Chai-Spiced Banana Upside Down Cake
If you aren’t familiar with the concept of upside-down cakes, you’re in for a treat. A banana upside-down cake reigns supreme. Of course, apple, apricot or pineapple upside-down cakes are scrummy in their own right, but there is something about the texture of bananas which just make this cake work. Bananas take on this almost custard-like consistency when baked, and we all know custard pairs so, so well with a fluffy sponge cake.
I have a confession. I dislike bananas. I can’t eat them. (I know, I know, how can I be a vegan if I dislike bananas and avocados?) But when bananas are cooked, all warm and velvety – I love them.
In Singapore, we have this little treat called goreng pisang. Chunks of bananas are battered and deep-fried in sizzling woks of hot oil. I remember following my Mum or Nana to the wet markets, tolerating the humid throng of stores and vendors for the promise of crispy goreng pisang. Warm + creamy bananas encased in a golden crust. Mmm.
I think, in some way, cooked bananas always remind me of this. Even if the ones in a banana upside-down cake aren’t battered, they remind me a little bit of home.
The Anatomy of a Banana Upside-Down Cake
Slices of bananas are baked in a pool of rum-infused caramel, all underneath a fluffy, pillowy banana sponge. When it is out of the oven, with caramel bubbling up the sides of the pan, the whole cake is flipped.
Knocking the cake out of the pan and peeling back the parchment is almost my favourite part of making this cake. Second to eating it, of course! I love admiring the gorgeous lattice of caramelised bananas, all shiny with sticky syrup slipping down the sides of the cake.
This cake is almost always best served warm, caramel still molten, each slice topped with a lashing of cold, cold coconut cream. It is of course still perfectly pleasant at room temperature, but it has always got a little more oomph when it’s oozing and syrupy. And, hey, if it’s a #treatyourself kinda day (which should be a frequent occurrence because you’re worth it), top your slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Uh, huh. Now we’re talking.
Sugar and Spice
My spin on this seventies classic is a little sassier, with chai spices and chai tea folded into the cake batter. Along with the rum and cinnamon-spiked caramel, my version of this cake is a little, well, cheeky.
The spices take this banana upside-down cake to a whole other level. If you fancy, add a teensy pinch of ground cloves or ground cardamom to the batter. I prefer to use a simple, classic combination of chai spice in my batter–woody cinnamon, fiery ginger, and the almost-herbal nutmeg.
I used the vanilla chai tea by Pukka for this cake. I love the combination of spices in Pukka’s vanilla chai. It’s a little heavier on the cardamom and has fennel and licorice in it, which make it naturally sweet, and very floral.
This Cake is Bananas
The best kind of bananas for a banana upside-down cake are the ones that are languishing on the countertop, begging to be used. You want them at their very ripest, when they are freckled and have a good squidge to them. I didn’t have overripe bananas, but I desperately wanted some cake. So I broke my own rule and make them with bananas just on the brink of ripeness. Either way, the cake will be delicious. But overripe bananas make a slightly sweeter cake.
If you’re a fan of banana baked goods (who isn’t?!), try out my banana bread. It’s a little less decadent than this cake, but it makes a perfect breakfast, especially when slathered with peanut butter.
p.s. If this is the first time you’re reading one of my recipes, the ingredients are separated out according to when you will use them. So don’t feel confused if you see butter listed twice! Just work your way down the list and you will know which quantity to use first.
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons dark rum
- 3 large ripe bananas, peeled
- ⅔ cup soy milk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup vegan butter
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ⅓ cup mashed banana (about 1 banana)
- ¼ cup double-strength chai tea*
- 3 tbsp aquafaba
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- Optional - A pinch of cloves, allspice, or cardamom powder
- Preheat the oven to 180C and grease an 8-inch round cake tin, and line the bottom. I used a springform tin to make it easier to unfold but a regular pan should work too.
- Place the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar. Add the rum and simmer gently on medium heat for 4 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes then tip into the base of the tin. I like to reserve a few tablespoons of this caramel to brush over the cake when it is done, but this is optional and if you prefer to keep it simple, just tip all of the syrup into the tin.
- Slice the bananas lengthways and place cut side down in the tin, trimming them to fit and cover the base. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix the soy milk and vinegar together. Leave this for five minutes to allow the milk to thicken. Meanwhile, cream the vegan butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Next, stir in the thickened soy milk mixture, mashed banana, chai tea, aquafaba and vanilla. Mix this well. Now, sift in the flour, baking soda, powder, salt, and spices together. Fold until just combined, taking care not to overmix. The batter should be fairly thick but still pourable.
- Gently pour the batter over the bananas, taking care not to dislodge them and even the top out with a spatula.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes until puffed and golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes then run a knife around the inside of the tin. Invert the cake onto a serving plate or board. Serve warm!
Will this recipe still work if I leave out the rum?
Yes, for sure!
What a lovely cake! I want to make one too.
aww thank you 🙂 Please do! xx
Do you whip the aquafaba first, or use as is?
No need to whip 🙂 I use mine straight from the can! x
Wow … just wow 😊
Do you think it would work with gluten-free flour ?
Please say yes 😉
Jenjen
Thank you! Unfortunately, I haven’t tried this recipe with a gluten-free flour. Although you are welcome to experiment. I would use a GF flour that is a blend of several flours, such as Bob’s red mill’s all purpose gluten free flour. I would also add about 1 1/2 tsp of xantham gum to the dough and maybe even a flax egg to help with the binding. Let me know if you give it a go, would love to hear if it can be made GF 🙂 xx
I’m drooling Sasha! Next time I have a stock of ripe bananas, you know what’s happening 😉
AHHH hehehe thank you Sasha! You NEED to, major yum town! And thank you for stopping by 🙂
This recipe is so soooo good!!!! Really simple to make and super tasty…plus added fun of cleaning up all the melted sugar I spilt all over the counter. 10/10 would recommend 🙂 🙂 (also def gonna bake for my vegan-sceptic family) thanks xxx
Aw Faith thank you so much for leaving a review 🙂 I am so glad the cake worked out! It looked absolutely scrumptious!!
This was the best cake ever, one of my favourites from now on. Everybody loved it!
Hi Megan 🙂 Thank you so much for trying out this recipe, so glad you loved it! xx
Hello,
I can’t tolerate using aquafaba as an egg replacement (sensitive to chickpeas). Do you have another suggestion for a vegan egg replacement? Or in terms of non-vegan, how many regular eggs would replace the aquafaba?
Hi there! If you can’t use aquafaba, just leave it out and sub in with 3 tbsp more of liquid (e.g. plant milk). In general 3 tbsp aquafaba is usually meant to substitute one egg, so you may be able to use 1 egg here, but I have never tried or tested that version. I have however tried this cake without aquafaba and using 3 tbsp more soy milk, and that works! x
This sounds awesome! I want to try some now 😛
I made this subbing half coconut flour, and half Swerve sweetener, and it turned out amazingly! Oh, and I also used a tablespoon of ground flax instead of aquafaba (just didn’t have any one hand). Thank you!
So mine did not come out as fancy as yours because I used a small pie plate so the cake went up and over the sides a bit, but holy cow is this delicious! I did use an egg instead of aquafaba as I’m not vegan, just dairy free, but would also try a flax egg in the future as well. The cake itself is so moist!!! I used homemade plain almond milk and homemade vegan butter that has almond meal and almond milk in it, so next time I want to try substituting a quarter cup of the flour with almond meal though to really enhance some nutiness. Thanks so much for this great recipe!
It looks so yum! I also like the taste of Chai spiced. Thank you for the recipe!
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