Upside-down caramel banana bread

Move over regular, unadorned banana bread, this one’s a winner! Perfect if you have a crowd coming for weekend brunch. And the best part? This cake's spectacular looks belie how darned quick it is to rustle up.

Credit: Alan Benson

• serves

  10

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

 If this delectable, sticky treat has one a possible downside, it’s only that it needs to be consumed within a few days or the baked-on bananas could turn a bit icky. 

Ingredients

• 115 g (½ cup firmly packed) brown sugar
• 50 g unsalted butter, chopped
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 2 firm, ripe bananas, cut into 1.5 cm rounds
• 110 g (¾ cup) plain flour
• 110 g (¾ cup) wholemeal flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2  tsp ground cardamom
• 170 g (¾ cup) caster sugar
• 250 g (1 cup) over-ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) vegetable oil
• 80 g (⅓ cup) sour cream
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 170°C and lightly grease and flour the sides of a 15.5 cm x 8.5 cm (base measurement) 8-cup capacity loaf tin.

Combine the brown sugar, butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until smooth. Simmer for 2 minutes then pour over the base of the pan. Arrange the banana slices over the mixture, pushing them close together so they cover the base of the pan. Place any remaining banana slices over the top, to fill in any large gaps.

Sift the flours, baking powder, soda and cardamom into a large bowl, returning any solids from the wholemeal flour to the sifted mixture. Stir in the sugar.

Combine the mashed banana, eggs, oil, sour cream and vanilla in a bowl and whisk together until combined well. Add to the flour mixture and, using a wooden spoon, stir until just combined - take care not to over beat or the banana bread may be tough. Pour mixture over the bananas in the pan, smoothing the surface even.

Bake for 1 hour or until a cake tester withdraws clean. Cool the bread in the tin for 30 minutes then carefully turn out onto a platter to cool.

Upside down banana bread is best served on the day it is made but will keep, stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place, for up to 2 days. 

Photography by Alan Benson, styling by Sarah O'Brien and food preparation by Tina Mcleish.

When she doesn’t have her head in the pantry cupboard, Leanne Kitchen finds time to photograph food and write cookbooks. You can view her work on her website or on Instagram.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

 If this delectable, sticky treat has one a possible downside, it’s only that it needs to be consumed within a few days or the baked-on bananas could turn a bit icky.