Upside-Down Salted Caramel Banana Cake

This is a totally easy-peasy recipe for a delicious cake to be cut into small squares and munched on through the week, or as a little treat to get you through the morning.

Baby bananas are a little harder to find than regular-sized ones, but they look lovely in this dish. Feel free omit the salt in the caramel and adjust the spices to suit your taste – as with most of my recipes, this one is very easily adaptable.

The cake can be served warm with ice cream, and if you double up on the caramel sauce, you can pour over a little extra on serving.

If you love this cake as much as I do, give my Chunky Monkey Banana Bread and Sticky Spiced Banana Cake recipes a go.

PREP TIME:
15 minutes

TOTAL TIME:
45 minutes

COOK TIME:
30 minutes

SERVES:
12-18 squares

Ingredients
Instructions

Ingredients

For the caramel

½ cup light soft brown sugar

½ cup vegan butter

½ tsp sea salt

4 full-sized bananas, or 6 baby bananas, halved lengthways

Wet ingredients

4 medium bananas, mashed

⅓ cup almond milk or dairy-free alternative

¼ cup light oil, such as groundnut

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

Dry ingredients

2 cups white, spelt, or gluten-free plain flour

½ cup coconut sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

Pinch of sea salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/Gas 6, and lightly grease an 8in x 12in cake tin.
Start by making your caramel. Over a medium heat, combine the sugar and butter in a small pan, and heat until bubbling. Stir until the mixture has reduced a little, then stir in the salt.
Pour the caramel into your greased cake tin, top with the sliced bananas, and set aside.
Set out two bowls. Mix together the wet ingredients in one bowl, and the dry ingredients in the other. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and fold until just combined.
Pour the cake batter into the tin, and spread evenly. Bake for about 30 mins, until the caramel is bubbling around the edges of the tin and the sponge is lightly golden. Test the cake with a skewer – if it comes out clean, it's ready. If not, bake for another 5 mins.
Turn the cake out straight away, cut into squares, and serve warm with ice-cream, custard, or a dollop of dairy-free yogurt. If you'd prefer to serve it at room temperature, allow the cake to cool in its tin for 30 mins before turning out onto a serving plate.