Moist sour cream cake topped with bananas and a thick caramel sauce. The cake is made upside-down, then flipped over after baking.
Since we’re talking about bananas and caramel today, I hope you realize just how good this cake is!
You know the traditional pineapple upside-down cake, right? I’ve basically replaced the fruit for a whole new flavor! Goodbye pineapple, hello banana! It’s not that I don’t love pineapples, because I basically love all food, but I really, REALLY love bananas – especially when they’re combined with caramel.
When making this cake with pineapple, it always looks beautiful and impressive. Unfortunately, bananas prove harder to make quite as attractive. For this reason, I chose to bake this cake in a loaf pan. I’ve found that if you cut the bananas in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 2-3 pieces widthwise, it looks perfect and symmetrical.
This cake requires three simple steps. First, you need to make the caramel by combining butter and brown sugar in a saucepan and simmering for 3 minutes. Next, cut the bananas and place them upside-down in the pan, like this:
The last step is to make the cake batter. I like to use sour cream for a slight tanginess in sweet cakes, and this cake is sweet 😉 Pour the batter gently over the bananas and caramel, and smooth the top.
While baking, the caramel will thicken and become sticky.
Let the cake cool for five minutes before inverting it onto a plate. If you wait too long, the caramel will stick to the pan, and if you invert it right away, the caramel will be too hot and the whole thing will become one big mess. 5 minutes seems to be the magic number. The caramel might drizzle down the sides of the cake, and… Oh boy, I’m getting hungry! Good thing I have Nutella muffins baking in my oven right now. And no, I don’t have any more leftovers from this banana cake. Do you really think it would stay around for so long?
Let the cake cool completely so the caramel will set. Don’t be impatient like I was. You’re better than that.
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick or 50 g) butter
- 1/2 cup (100 g/3.5 oz) light or dark brown sugar
- 2 bananas , peeled
- 1 1/2 cups (200 g/7 oz) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick or 115 g) butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 grams/7 oz) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs , room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream
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Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
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Make the banana topping: Melt butter in a small deep heavy saucepan over medium heat. Once it starts to bubble, add sugar and let simmer for 3 minutes until thick and smooth. Pour into prepared pan.
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Cut bananas in half lengthwise and, depending on the size of the bananas and pan, cut each half into 2 or 3 pieces widthwise. Place bananas over caramel, cut side down.
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In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
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In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Occasionally scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. On medium speed, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating it with the sour cream in 2 additions, starting and ending with the flour. Do not over mix.
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Pour batter carefully into pan over bananas and smooth the top. Bake for 40 – 50 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool for exactly 5 minutes on a wire rack, then invert it onto a plate and let cool completely.
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Serve warm or at room temperature. Store cake in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
74 Comments
Anne
June 16, 2014 at 11:00 amLooks delightful Shiran!
Shiran
June 16, 2014 at 6:41 pmThank you Anne! 🙂
dina
June 16, 2014 at 10:18 pmit looks delicious!
Shiran
June 17, 2014 at 11:33 amThanks Dina 🙂
Lilli @ sugar and cinnamon
June 17, 2014 at 12:08 amWow this cake looks absolutely delicious! Banana and caramel are a match made in heaven 🙂
Shiran
June 17, 2014 at 11:33 amYes they are! Thanks Lilli 🙂
Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps
June 17, 2014 at 2:31 amMy husband just looked over my shoulder and saw this, and asked why we weren’t eating it! 🙂 Looks sooooo good!
Shiran
June 17, 2014 at 11:34 amYou should make this then! Your husband will thank you 🙂
Svetlana
June 17, 2014 at 10:01 amThis looks divine and just in time for some bananas I have on the counter. Thank you, I hope to attempt this with the same perfect result soon. x
Shiran
June 17, 2014 at 11:32 amThanks Svetlana! I can’t wait for you to try it! I’m sure it would turn out delicious! 🙂
Svetlana
June 17, 2014 at 6:01 pmJust had my first slice and I’m contemplating whether to share any of it or not…. it’s so good ! Thank you again 🙂 I’ll definitely come back to this recipe.
Shiran
June 17, 2014 at 6:24 pmI’m so glad to hear that! Thank you so much for taking the time to write me how it turned out! 🙂
Jess
June 17, 2014 at 5:34 pmThis looks so delicious! Love upside down cakes!
