This banana pecan upside down cake is super moist, super banana-y, and is topped with a super delicious maple pecan caramel sauce.
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banana pecan upside down cake
Helloooo! Today I have for you what might be the best way to use up some old bananas. This banana pecan upside down cake is made with a super moist banana cake that’s slightly cinnamon-y, and it’s baked on top of a maple caramel sauce and pecans. Once it’s done baking, you flip the cake over so that the top is coated in the maple caramel pecans – like a pineapple upside down cake but different (and more delicious IMO.)
So let’s get into the recipe! 🙂
why you’ll love this banana pecan upside down cake:
- It’s super moist: a ton of bananas & some sour cream make this banana cake *extra* moist.
- Maple pecan caramel: we’re adding salted caramel sauce to cream cheese frosting to make it even more flavorful and delicious.
- No mixer required: the topping comes together in one saucepan, and th
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.
Be careful when mixing the cake batter:
When you over-mix your batter, you create more gluten in the batter which will make your cake go from light and moist to dense and chewy. Only mix in the dry ingredients until that last bit of flour dissapears.
Use room temperature ingredients:
This is super important for allowing the batter to come together smoothly. You’ll want to take your ingredients out of the fridge about an hour before baking to allow them enough time to come to room temperature.
Keep a close eye on the cake while it bakes:
Cakes and cupcakes like to go from under-baked to over-baked super quickly so it is important to keep a close eye on them.
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 pecan upside down cake:
banana cake:
- All purpose flour: the structure of the cake.
- Baking powder: for leavening and giving that “cakey” texture.
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness.
- Ground cinnamon: for flavor, optional.
- Banana: you’ll need ~3 very ripe bananas for this recipe. The more ripe the bananas are, the sweeter & more moist your cake will be.
- Unsalted butter: tenderizes the cake. You could use salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the batter.
- Light brown sugar: sweetens the cake and adds moisture & flavor.
- Egg: contributes moisture to the cake and helps bind the batter together.
- Sour cream: makes the cake more moist. You could use a full-fat yogurt here as well.
- Vanilla: for flavor.
maple pecan caramel topping:
- Unsalted butter: makes the caramel topping more rich. You can use salted butter here as well.
- Pure maple syrup: for flavor and sweetness. Make sure you use pure maple syrup and not the ones with extra ingredients added in.
- Light brown sugar: for flavor and sweetness.
- Ground cinnamon: for flavor. You can omit this if you’re not a fan of cinnamon.
- Pecans: for flavor & texture.
how to make banana pecan upside down cake
Below are some images of what the cake looks like at various points of the process. You can find the full recipe at the end of the blog post!
- Make the maple caramel sauce, then pour it over the pecans in a cake pan.
- Whisk together the wet ingredients.
- Fold in the dry ingredients.
- Spread the banana cake over the maple caramel pecans, then bake the cake.
banana pecan upside down cake recipe q&a
Can I bake this cake in a different sized pan?
You could bake this in a 8″ square pan, 9″ cake pan, or 9″ square pan. Note that in a 9″ pan the cake will be a tad shorter and will probably take a few minutes less to bake.
can I double this recipe?
Definitely! Simply double all of the ingredients in this cake then split evenly between two pans. You could also bake this in one 9×13″ pan – just note that the baking time may change. Also, be super careful and keep pressure on the entirety of the cake when flipping the pan upside down so that the cake doesn’t split! You might want to wait until the cake has fully cooled before flipping it over if you’re making a large cake.
how to store banana pecan upside down cake
Like most baked goods, this cake will taste best served on the day it is baked. However, it can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
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 Pecan Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
Brown Butter
- 226 g unsalted butter (1 c.)
Maple Pecan Caramel Topping
- 65 g brown butter (4 ½ tbsp.)
- 80 g pure maple syrup (¼ c.)
- 100 g light brown sugar (½ c.)
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 170 g crushed pecans (1 ½ c.)
Banana Cake
- 113 g brown butter (½ c.)
- 250 g banana mashed (~3 medium bananas)
- 155 g light brown sugar (¾ c.)
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 60 g sour cream (¼ c.) room temperature
- 190 g all purpose flour (1 ½ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Instructions
Brown Butter
- In a small saucepan set over medium heat, brown the butter. Stir the butter occasionally until it turns amber in color and develops little brown specks.
- Pour 113g of the brown butter out into a small heat-safe bowl and place it into the freezer for 5 minutes to cool off.
Maple Pecan Caramel Topping
- Add the maple syrup, brown sugar and cinnamon to the saucepan with the remaining brown butter. Put the mixture back over the heat, bring it to a simmer, then remove it from the heat.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Butter and line an 8" cake pan* with parchment paper.
- Spread the pecans into an even layer at the bottom of the cake pan, then pour the maple caramel over the pecans, stirring as needed to make sure all of the pecans are coated in the caramel.
Banana Sheet Cake
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, mash the banana to your desired consistency.
- Whisk in the brown sugar and 113g (½ c.) of the cooled brown butter.
- Add in both eggs, the vanilla, and sour cream. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is well combined.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk together just until no flour streaks remain.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake sit in the pan for at least 20 minutes, then invert it onto a serving platter and carefully peel off the parchment paper. Wait for the cake to mostly cool off before slicing, then enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
I made a gluten free version, using 2/3 GF flour and 1/3 hazelnut meal and this was aMAZING. Will definitely be making again.
Thank you so much Amy, so happy you liked the cake and I’m happy to hear it turns out well with those substitutions! 🙂
I made this for my family’s Thanksgiving, and everyone loved it! One thing I did was add some mini chocolate chips into the cake batter, and it reminded me of my mother’s banana bread, so it was very nostalgic. I’m already planning to make it next year!
Ah thank you so much! I’m so happy to hear that everyone loved it and I’m honored to be on your baking list for next year already! 🙂
Absolutely delicious!
(I have to confess though that I didn’t have any maple syrup so I had to substitute Golden Syrup).
Very moist and flavorful cake and I could eat a bowl full of the topping!
Absolutely amazing, super moist sponge topper with a sweet crunchie top.
Thank you so much Laura, I’m so happy you liked it! 🙂
Ahhhh -I get it : evaporation !
I am confused with the butter quantities in the pecan caramel upside down cake. I start with 226 g brown butter but only use 113 plus 65 g. What happens to the other 48 g?
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