Food and Recipes Desserts Cakes Peanut Butter-Banana Upside-Down Cake Be the first to rate & review! A new way to make an old-fashioned favorite. By Alana Al-Hatlani Alana Al-Hatlani Alana Al-Hatlani is an Assistant Food Editor at Southern Living. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on April 14, 2024 Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Learn more about the Southern Living Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Active Time: 15 mins Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Servings: 8 We've long known that peanut butter and bananas just go together. We've combined them in our Peanut Butter-Banana Blondies and in our Peanut Butter-Banana Icebox Pie, which got us thinking: How can we combine them in a cake? For a fun spin on a classic upside-down cake, we ditched the pineapple and swapped in halved bananas, which caramelize beautifully in brown sugar. On top of the fruit sits a peanut butter-infused sponge, and a scattering of chopped peanuts add crunchy texture. Unlike with banana bread, you’ll want bananas that are ripe but not too ripe for this cake (i.e. a little firm). This way they’ll hold their shape and not turn to mush while baking. Ingredients 1/3 cup dark brown sugar 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter 1 tsp. kosher salt, divided 3 medium bananas, sliced lengthwise 1/4 cup chopped salted roasted peanuts, plus more for garnish 2 large eggs, at room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. ground cinnamon Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Stir together brown sugar, butter, 1 tablespoon water, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt in a small saucepan; cook over medium until sugar is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to prepared pan; spread in an even layer. Top evenly with sliced bananas. Set aside. Whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, sour cream, oil, peanut butter, vanilla, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Sift in the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. Gently fold flour mixture into sour cream mixture using a spatula until just combined. Spread batter over bananas in an even layer. Bake in preheated oven until top is golden brown and a wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out mostly clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Place a cake plate on top of pan; invert cake onto plate. Serve warm or at room temperature. Rate It Print