Shiran
June 17, 2014 at 6:24 pmThanks Jess!
Lindsay @ The Local Taste
June 18, 2014 at 4:18 amI’m pretty sure this has all of my favorite ingredients in it! A-ma-zing!
Shiran
June 18, 2014 at 7:48 amThanks Lindsay 🙂
Gina
June 18, 2014 at 4:04 pmI am wondering if you could make this in a round pan and layer it? and instead of lenghth wise bananas cut them into coins what do you think ?
Shiran
June 18, 2014 at 7:24 pmHi Gina! You can definitely make this cake in a round pan! Use same quantities of ingredients for a 8-inch round pan. You can even use a 9-inch pan, but the cake will be less tall. You can cut the bananas into coins or do the same as I suggested. Both options are great! You’ll probably need more bananas though 🙂
Tamara Coleman
June 19, 2014 at 5:19 amWhoa, looking caramelized & yummy! 🙂
http://www.prettybitchescancooktoo.com
Gina
June 19, 2014 at 7:08 pmok i tweeked it a bit I hope thats ok I added chocolate and peanutbutter and made it in a 9 in pan I will try to post a pic later just popped in the oven now
Shiran
June 19, 2014 at 10:13 pmGina, I’ve just seen the photo you posted and the cake looks great!! I like it round!
Florence
August 5, 2014 at 4:04 amHi Shiran,
First off let me say how pretty (delicious!) your cake looks. I tried to make this cake over the weekend and while the cake itself tasted pretty good, I had some problems with actually baking it.
The caramel seemed to bubble up from the bottom and spill over the sides onto the bottom of the oven so once the cake was baked, there was very little caramel left. Also, the bananas the next day turned a purple-ley colour.
I can’t figure out what I did wrong! If you could give me some insight it’d be great 🙂 Love the blog btw
Shiran
August 5, 2014 at 8:41 amHi Florence! What a lovely name you have 🙂 Thanks for the compliments, I appreciate that! I’m sorry to hear about the little disaster you had in your oven, baking can be tricky 🙂 I’ve made this cake twice now and it didn’t happen to me so I’m not sure exactly what went wrong. But – I can think about a few things. First, the oven might be too hot which causes the caramel to bubble – this can be solved by trying to lower the temperature to 325F and bake the cake for a longer time. Also, this cake batter is pretty moist and delicate, which might cause the bananas or caramel to bubble up through it. You can try use less liquid (sour cream) next time without changing anything else in the recipe. Start with 1/3 cup sour cream and add more as needed, until the consistency of the batter is pourable but thick and heavy. The cake will be a bit less moist, but the batter will be heavy enough to keep the caramel at the bottom. Hope this helps! 🙂
Florence
August 5, 2014 at 7:09 pmThank you, I’ll definitely try baking it at a lower temperature. I also think that my loaf tin itself may have been a little too small? I loved the cake batter though, very dense and moist! Yummo! Thanks for the insight 🙂
Shiran
August 6, 2014 at 7:21 amNo Problem! Sure, the size of the pan may also have an impact. I love this cake batter too! Don’t worry, it will be delicious and moist even if you use less sour cream.
Helen Romain
June 29, 2021 at 9:21 pmCan this delicious banana cake be frozen? I’m making it today
Thanks Shiran
Shiran
June 30, 2021 at 1:50 amYes, it can 🙂
Kate
November 22, 2014 at 9:23 pmWhat a wonderfully delicious recipe! Thanks so much for sharing. I actually tried this tonight but couldn’t past the first step. I tried three different times to makes the caramel but it never “came together.” Each time, the butter either stubbornly remained as a separate layer or when I poured it into the loaf pan it hardened to a toffee. I’d love any suggestions. Dying to try this, and I’d be thrilled to get it half as lovely looking as yours!
Shiran
November 23, 2014 at 10:39 amHi Kate! Thank you for the kind words!
Do you have a small heavy-bottomed saucepan? It would work best here. About he process: First you need to melt the butter. Make sure the heat is moderate throughout the entire process. Once the butter has melted, add the sugar and whisk occasionally, until mixture is bubbling and sugar is completely dissolved. Boil it just a bit more, whisking occasionally, until it thickens. If the butter separates, just keep whisking the mixture vigorously until emulsified again. Next time, you probably need to either cook the mixture for less time, moderate the heat, or use a different saucepan. Hope it works out next time, let me know if it doesn’t!
