This upside-down cake is everything you want in a dessert. It’s moist and the caramelized banana flavor is impossible to resist!
We promise that you won’t miss the frosting. Made with whole wheat flour to boost the daily fiber intake, and the kid-pleasing natural sweetener of ripe bananas to give an extra boost of potassium (and happiness). This cake is definitely a keeper.
Ingredients:
¼ cup water
½ cup brown sugar, packed
5 ripe medium bananas, cut lengthwise into three thin slices
¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 ½ cups unbleached flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups milk, low-fat
⅓ cup grapeseed oil (or sunflower)
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a small bowl, mix water with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, and decoratively add the bananas (flat side down, rounded side up) into the melted sugar, until all of the sugar is topped with bananas. Sprinkle cinnamon and set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir together flours, baking powder and salt, and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, remaining brown sugar, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Gently add dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a spatula to combine thoroughly.
Fold the batter over the bananas and gently smooth the top to cover the entire pan.
Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let the cake set for 5-10 minutes. Then, run a knife around the edge of the pan and carefully invert the cake onto a serving platter, cut and serve.
Makes 18 servings (1 cake square).
Nutrition Facts per serving: 180 calories; 5g fat (1g sat fat, 0g trans fat); 30mg cholesterol; 30g carbohydrate (2g fiber, 11g sugar); 4g protein; 90mg sodium; 2% Daily Value (DV) vitamin A; 6% DV vitamin C; 8% DV calcium; 6% DV iron; 258mg potassium.
Stacey Antine, MS, RD, author, Appetite for Life, founder, HealthBarn USA, Director of HealthBarn Foundation, co-host, and recognized as top 10 dietitians nationally by Today’s Dietitianmagazine for her work with HealthBarn USA.