I’m writing todays post in english because I will be sharing it with some english speaking friends.

Taste is a funny thing. When I was a kid I never liked bananas. I didn’t even like things with banana flavouring like cough sirup, hard candies or that horrible yellow stuff the dentist puts on your teeth when you’re a kid. And the thought of mashing up bananas and putting them in any other foods never even crossed my mind. Until one morning a couple of years ago I woke up and was like: Bananabread sounds delicious, let’s get our banana on! After that I’ve made bananabread, banana chocolate chip muffins and banana pancakes, so when I saw this recipe over at http://acozykitchen.com/ I really wanted to make it.

Here is a link to the original recipe: http://acozykitchen.com/banana-upside-down-cake/

Couple of things; my cake turned out nothing like the picture, pluss it was dry and the bananas were all spread around randomly, again nothing like the picture… Also the caramel totally bubbled over and into my oven which had to be cleaned for like an hour afterwards.. I think it’s safe to say that I failed.. misserably.

My first try…

This actually bothered me the whole week after, I felt like that stupid bananacake had actually won over me! So when the weekend came I stocked up on bananas and brown sugar and made it again. I also made a few adjustments to the original recipe and I really think those were what made it work for me. So hah! Take that, cake!

My second, and best try!

The changes I made:

1. I didn’t use Bourbon.
2. I added 2-3 small mashed bananas to the batter.
3. I sliced the bananas into thin circles, not lenghtwise like the original recipe said.
4. I used salted butter (Bremykt), instead of unsalted butter and then adding salt.
5. I transfered the bananatopping and the batter into a round baking pan instead of baking it in the skillet.
6. I didn’t use all the batter for one cake, I made one big cake and one little loaf so the cake had room to rise and not bubble over.

The outcome? The best banana cake I’ve ever had. It’s ridiculuosly moist and the caramel and banana topping adds a sticky and chewy texture to compliment the soft spunge.

If you’ve never made a banana cake or banana bread, this is the one to make. It takes a little preparation, and I’d advise you to cut up the bananas in advance and have every ingrediant on hand while making this. Read the recipe thoroughly and don’t freak out over the different stages of making the batter and the caramel topping.

Here is the recipe after the changes I made:

Cakebatter

2 cups flour (hvetemel)

1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder (bakepulver)

1/2 cinnamon (kanel)

4 ounces salted butter (smør, Bremykt)

1/2 cup white sugar (vanlig sukker/Farin)

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cups whole milk (H-Melk)

2-3 small bananas, mashed

Banana Caramel Topping

4 tablespoons salted butter (smør, Bremykt)

1/2  cup light brown sugar (lyst brunt sukker)

2-3 medium sized bananas, sliced, not cut lengthwise

How to:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 175 degrees Celsius, that we use here.

In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.

In a new, bigger bowl, cream together butter and sugar, using a handmixer or a standmixer, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the sugar and butter mix.

After mixing the sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla, mix in half of the flour mixture. Add the milk and then the remaining flour mixture. Add the mashed bananas. Set the bowl with the batter aside while you make the caramel topping.

The original recipe calls for a cast iron skillet. I’ve found that when making the caramel and banana topping, a cast iron pot is actually somewhat better. It all depends on the size of the skillet and how far up the sides go. So use a pot or a skillet, whichever you prefer, the most important thing is that it will fit all the caramel and the bananas.

Take your cast iron pot, or skillet, and melt the butter at medium heat. Mix in the brown sugar. You can also add some extra vanilla extract at this point if you want, I did, and it tasted great. Stir slowly until the sugar begins to bubble, it’ll take about a minute or so. Add the bananas, stir for about a minute or two, and then turn off the heat.

Now, butter a round cakepan and transfer the banana caramel topping into the pan. Add most of the batter, I’d say about 2/3, and bake in the oven for about 35-45 minutes. 

Cool your cake for about 5 to 10 minutes. I’m assuming this is to allow the caramel and the cake itself to set a little bit before being turned around.

Turn your cake over on a serving plate and either allow to cool or cut yourself a slice and eat it warm with vanilla ice cream. I vote for the latter.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!

 PS. I realize the measurements are American, but there are lots of websites that can help you convert those into European measurements. Just remember that fluid cups are not the same as solid ones!

 

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