Kate
November 25, 2014 at 6:45 pmThanks so much for the reply. I’ll give it another go! In the meantime, I’m enjoying some delicious hard toffee haha. 😉
Shiran
November 26, 2014 at 11:02 amYou’re welcome Kate, and I hope that next time you’ll enjoy some soft toffee 😉
Chrissy
December 30, 2014 at 3:52 amthis turned out brilliantly. I had a couple of left over egg yolks so added them to the recipe. And I used gluten free flour and dairy free spread and had a fantastic result. The taste was great. Thanks for such a fantastic recipe
Shiran
December 31, 2014 at 11:57 amI always like to hear how different variations, such as gluten free, turn out. Thank you so much for sharing and I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Sheryl
April 8, 2015 at 2:55 pmI added 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to both the topping and the cake…was so good with a cup of coffee!
Shiran
April 9, 2015 at 7:15 amI’m so glad you like it, Sheryl! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Nichole
April 9, 2015 at 1:42 pmI just found this recipe on Pinterest! I have some ripe bananas in the freezer and can’t wait to make this cake!
Thank you!
Shiran
April 9, 2015 at 2:41 pmYou would love it, Nichole! It’s amazing! 🙂
Maria
April 29, 2015 at 2:11 pmI have just made two caramel banana upside down cakes and my kitchen smells heavenly. I plan to take the one to work tomorrow morning, would it be fine if I left it in a sealed plastic container but I do not refrigerate?
Shiran
April 29, 2015 at 5:25 pmHi Maria! Sure, it would be fine, you can either refrigerate it or leave it at room temperature. Both options are fine. Enjoy! 🙂
Emily
May 29, 2015 at 2:12 pmi just got done baking this and I have to say this cake is amazing!!!! SO GOOD. I think I will be eating this everyday for the rest of my life 🙂 thanks for the recipe!
Shiran
May 31, 2015 at 3:40 amThat’s great, Emily! Thanks for the sweet comment 🙂
Janelle
July 13, 2015 at 6:59 pmI just pulled this out of the oven! I think I overcooked my caramel sauce a smidge because it was a little chunky on the bottom of the loaf pan. And when I inverted some of my bananas stayed on the bottom of the pan, but no biggie, they weren’t stuck, I put them back where they were supposed to be. Me and my 3 yr old are waiting for it to cool so we can have a slice before dinner! I’ll come back and tell you how we liked it!
Shiran
July 16, 2015 at 1:14 pmI hope you liked it, Janelle! Upside-down cakes get get messy sometimes, but they are delicious! 🙂 Next time, you can line the bottom of the cake pan with parchment paper, and then peel it off after inverting the cake, that way it won’t stick to the bottom!
Rotem
November 30, 2015 at 5:56 pmI made this cake today. It didnt turn out beautiful like yours but very tasty so who cares:-)
Thanks for the recipe!
Shiran
December 1, 2015 at 4:30 amMy first cake didn’t look so good either! It takes practice 🙂 Thank you for your comment, Rotem!
Carol
March 31, 2016 at 3:55 pmHave you tried this with other fruit? I am thinking pineapple or peach. I like the size of this cake since it is just me and my hubby these days. We can never finish a full size cake. Thanks for the recipe.
Shiran
April 2, 2016 at 12:27 pmI haven’t tried it but I’m guessing you can 🙂 Also, here’s my recipe for a great pineapple upside down cake.
Jill
September 5, 2016 at 5:20 pmI made this last night for a dinner party and it was a huge hit! The only changes I made were to add a tablespoon or so of cinnamon into the batter and a little salt into the toffee. Will definitely make again (maybe with double the toffee to pour on top when serving). Thanks so much!!!
Shiran
September 7, 2016 at 4:55 amCinnamon and salted caramel sound delicious! Thank you for your comment, Jill 🙂
Stephanie
November 22, 2017 at 12:12 pmMy mother just recommended this recipe for our Thanksgiving dessert…she has been raving about it. I have to say, this looks delicious and I cannot wait to make this tomorrow! Thank you in advance!
