This Chocolate Banana Upside Down Cake combines the best of two worlds—luscious caramelized bananas and a rich chocolate cake. The bananas caramelize during baking, giving a gooey, buttery topping that soaks slightly into the cake, adding extra moisture and richness.
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Ingredients
This Chocolate Banana Upside Down cake has two main components:
- Caramelized banana topping: This consists of sliced bananas arranged at the bottom of the pan, caramelized with a mixture of butter and sugar to create a rich topping once inverted.
- Chocolate Cake Layer: A chocolate cake batter poured over the caramel banana layer and baked to perfection.
Banana caramel topping ingredients
The topping for this upside-down cake includes the following ingredients:
- Unsalted butter
- Brown sugar - you may use light or dark brown sugar
- Ripe bananas
See recipe card for quantities.
Chocolate cake ingredients
Gather the following ingredients to make the chocolate cake batter for this recipe:
- All-purpose flour - sift flour if necessary to remove any lumps
- Corn starch, baking powder, baking soda
- Granulated sugar
- Cocoa powder - use Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Sift if necessary to remove any lumps.
- Vegetable oil
- Eggs - use large eggs and bring to room temperature before starting recipe
- Coffee - use brewed and cooled coffee (this enhances the chocolate flavor in the cake). Alternatively, replace coffee with water.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
To create the perfect chocolate banana upside down cake, follow these step-by-step instructions:
Caramel topping instructions
1 - Generously apply baking spray to an 9" round cake pan.
2 - Place butter in a saucepan. Melt butter over medium heat. Continue to cook until butter comes to a low boil.
3 - Add brown sugar to saucepan. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring often.
4 - Once mixture begins to boil, remove from heat and pour into cake pan (use caution as the mixture is hot). Allow to cool slightly. Cut bananas into ¼" slices. Place banana slices in pan over the butter/brown sugar mixture. Set aside to cool.
Chocolate cake instructions
1 - Combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder and baking soda in large bowl.
2 - Add oil and eggs. Mix until combined.
3 - Slowly pour brewed coffee into bowl while continuing to mix, scraping the bowl occasionally (note - water may be substituted for the coffee). The batter should be smooth.
4 - Pour cake batter into pan over top of banana and caramel layer. Bake at 350℉ / 180℃ for 30 - 35 minutes, or until cake is fully risen and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean (to check internal temperature: insert an instant read thermometer into center of cake. Cake is finished baking if temperature is 180℉ / 83℃).
Unmolding cake
Follow instructions below to unmold this upside down cake:
- After removing cake from oven immediately run a knife around cake edges.
- Wait 5 minutes for cake to cool slightly.
- Flip over onto a serving platter. If any banana slices are stuck to the pan, remove with an offset spatula and place back on cake.
- Allow cake to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Variations
This cake is quite versatile and can be customized to match different tastes. Check out these variations:
- Gluten-free - simply replace the all-purpose flour with a 1 to 1 gluten free flour replacement. My favorite brands are Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur.
- Walnuts - to add some crunch to your cake, toast and chop 1 cup of walnuts. Then stir them into the chocolate cake batter as the final step.
- Peanut butter - peanut butter, chocolate, and bananas are a match made in heaven! As the final step, stir ⅔ cup of peanut butter chips into the chocolate cake batter.
Equipment
Here’s the equipment you’ll need to make this upside-down banana chocolate cake:
- Hand or stand mixer: while an electric mixer is convenient for making the cake, you can also mix it by hand using a rubber spatula.
- Bowls, measuring cups and spoons
- Food scale: although not essential, it does provide more accurate measurements
- Rubber spatula
- 9" round cake pan
- Saucepan - use a heavy-bottomed saucepan as it ensures even heat distribution.
Storage
Allow the chocolate banana upside down cake to cool completely before storage.
Wrap the cake in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or place it in an airtight container. Be careful not to crush the topping. Store at room temperature in a cool, dry place for up to 2 days.
To freeze, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. Alternatively, store it in a freezer-safe container. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for a few hours.
Top Tip
Remember to unmold this banana chocolate upside down cake while it is still warm. As the cake cools, the caramelized topping (like bananas and sugar in a chocolate banana upside-down cake) can harden and stick to the pan, making it difficult to release cleanly. Unmolding while warm ensures the topping is still pliable and slides out easily.
FAQ
Absolutely! Use muffin tins or ramekins for individual portions. Adjust baking time accordingly, usually 15–25 minutes.
More dessert recipes with bananas
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you enjoy the heavenly combination of caramelized bananas and rich chocolate in this delicious banana chocolate upside down cake!
📋 Recipe
Chocolate Banana Upside Down Cake
Equipment
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer Note: cake batter may be mixed by hand with a rubber spatula
- 1 Food Scale optional
- 1 Bowls, measuring cups and spoons
- 1 Rubber spatula
- 1 9" Round Cake Pan
- 1 Heavy-bottomed sauce pan
Ingredients
Banana Caramel Topping
- 6 Tablespoons Unsalted butter
- 1 Cup Brown sugar Use light or dark brown sugar
- 3 Medium Bananas Use ripe bananas
Chocolate Cake
- ⅓ cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 cups Granulated Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Corn Starch
- 1 teaspoons Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ⅓ Cup Vegetable or Canola Oil
- 2 Large Eggs Room temperature
- ⅔ Cup Brewed Coffee (cooled) May substitute water for coffee
Instructions
Banana Caramel Topping
- Generously apply baking spray to an 9" round cake pan.
- Place butter in a saucepan. Melt butter over medium heat. Continue to cook until butter comes to a low boil.6 Tablespoons Unsalted butter
- Add brown sugar to saucepan. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring often.1 Cup Brown sugar
- Once mixture begins to boil, remove from heat and pour into cake pan (use caution as the mixture is hot).
- Cut bananas into ¼" slices.3 Medium Bananas
- Place banana slices in cake pan over the butter/brown sugar mixture. Set pan aside to cool.
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 350℉ / 180℃
- Combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder and baking soda in the bowl of a stand mixer. If mixing by hand or with a hand mixer, combine ingredients in a large mixing bowl.⅓ cup Cocoa Powder, 1 cups All Purpose Flour, 1 cups Granulated Sugar, 1 Tablespoon Corn Starch, 1 teaspoons Baking Powder, ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
- Add oil and eggs. Mix until combined.⅓ Cup Vegetable or Canola Oil, 2 Large Eggs
- Slowly pour brewed coffee into bowl while continuing to mix, scraping the bowl occasionally (note - water may be substituted for the coffee). The batter should be smooth.⅔ Cup Brewed Coffee (cooled)
- Pour cake batter into pan over top of bananas and caramel layer.
- Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until cake is fully risen and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean (to check internal temperature: insert a instant read thermometer into center of cake. Cake is finished baking if temperature is 180℉ / 83℃).
Unmold Cake
- Remove cake from oven and immediately run a knife around cake edges.
- Wait 5 minutes for cake to cool slightly.
- Flip over onto a serving platter. If any banana slices are stuck to pan, remove with an offset spatula and place back on cake.
- Allow cake to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Karen says
This was a delightful cake. We made it gluten free and added about half a cup of walnutd.
dessertswithstephanie says
Hi Karen, sounds like a nice variation on the cake. So pleased you enjoyed!