Banana Upside Down Cake (No Eggs, No Dairy)

This Banana Upside Down Cake is a delicious egg-free and dairy-free cake recipe to use 4 of your ripe bananas for a beautiful and surprising dessert! It’s the banana version of your classic pineapple upside-down cake!

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While the whole recipe is just below, don’t miss all my tips further down, including ingredient swaps, my cooking tips, and step-by-step shots!

Banana Upside Down Cake

This Banana Upside Down Cake is a delicious egg-free and dairy-free cake recipe to use 4 of your ripe bananas for a beautiful and surprising dessert!

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Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 45 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12 slices

Calories: 246.4 kcal

Author: Carine Claudepierre

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Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

Bottom layer

• ▢ 3 tablespoons Coconut Oil - softened, not melted, refined to prevent coconut flavor (note 1)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons Soft Brown Sugar - (note 2)
• ▢ 4 large Bananas - yellow, sliced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Cinnamon - (note 3)

Cake Batter

• ▢ 1 ½ cup All-Purpose Flour - (note 4)
• ▢ ⅔ cup Unrefined Sugar - (note 5)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• ▢ 6 tablespoons Light Olive Oil - (note 6)
• ▢ ¾ cup Unsweetened Almond Milk - (note 7)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Prepare a 10-inch pie plate or 9-inch dish with high borders. Set aside.

Bottom Layer

• In a small bowl add solid coconut oil, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Use a fork to press and form a creamy paste.
• Use a silicone spatula or pastry brush to spread the soft mixture all over the bottom and sides of the dish. It must be generously coated at the bottom to form a thick caramel.
• Peel the bananas and slice them into slices of about 0.2 inches/0.5cm.
• Place all the banana slices in the pan, next to each other, in a single layer until the whole bottom of the pan is fully covered. If you cut too many slices of bananas, freeze them in Ziploc bags for later and use them in smoothies. Set the pan aside.

Cake Batter

• In a mixing bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and cinnamon.
• Fold in almond milk, light olive oil, and vanilla extract. Stir with a silicone spatula until the batter is smooth.
• Pour the batter over the prepared pan with banana slices at the bottom.
• Before inserting the pan in the oven, place a large baking sheet on the bottom rack – this is a tip to gather any caramel that will overflow from the baking dish – it prevents the oven from getting messy.
• Bake the cake on the center rack of the oven for 30-45 minutes at 350°F (180°C), and foil the pan, if it browns too fast to your liking. Check the baking time every 5 minutes after 30 minutes by inserting a pick in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready to come out of the oven.
• Let it cool down for 10 minutes in its cake pan, then run the tip of a knife all around the pan to unstick the caramel from the border. Flip the pan over a wire rack, tap the back of the pan to help release the cake. It's the tricky part. When the cake is on the wire rack, if some of the banana slices stay stuck on the pan, release them with a fork and replace them on top of your cake. Fully cool down at room temperature.
• Serve plain or with a dust of cinnamon.

Notes

Note 1: You can use unrefined coconut oil if you enjoy its light coconut taste in the recipe. Other options are plant-based butter or butter, if you use dairy.

Note 2: You can also use coconut sugar or muscovado sugar for refined sugar-free options.

Note 3: Or pumpkin pie spices.

Note 4: Or white wholewheat flour, or white spelt flour. The recipe doesn’t work with almond flour or oat flour.

Note 5: Or unrefined cane sugar.

Note 6: Or any low-flavor oil you like, including canola oil, or melted refined coconut oil.

Note 7: Or any other plant-based milk like coconut milk, soy milk, or oat milk.

Storage: Store the cake in the fridge in an airtight cake box for up to 4 days.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 246.4kcal | Carbohydrates: 36.7g | Protein: 2.2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3.9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5.5g | Sodium: 113.4mg | Potassium: 185.2mg | Fiber: 1.8g | Sugar: 19.6g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 29.4mg | Iron: 0.9mg | Magnesium: 16.2mg | Phosphorus: 27.2mg | Zinc: 0.2mg

Ingredients and Substitutions

You need just a few wholesome ingredients for this recipe. Here’s how to pick and swap them.

• Coconut Oil – This forms the base of the sticky bottom layer, providing richness and helping the caramel form. Using refined coconut oil prevents a strong coconut flavor, but unrefined also works if you enjoy that taste. Plant-based butter is another good option that works fine.
• Soft Brown Sugar – This combines with the coconut oil to create a sweet caramel layer. Coconut sugar or muscovado sugar are also suitable for a refined sugar-free option.
• Cinnamon – This adds a warm spice note to the caramel layer. Pumpkin pie spices also work well. Keep some for the batter.
• Large Bananas – These create the visual “upside-down” effect and bring some sweetness and moisture to the bottom layer. Using yellow (not overly ripe) bananas helps them hold their shape better.
• All-Purpose Flour – This provides the main structure for the cake batter. White whole wheat flour or white spelt flour are also good choices.
• Unrefined Sugar – This sweetens the cake batter. Unrefined cane sugar is also fine. If you don’t mind regular white sugar, you can also use that.
• Baking Soda – This helps the cake rise and become fluffy.  
• Light Olive Oil – This adds moisture and tenderness to the cake batter. Canola oil or melted refined coconut oil are also suitable low-flavor options.
• Unsweetened Almond Milk – This provides liquid for the cake batter.  
• Vanilla Extract – This enhances the overall sweetness and aroma of the cake.

How to Make Banana Upside Down Cake

This recipe is super simple to whip up in just a few steps. I’ve tried to capture the key parts below in pictures.

Combine the sugar, cinnamon, and coconut oil in a mixing bowl.

Spread the sugar mixture in a pie pan and add banana slices on the top.

Arrange the banana slices in a single layer, covering the whole pan.

Combine the dough ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Pour the cake mixture on top of the sliced bananas and spread it flat.

Bake the cake on the center rack of the oven for 30-45 minutes at 350°F (180°C).

Carine’s Baking Tips

Let me share a few more tips for a perfect cake.

• Unmolding the Cake – The most challenging part is unmolding the cake. Run the tip of a knife around the cake’s edge to loosen it from the pan before flipping it onto a wire rack. Gently tapping the back of the pan after flipping helps release the cake by creating vibrations.
• Use a Pie Dish – Always use a pie dish (or a baking dish with high sides) instead of a springform pan. A springform pan will allow all the delicious caramel to escape during baking.
• Protect Your Oven – Place a large baking sheet or foil on the bottom rack of your oven. This catches any caramel that might overflow from the dish, preventing a messy oven cleanup.
• Choose Yellow Bananas – For the bottom layer, use yellow bananas, not overly ripe ones. Ripe bananas can become too soft and mushy, making the cake harder to release and potentially affecting the texture of the bottom layer.
• Serving – A light dusting of cinnamon or a scoop of your favorite ice cream makes a lovely serving accompaniment.

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