Banana blueberry upside down cake, with a super moist banana, cinnamon & hazelnut cake and a whole lot of fresh blueberries on top.
This post may contain affiliate links, please read the privacy policy for details. // Recipe updated 01/23/25 (reduced from a 9″ cake to a 7″ cake)
banana blueberry upside down cake
Hello hello! There isn’t much to say about this cake other than the fact that it might be my absolute favorite snack cake of all time. I’m not even the biggest fan of blueberries and yet the jammy perfection that the blueberries turn into, combined with the moist banana cake, slight cinnamon flavor, and crunchy hazelnuts is truly just an incredible, delicious experience. It’s also *super* easy to throw together, so if you’ve got some bad bananas on your counter, this is a super easy recipe for you that isn’t the typical go-to of banana muffins. I hope you’ll love this cake as much as I do, happy baking! 🙂
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Use room temperature ingredients:
It’s important that your ingredients are at room temperature so that they can easily incorporate with each other. Take out your cold ingredients about an hour before starting the recipe.
Mix the cake batter carefully:
It is super important to not overmix the cake batter or you end up with a tough and chewy cake rather than a light and moist cake. When alternating between adding the wet and dry ingredients, be sure to only mix just until the ingredient is fully combined and no more.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for banana blueberry upside down cake
banana blueberry cake:
- Banana: you will need ~3 medium sized very ripe bananas for this recipe. Only ripe bananas will work here. Bananas that are still very yellow/green will be less sweet and have less moisture in them.
- Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the cake and giving it that classic buttery taste. You can substitute in salted butter, just omit the extra salt from the recipe.
- Light brown sugar: for sweetening, flavor, and for moisture. For a deeper flavor, you can use dark brown sugar here. We’ll also use a little brown sugar in the blueberry mixture.
- Eggs: for moisture, structure, and binding the batter together.
- Vanilla: for flavor.
- Kefir: for moisture and for keeping the cake tender. You can substitute in buttermilk, greek yogurt, yogurt, or sour cream here as well!
- All purpose flour: the structure of the cake. I haven’t tested it but a 1:1 gluten free flour should work perfectly here as well.
- Baking powder: for helping the cake rise.
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the cake.
- Ground cinnamon: for flavor.
- Hazelnuts: for flavor and texture! I used hazelnuts because they pair so well with the blueberries and I love them, but feel free to use whichever nut you’d like – or leave them out all together. If you’re using hazelnuts, you’ll want to make sure they are blanched and/or peeled.
- Blueberries: you’ll need to use fresh blueberries here or else you’ll end up with a soggy mess at the bottom of the pan, unfortunately.
how to make banana blueberry upside down cake
Here’s a few photos of the process of making this blueberry banana cake. You can find the full recipe at the end of this blog post.
- Mix together fresh blueberries and a little bit of brown sugar, then place them into a bottom of a lined 7″ springform pan.
- Whisk together the wet ingredients for the banana cake.
- Then mix in the dry ingredients.
- Pour the banana cake batter over the blueberries, bake, invert on to a serving tray, and enjoy!
banana blueberry upside down cake
recipe q&a
can I double this recipe?
Of course! I even more strongly recommend measuring by weight if you are going to double the recipe for the best results. Once you’ve doubled the batter, simply divide it up into two 7″ or 8″ cake pans to bake.
what size pan do I need?
I use a 7″ springform pan for this cake. You can also use an 8″ springform or regular cake pan, just note that your cake will be a tad shorter and will require a little less time to bake, so start checking on it a bit earlier.
How to store this banana BREAD
Keep the cake stored in an airtight container at room temperature. It will taste the best on the day it’s baked, but will keep well for up to 3 days.
tools and ingredients:
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did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Banana Blueberry Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
Blueberry Layer
- 240 g fresh blueberries (1 ⅓ c.)
- 2 tbsp. light brown sugar
Banana Cake
- 70 g unsalted butter (5 tbsp.)
- 160 g banana mashed (~2 medium bananas)
- 100 g light brown sugar (½ c.)
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 45 g kefir (3 tbsp.) room temperature
- 120 g all purpose flour (1 c.)
- 1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- 60 g hazelnuts blanched, crushed (¼ c. + 3 tbsp.)
Instructions
Blueberry Layer
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Butter a 7” springform pan, and get out a sheet of parchment paper. Crinkle up the parchment paper, then un-crinkle it and place it in your buttered pan, pressing the parchment up the sides of the pan.
- In a mixing bowl, gently mix together the blueberries and brown sugar. Pour the blueberry mixture into the bottom of your lined pan, forming an even layer of blueberries. Set aside.
Banana Cake
- In a small microwave safe bowl, melt the butter in 20 second intervals, stirring after each interval until it's just completely melted.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, mash up the banana until only a few small chunks remain.
- To the banana, mix in the melted butter and brown sugar.
- Add in the egg, vanilla, and kefir. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is well combined.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Gently mix the ingredients together until only a few streaks of flour remain. Then, add in the hazelnuts and mix just until the last streak of flour disappears.
- Pour the banana cake over the layer of blueberries. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to rest in the pan for 30 minutes after baking, then flip it over on to a cooling rack and let it rest until it comes to room temperature.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
can this be made without nuts for someone with a nut allergy? would a substitute be necessary?
You can definitely just leave the nuts out, I hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
What nut would you suggest to use instead of hazelnuts?
Any will work, just use your favorite! I would probably use pistachios or almonds if not hazelnuts.
Can I make this vegan by using aquafaba or a flax egg? Which one is better?
Hi, I haven’t tried it but I’ve heard great things about flax eggs so I’d recommend that!