Rich, tender peanut butter cake meets caramelized banana in this sweet spin on an upside-down cake. A layer of halved bananas is nestled into a simple caramel, where they’ll take on a caramelized flavor all their own as the sugars in the bananas bake. The final flip out of the pan reveals gooey caramel, beautifully caramelized bananas, and a fluffy cake that’ll be impossible to resist.
Peanut Butter-Banana Upside-Down Cake
Makes 1 (10-inch) cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) plus 1/3 cup (76 grams) unsalted butter, softened and divided
- 2/3 cup (147 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) fresh lemon juice
- 3 large firm bananas (225 grams), halved lengthwise
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (100 grams), room temperature
- 3/4 cup (192 grams) creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (1.25 grams) baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (120 grams) whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, melt 1⁄3 cup (76 grams) butter over medium heat. Whisk in brown sugar, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture starts to caramelize, 4 to 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in lemon juice until combined. Remove from heat. Place banana halves, cut side down, on top of caramel, cutting bananas to fit, if necessary.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat granulated sugar and remaining 1⁄2 cup (113 grams) butter at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in peanut butter and vanilla until combined.
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Carefully spoon batter over bananas in skillet, smoothing top with an offset spatula.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and an instant- read thermometer inserted in center registers 205°F (96°C), 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool in skillet for 10 minutes. Carefully invert cake onto a rimmed serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Cake was good, but not great. The cake’s texture seemed a bit heavy. Good, strong peanut butter flavor. Banana flavor was good, but only present in a few bites; would be better if banana was throughout the cake, but then an upside-down cake is not the answer. The caramel itself didn’t add much flavor, and its texture wasn’t a good match for the cake. I made the cake in a 9” square pan with a parchment sling. I cooked the caramel in a skillet and poured it into the baking pan. The 3 large bananas fit perfectly. I also added 2 oz of finely chopped bittersweet chocolate to the batter after it came together. Recipe was easy enough, but probably not a keeper for me.