In this Bananas Foster Upside-Down Cake recipe, a moist, tender, rum-infused spice cake is topped with drippy caramel and sliced bananas to make the most delicious twist on the classic upside-down cake. One bite is all it takes to fall in love with this dessert mashup for life.

slices of bananas foster upside-down cake on parchment paper

We’ve officially entered full-on cabin fever mode around these parts. The snow drifts cover the bottom third of our windows and the wind bends the pine trees outside just beyond our patio and all I can do is sit inside, clad in wool socks with a chunky blanket around my shoulders, and will it to be springtime already. I mean, the groundhog didn’t see his shadow this year, right? Spring has to be just around the corner. Unfortunately, the weather forecast says otherwise.

So instead of pouting about it, I bake. It keeps our home a little warmer, a little cozier, and we all seem to be a little less stir-crazy when dessert is around — especially if that dessert is this bananas foster upside-down cake. Or, try these Banana Bread Muffins for breakfast!

bananas foster upside-down cake on parchment paper

How to Make

When you break down this cake recipe into its components, it’s surprisingly simple. For instance, you start with a quick caramel sauce made with butter and brown sugar that comes together in less than five minutes. Once that’s poured into the cake pan, you top it with sliced banana halves. Finally, stir together the cake batter — a tender spice cake with cinnamon and walnuts and a hint of rum — and pour the batter over the bananas.

slices of bananas foster upside-down cake on parchment paper

Once it’s baked, you let the cake rest for a few minutes, then flip it over to reveal that lovely caramelized banana-lined topping. The hardest part is letting it cool before digging in.

a slice of bananas foster upside-down cake with a fork next to it

Tips For Success

For maximum success in baking this bananas foster upside-down cake, here are a few pro tips for ya:

1. Use barely-ripe bananas for the cake. If they’re too ripe, they might end up mushy once baked. Too unripe, and they’ll taste bland. Look for bananas that are mostly yellow but without any brown blemishes.

2. The walnuts in the cake are optional (though I do love the texture they offer), so feel free to leave them out or swap them for chocolate chips. FOR SURE doing that next time I make this cake.

3. To cut the cake into clean, even slices, use a very sharp knife and a gentle sawing motion when cutting through the top layer of bananas.

a slice of bananas foster upside-down cake with a piece taken out of it

If you’ve never tried bananas foster, or baked an upside-down cake, let this recipe change all of that for you. If you love caramel and bananas and spice cake, you’ll love this dessert. I can’t promise it will cure cabin fever, but it sure does help.

P.S. Going bananas for more banana recipes? Try my Cookie Butter Banana Bread or Mini Banana Cream Cookie Pies.

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bananas foster upside down cake

Bananas Foster Upside-Down Cake

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  • Author: Girl Versus Dough
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 50 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
  • Yield: 1 9-inch cake 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American
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Ingredients

Scale
  • 3/4 cup butter, room temperature, divided
  • 1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup packed brown sugar, divided
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons dark rum, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 large bananas, halved lengthwise
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
  • 1/4 cup sour cream

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350F. Spray bottom and sides of a 9-inch square pan with cooking spray.
  2. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt 1/4 cup butter. Stir in 1/3 cup brown sugar and heavy cream; bring to a boil. Stir in 1 tablespoon rum and vanilla; cook for 1 minute. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Arrange halved bananas cut side-down on top of syrup mixture in bottom of pan.
  3. In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter on medium speed 3-4 minutes until fluffy and smooth. Stir in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons rum.
  4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon until well combined. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating until just combined after each addition. Gently stir in walnuts and sour cream. Pour and spread batter over bananas in pan.
  5. Bake 50-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes. Top cake pan with parchment paper and an upside-down cooling rack; carefully but quickly invert cake pan onto paper-topped rack. Remove pan to reveal cake. Cool completely before slicing.
  6. Store covered tightly in a refrigerator for up to 3 days.