Shiran
November 22, 2017 at 2:19 pmIt’s a great cake for Thanksgiving, and I hope you and your family enjoy it! Happy holiday!
Jill T.
March 15, 2018 at 4:02 pmHi Shiran! I just wanted to tell you that I love this recipe. I have made it several times, usually a double batch so I can share a loaf with a friend. It is delicious and always impresses!
Shiran
March 16, 2018 at 1:02 pmThank you so much for sharing, Jill! I’m so glad!!
Danuta I Gajewski
October 23, 2018 at 1:29 pmMade this last night…and it took all my strength and determination not to have more than one slice! Hubby adored it! Followed the instructions to a T, but had two minor issues. 1) the butter/brown sugar syrup kept splitting when I heated it up, but I added more light brown sugar, which helped a little, but it still had a major butter slick on top. I decided to just go with the “flow!”, and 2) my batter was more plopable than pourable (I used a thick organic sour cream) but the result was a beautiful texture, and the taste was delicious! Oh…and your 5-minute wait instruction was ideal! Absolutely no trouble turning out the cake with everything intact!
Thank you!
renata cigler-gandolfo
January 18, 2020 at 12:40 pmjust made it for the second time today, it’s perfect, thank you
Narges
April 4, 2020 at 10:36 amHi. Thanks for sharing this wonderful cake. It looks fantastic. I wonder if I can use honey or any other syrup instead of sugar for both caramel side and inside the cake
Shiran
April 6, 2020 at 7:33 amIt’s not possible, sorry!
Maria
April 5, 2020 at 3:03 amThank you for this delicious recipe. I made this yesterday and I really love the combination of banana and caramel, also the cake batter turned out really nice.
I had a little trouble baking it and I realized the loaf pan I used was a little too small. So the batter came out of the sides, although it did not ruin it totally. Maybe you can update the measurements of the loaf pan to include the height or just the volume of the pan?
Paula
April 11, 2020 at 1:53 amHow can I substitute the sour cream? I have almond milk and some heavy cream. Does any of those work? Thank you!
Shiran
April 13, 2020 at 7:15 amHeavy cream would work well 🙂
Kacy
April 12, 2020 at 9:08 pmI made this for Easter. OMG!!! Crazy good. I also made it Vegan & Gluten Free and I loved it!! Thank you for the great recipe.
Sheona
April 26, 2020 at 2:25 pmHi, just wanted to say a big thank you for this recipe. I made it today and it was superb – a really lovely banana cake and something I hadn’t seen before. Hope you’re safe and well and I’ve no doubt I’ll be checking your pages for more inspiration. x
Rotem
May 18, 2020 at 10:37 amHi, do you mean GVINA LEVANA in sour cream?
Is there a vegan options as well?
Thanks!
Shiran
June 3, 2020 at 5:14 amI mean Shamenet Hamutza 🙂 You can use another milk of your choice but the eggs are necessary for the recipe.
Charles
June 3, 2020 at 3:19 pmHave you made it with pineapple instead of banana ?
Shiran
June 7, 2020 at 4:46 amHere’s my favorite recipe for pineapple upside down cake 🙂
Zeenat
June 10, 2020 at 5:37 amThank You for sharing this recipe everyone loved it.Can never go wrong with your recipes 😊
Shiran
June 11, 2020 at 1:58 amThank you so much! 🙂
Evei
July 16, 2020 at 4:35 amI can’t wait to eat it. It looks so goood!!!!!
Amy N
July 22, 2020 at 10:26 pmMade this tonight – it was delicious however because The loaf pan is relatively deep (compared to depths of traditional upside down cake) I ended up with a lot of cake without caramel seeping down to it. Next time I’d bake in a wider, deeper pan and increase bananas & caramel accordingly 👌
Archana
December 22, 2020 at 10:57 amThis looks delicious Shiran! And I’m planning to try this for my Christmas lunch.:) Is there any replacement for sour cream though? Incas I’m not able to get my hands on some sour cream.
Do let me know!
Shiran
December 25, 2020 at 3:15 pmYou can use buttermilk 🙂
Homa
February 16, 2023 at 2:17 pmThis was delicious ! Once the batter was ready and just before I poured it into the pan, I added one mashed banana to it. It was wonderful! I will definitely make it again!
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet.
February 21, 2023 at 4:08 amHi Homa, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!