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This mini Banana Upside Down Cake is the perfect way to use one banana. It bakes into a soft, buttery cake with a sweet, golden caramelized banana topping – perfect for a small dessert or for one or two people to enjoy.
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“Seriously incredible recipe. Easy to put together, bakes beautifully and tastes amazing!”
– Anita
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple to Make: Uses basic ingredients and easy steps.
- Quick Bake Time: Ready in under an hour from start to finish.
- Perfect Portion: Made with one banana and sized for one or two people.
- Great Flavor: Sweet caramelized bananas on top of a soft, buttery cake.
What I love most about this banana upside down cake is the way the bananas melt into a golden, caramelized layer that clings to the soft, buttery cake beneath. Every bite gives you that deep, sweet banana flavor with just the right amount of richness, no frosting or fancy tools needed. It’s warm, inviting, and one of my favorite ways to use a single ripe banana.
If you’ve got another banana to use, try one of our other single serving and small batch favorites – like our moist banana nut bread recipe, indulgent single serve bananas foster, creamy small banana pudding, or our rich small hummingbird cake recipe.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this small banana upside down cake recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Milk: Adds moisture and helps create a crisp crust. Whole milk is best, but almond, soy, or oat milk work for a dairy-free version.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour. For a gluten-free cake, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
- Banana: Ripe bananas add sweetness and flavor. Try extra bananas in mini banana cream pie, small chocolate chip banana bread, or our tropical smoothie recipe.
- Butter: Melted butter caramelizes the bananas; softened butter adds richness to the cake. Use either salted or unsalted. For softened butter, let it sit out for 20 minutes – it should indent when pressed.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Variations
Customize your caramelized banana upside down cake with these simple additions:
- Chocolate Chips: Stir in a handful of chocolate chips for extra sweetness.
- Chopped Nuts: Add crushed walnuts or pecans for texture and crunch.
- Tropical Version: Use thin pineapple slices instead of bananas and sprinkle in coconut flakes.
- Citrus Twist: Mix in orange zest for a bright, citrusy flavor.
How To Make A Banana Upside Down Cake
These photos and instructions help you see how to make a small caramelized banana upside down cake. Refer to the recipe box below for exact measurements.
Recommended Baking Dishes
Use a 5×5 inch or 4×6 inch baking dish. For a larger cake (double the recipe), try a:
- 4.5×8.5-inch loaf pan (1.5-quart)
- 7-inch round springform pan
- 6.5-inch square baking dish
- 6×8 inch baking dish
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Heat to 350°F (177°C). Grease your baking dish and place it on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Make Topping: Stir melted butter and brown sugar together. Spread evenly in the baking dish. Top with banana slices.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, cream softened butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Make Batter: Stir with a spoon or use a hand mixer on low speed until just combined. Then stir in the milk until the batter is smooth.
- Assemble Cake: Pour the batter over the bananas and smooth the top.
- Bake: Bake for 40–45 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool & Invert: Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto a plate and carefully lift off the dish.
9. Serve: Best served warm. Optional: Dust with powdered sugar before serving. Although this cake doesn’t need anything extra, you can also top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream for an added treat.
Expert Tips
- Use a Ripe Banana: Ripe bananas are sweeter and caramelize better.
- Choose the Right Pan: A 5×5 or 4×6-inch dish works best. Larger pans make the cake too thin; smaller ones can cause overflow.
- Let It Cool: Cool the cake for at least 10 minutes before inverting to help it hold its shape.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s best served warm, shortly after baking.
Cover and store at room temperature for up to one day or refrigerate for up to 3 days. Warm before serving for best texture.
More Mini Cake Recipes
Looking for more individual-sized cakes? Try these reader favorites:
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this Caramelized Banana Upside Down Cake recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve made this small Banana Upside Down Cake or any other One Dish Kitchen recipe, please leave a rating and comment—we’d love to hear what you think!
If you take a photo, tag us on Instagram @onedishkitchen so we can see it!
Mini Banana Upside Down Cake
Watch How To Make This
Equipment
- 5-inch baking dish or a 4×6-inch baking dish
Ingredients
For the Caramelized Banana
- 1 ½ tablespoons salted butter -melted
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 medium banana -sliced
For the Cake
- 2 tablespoons salted butter -softened to room temperature
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 1 large egg
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
Caramelize the Banana
- Heat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease the baking dish and place it on a rimmed baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, stir the melted butter and brown sugar together. Spread evenly in the baking dish. Top with banana slices.
