There is something about cooked banana that just bowls me over every time. The sugars caramelize so beautifully and make a lovely counterpoint to sweet, moist cake and toothsome shredded coconut. The recipe below is a perfect example.
Starting with a simple boxed cake mix, this cake is easy to whip up. I love the combination of tropical flavors – bananas and coconut in a rich caramel sauce. And of course, don’t forget to top it with a scoop of ice cream or dollop of whipped cream for a really impressive finish to a meal.
Southern Upside Down Banana Coconut Cake
8
10 minutes
40 minutes
50 minutes
Cooking oil spray
1 box yellow cake mix
3 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
6 bananas, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1-1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup (packed) brown sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream and milk and beat on low speed to combine. Then beat on high for 2 minutes.
Mix the lemon juice with the melted butter, and pour into the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar lemon mix and coconut over it in an even layer.
Arrange the banana slices on top of the sugar and coconut in a single layer.
Spoon the cake batter on top of the topping in the pan, smoothing it into an even layer.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven and let cool on a rack for 5 minutes before inverting it onto a large serving platter.