Upside-down banana cake with maple-caramel sauce

45 MINS

45 MINS

4

METHOD

1.    Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan) or gas mark 3. Grease a 20cm square oven dish and line the base with baking parchment.

2.    Pour half of the syrup into the tin, swirling it to coat the bottom. Peel and halve the ripe bananas lengthwise, then place them cut-side down in the tin.

3.     In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and overripe banana using an electric whisk. In a food processor, pulse the flour and pecans until finely ground.

4.     Add this mixture to the butter mixture along with the bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon, and stir to combine. Then, fold in the yogurt.

5.     Carefully spoon the batter into the tin, ensuring not to dislodge the bananas. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out with only moist crumbs.

6.     While the cake is baking, prepare the sauce. Toast the pecans in a pan for 1-2 minutes, then add the remaining sauce ingredients. Cook until the butter has melted, then let the mixture bubble for 5 minutes until it thickens slightly.

7.  Once the cake is baked, poke it all over with the skewer, inserting it about halfway into the cake each time. Pour the remaining maple syrup over the cake and allow it to soak in for a few minutes.

8. Turn the cake out of the tin onto a serving plate, flipping it upside down. Reheat the sauce and serve it alongside the cake