Make the Cake
- In a medium bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar using a hand mixer on low speed. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in the milk.
- Pour the batter over the bananas and smooth the top.
- Bake for 40–45 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto a plate and carefully lift off the dish.
- Best served warm. Optional: Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
- Use a Ripe Banana: Ripe bananas are sweeter and caramelize better.
- Choose the Right Pan: A 5×5 or 4×6-inch dish works best. Larger pans make the cake too thin; smaller ones can cause overflow.
- Let It Cool: Cool the cake for at least 10 minutes before inverting to help it hold its shape.
- 4.5×8.5-inch loaf pan (1.5-quart)
- 7-inch round springform pan
- 6.5-inch square baking dish
- 6×8 inch baking dish
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I made this yesterday, and the cake part was delicious. BUT, the brown sugar & butter topping didn’t come out correctly. It was very browned and did not pour into the bottom of the loaf pan – I had to spread it around, Maybe more melted butter & less brown sugar? The pound cake part was very tasty!
Hi Liz, it sounds like a measuring issue or the baking dish used was too large. As you can see from the photos and video, the melted butter mixed with the brown sugar results in a liquidy mixture which should definitely cover the bottom of the pan but you may need to spread it with the back of a spoon so that it covers the bottom.
Can you freeze in advance the caramelised banana upside down pudding?
I don’t recommend freezing the banana and brown sugar topping.
I’m very much a “doctored box mix” kind of girl when it comes to cake, so I was hesitant to try this. But the picture looked so good and I could use more small sized dessert recipes (I live alone and have a moderate sweet tooth). I was able to throw it together while cooking dinner, so it’s definitely an easy recipe. No sticking issues (parchment paper and nonstick spray to cover my bases), smelled amazing. The cake was a lovely texture. In the future I might add more vanilla and maybe a bit of sour cream, just because i like the tang and added moisture. And slice the bananas thinner because I liked it best where they almost dissolved into the caramel.
I’m so happy to know that you enjoyed the cake, Briana. Thank you so much for your feedback.
Great recipe.
Excited to try this recipe! If doubling, should I use a bigger pan?
Yes, I recommend using either a 6.5 inch square baking dish or a 6×8 inch baking dish if doubling the recipe.
This dessert tastes fantastic, and is very easy to put together.
My God this was so good. Just used a seven inch ramekin and worked fine. Will make again. Also made the blueberry muffin with frozen berries. Will have for breakfast.
This sounds delicious! My question is…I have a 4inch springform pan….should I cut the recipe in half and what would the baking time be? I think it would be too much batter for a 4 inch pan..
No, a 4-inch pan is going to be too small and there will still be too much batter even if you reduce the recipe by half. You could cut the recipe in half and fill your 4-inch pan about 2/3 full and pour the extra batter into smaller baking dishes, ramekins, cupcake tins, etc.
I used a 4 inch spring form. I cut the recipe in half and reduced cook time to 30mins. It did rise to very top.
Hi, can i use a frozen banana for this recipe? Can i switch to almond flour?
Yes, although I recommend you thaw the banana first, otherwise a fully frozen banana will provide too much moisture for the cake. I have not tested this recipe with almond flour so I can’t tell you the ingredient amount to use or how the cake will taste if made with any flour other than all-purpose.
I have made the bread pudding more times than I can count. The chocolate chip dessert cookie & pound cake. Polish pottery makes small dishes perfect for these desserts. I have loved them all. Best pound cake that I have ever made.
Can I use the Jiffy cake mix?
I suppose you can for the cake part. The recipe has not been tested with any cake mix so I really have no idea how it will turn out for you.
I made this yesterday and it turned out perfect. I did use the Jiffy Cake Mix. The pan was smaller than what you suggested. I only had a 6 inch baking pan (not a springform). I buttered the pan, put parchment paper on the bottom, followed the directions with the sugar, butter, and bananas and filled it halfway with the batter. Baked it for about 30 minutes. With the rest of the batter I was able to make 11 mini cupcakes. It was delicious and I plan on making it again. Thank you for the recipe. SO GOOD.
I made this in my small Polish pottery dish & it was absolutely delicious!