization part. It turned our perfectly and this cake is ridiculously moist and delicious. My mother thought it must have been really difficult to make because it looks so fancy but it was so easy!! Thanks so much for this recipe!!
Jessie S.
May 31, 2019
You are so welcome! and you did nothing wrong and everything right!! So glad you (and your mom) enjoyed. XO
Jasser A.
December 12, 2018
This cake is absolutely worth your time. Here are some tips that a beginner like me forgot about and I've learned better for next time:
1. When mixing the brown sugar and butter don't use a high heat. You'll end up with burned caramel.
2. Make sure your skillet is well seasoned so nothing sticks. Even if it says that it's non-stick don't trust that.
3. Before you start, ensure that you have a plate big enough to fit over your skillet. If the plate is any smaller your cake will break up when you flip it. An extra person can really help you flip this successfully.
1. When mixing the brown sugar and butter don't use a high heat. You'll end up with burned caramel.
2. Make sure your skillet is well seasoned so nothing sticks. Even if it says that it's non-stick don't trust that.
3. Before you start, ensure that you have a plate big enough to fit over your skillet. If the plate is any smaller your cake will break up when you flip it. An extra person can really help you flip this successfully.
Jessie S.
December 14, 2018
Thank u doe sharingvthese super helpful tips for beginners and so glad u made and liked the recipe!
Jessie S.
December 14, 2018
thank you so much for sharing your tips for beginners! super helpful and so glad you made and liked the cake!
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