My best friend’s favorite dessert—hands down—is pineapple upside-down cake. I swear, if it’s on a menu, she’s ordering it. When I come to visit, it’s the requested dessert. And to be fair, when it’s good, it can be really good. But we had a version recently that just… flopped. You know the kind—way too much bland and dry vanilla cake, with barely any caramel topping to offset it. Unfortunately I find most pineapple upside down cakes to be guilty of this.
But then she saw someone making a pear version on TikTok— and the request was in. I made a pear version with my mom to bring her and, within one bite, we knew. Pineapple is out. Pear melts into the caramel in a way pineapple never quite does. It’s soft, buttery, and actually integrates with the cake instead of just sitting on top like a weird tangy crown. The contrast was smoother. The whole thing made way more sense.
And once that door opened, I couldn’t stop thinking about what else we could flip upside-down.
Banana was the next logical step. And now that fall has officially arrived—aka the time of year when I want everything spiced, warm, and a little cozy—it felt like the perfect moment to try it. Let me tell you: this cake delivers.
Picture this: the best parts of banana bread—soft, dense-but-not-heavy, and full of deep banana flavor. Now add a layer of caramelized banana slices cooked in brown sugar and butter, baked until golden and glossy. Then flip the whole thing out of the pan and boom: you’ve got a banana cake with a sticky, glistening top and a spiced, ginger-laced interior that tastes like October.
Honestly, I don’t know why we’re not doing this all the time. Petition to make all banana bread upside-down banana ginger cakes from now on.
The spices are really what take it to the next level—ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla. It leans into that warm, gingery heat that makes you want to curl up with a blanket and a mug of something hot. The bananas on top turn soft and custardy, almost pudding-like, and they gently soak into the top layer of the cake in the best way.
Best of all, there’s no frosting. No fluff. No sugary distractions. Just banana, spice, and a deeply cozy vibe.
So if you’ve ever had banana bread and wished it were just a little more indulgent—or had pineapple upside-down cake and found it a little sharp and fibrous—this is your moment.
Warm it up. Add a dollop of whipped cream if you’re fancy. Or just eat it straight from the pan while it’s still warm and your kitchen smells like you’ve been simmering cinnamon sticks all afternoon.
Trust me: banana upside-down cake is the autumn dessert we all deserve. 🍌✨
Banana Upside Down Ginger Cake
Ingredients
- 2 bananas sliced
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 bananas mashed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup butter melted & cooled
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 3/4 cup white sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Prepare your springform pan with a circular piece of parchment paper. Cut a large square of parchment paper and fold it in half repeatedly into a narrow triangle. Place the pointed tip at the center of your upside-down springform pan base, trim the wide end along the pan’s edge. Unfold to reveal a circle and place it on the base of the pan.
- On top of the circle, place the sliced bananas to cover the base. Set aside.
- In a pan over medium heat, add butter and allow to melt completely. Once melted, add brown sugar and stir. Allow mixture to bubble for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Pour mixture on top of the bananas. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, mash bananas. Add in vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, and baking powder. Add in melted (but cooled) butter and flour. Mix until no large clumps are seen.
- Add eggs, sugar, and almond flour. Beat on medium speed to combine. Make sure to stop and use a spatula to wipe down the bowl, then beat again to make sure batter is consistent.
- Pour batter evenly onto the banana sugar layer in the springform pan.
- Bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes, or until a knife/toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with few crumbs.
- Allow to cool for 15 minutes minimum. Then release the springform pan from the cake (use a knife to loosen the edges if necessary).
- With the bottom pan still on the cake, gently and carefully invert the cake onto a platter (it will still be hot, so be careful). Wait 5 minutes, then gently lift the bottom pan from the top of the cake. Peel off the parchment paper.
- Serve this cake fresh as it's best when hot out the oven! Otherwise warm up slices for 10 seconds in the microwave before serving.
