A deliciously moist salted caramel banana upside down cake that’s gluten and refined sugar free.
Banana desserts are amongst my favorite, aside from chocolate, of course. 😉 Bananas foster, banana bread, banana pudding…you name it and I probably love it. I usually use our overripe bananas to make pancakes or muffins, but this time I thought I’d use them in a simple dessert. This cake is almost like a combination of banana bread and bananas foster, but the cake is more delicate and softer than a bread and you don’t have to light anything on fire. 😉
I make a simple caramel sauce using coconut sugar and a bit of maple syrup to bring it all together. Unfortunately, coconut oil did not work for the caramel. I tried it and it fried the sugar instead of melting it. My organic, grass-fed butter worked beautifully, which is what I recommend in the recipe. I also tried it with Earth Balance original buttery spread and it worked fine, but got a little darker in color. If you have success with anything else, please help out someone else and share in the comments below!
I also use coconut sugar in the cake which makes everything a bit darker in color, but coconut sugar has a delicious flavor, similar to brown sugar. The cake may appear a darker brown color when you remove it from the oven, but that is perfectly normal and is not burnt, unless you baked it for half an hour longer than suggested!
The perfect treat to go along with your cup of tea or coffee and one of the best uses of overripe bananas around. Enjoy, friends!

Salted Caramel Banana Upside Down Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 9-inch cake 1x
Description
A deliciously moist banana cake topped with lightly salted caramelized bananas. Gluten and refined sugar free.
Ingredients
Banana Cake:
- 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
plus enough milk added to vinegar to make 1 cup (I used almond milk)
- 1/3 cup Coconut Oil
or softened unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup Coconut Sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup ripe bananas, mashed (about 3 medium)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour or unbleached all-purpose flour – I used Bobs Red Mill 1 To 1 Baking Flour
- 1/4 cup Coconut Flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Salted Caramel
- 2 ripe bananas, sliced (about 1/8-inch thick slices)
Salted Caramel:
- 2 tablespoons butter (Earth Balance butter worked too)
- 4 tablespoons Coconut Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup
- pinch of sea salt, to taste
Instructions
Banana Cake:
- Pour 1 tablespoon of vinegar into a 1-cup measuring cup and pour enough milk to make 1 cup. Let sit for milk to sour. Milk may begin to look curdled, but it will be fine.
- Into a mixing bowl, beat coconut oil and sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until thoroughly incorporated. Mix in mashed bananas and vanilla.
- In a small bowl, mix together all-purpose flour, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. Turn the mixer back on and slowly add half the flour mixture. Slowly pour in the soured milk and then add the rest of the flour mixture, mixing just until combined. Do not over-mix.
- Take a rubber scraper and scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl to make sure everything is well incorporated. Set aside while you prepare the salted caramel and preheat oven to 350ºF
Salted Caramel:
- Place a 9-inch springform pan onto a cookie sheet and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, begin to melt butter and coconut sugar over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a fork or whisk. Coconut sugar burns easily, so make sure that your heat isn’t too high. When the sugar begins to melt, stir in the maple syrup, which will help to bring the sauce together.
- Pour hot caramel into the bottom of the springform pan and quickly spread to coat before it cools. Cut the ripe banana into thin slices and place in concentric circles on top of the caramel. Carefully pour the cake batter on top of the bananas and caramel. Place springform pan along with cookie sheet into the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until center of cake is set and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs. It will appear very brown, but that is due to the dark color of the coconut sugar. Let cake cool slightly.
- Use an offset spatula to release cake from the edge of the springform pan. Carefully remove the side of the springform pan and invert the cake onto a serving platter. Use the offset spatula, if necessary, to remove the bottom of the pan from the cake. Cake is best if served immediately.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Dessert, Cake, Gluten Free
Delicious and unique spin to just the traditional banana bread. It was so moist and yummy! The whole family loved it . I love your recipes sister! Can’t wait to make this for someone at church.
Hi Carissa, I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and for the kind words! Have a wonderful weekend!
Guys, Thanks For sharing this Great Recipe. My Family Loved it. I am definitely sharing this recipe and this website with my friend. Hope they also love it. Thank you again for sharing such a great recipe.
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I believe that caramel is invented to be enjoyed with banana, the combination of banana and caramel is heavenly, be it in ice cream or cake. Your cake looks so delicious and moist, gorgeous 🙂
Ooo this does look lovely!! I love upside down cakes, they are so tasty! love the bananas in here!
Oh my goodness. I can’t believe all the yummy things I’ve been missing over the past few weeks. This certainly is soooo delicious looking. I’m interested to hear the coconut oil didn’t do it for you. I must try a vegan version of the caramel and let you know how I get on.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Kimberly! I was recently able to try it with Earth Balance buttery spread and it worked well. I would love to hear how you fair making a vegan version! I’ve also seen some using coconut milk that I’ve been meaning to try..
Hope you had a lovely weekend, my friend!
WOW! This looks gorgeous and amazingly delicious. Wish I could grab a slice right now 🙂
Thanks, Kushi! We really loved it!
Oh my gosh, Pineapple Upside Down Cake is one of my faves so I can only imagine how this recipe take it up a delicious notch. Pinning!
Thank you, Angie! I appreciate the pin too!
This upside-down banana cake is beautiful Joscelyn! Love the addition of salted caramel. The banana slices on top look so perfect. Such a delicious recipe! I love it! Pinned <3
Thank you, Harriet! Salted caramel is so yum…definitely one of my favorite indulgences! Appreciate the pin too my friend 😉 Hope you’re having a wonderful Sunday!!
Love anything caramel and bananas and upside down cake too. So this beauty is calling my name. Absolutely delicious share, my friend! Plus, I have a banana lover family, so I am sure everyone will enjoy this!
Thank you, Anu! Most people love bananas, so it’s usually a safe choice for a crowd! Hope you’re having a great weekend my friend!
Just like you Joscelyn, I also love banana and anything made out of it. You have used an ingredient called “coconut sugar” I have never used it and heard about it. I will see if it is available here in store, so that I can try this recipe. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thank you, Puja! Yes, I love banana desserts 🙂 Coconut sugar is similar to brown sugar, so you can usually use it as a direct substitute if you can’t find coconut sugar. Hope that helps!
That looks so insanely delicious! I love anything with bananas and salted caramel is amazing so I definitely need to try this!
Thanks, Courtney! It’s such a yummy combination 🙂
Looks amazing!! Love salted ANYTHING!
Thanks, Jenny! I love salt too…probably a little too much! 🙂
I’ve never thought of combining salted caramel with banana! This looks incredible!
Hi Esther. Thank you, it was really delicious! I hope you get to try this recipe out! I appreciate your kind words!
Oh my goodness this is right up my alley! YUM! I pinned it too. 🙂
Thank you for pinning, Christina! Have a wonderful week!
OMG mouth watering!
Thank you, Alix! I hope you have a wonderful week!
This looks delicious! I also love all things banana and can’t wait to try this recipe! Thank you for sharing a more healthy version of a great dessert!
Thank you, Kailei! I hope you get to try this recipe out soon!
Bananas foster is Travis’ all time FAVORITE dessert! He’s going to lose his mind when he sees this! I’ve never tried making it before & this is so similar but so much better that what usual bananas foster recipes call for.
I just got some coconut sugar the other day (thanks to your suggestion) and I always have bananas around, so this is the perfect recipe to use coconut sugar for the first time!
Thanks, Stacey! I love most anything with bananas 🙂 I’m glad you’re going to try coconut sugar! I really hope you like it..It does have a distinct flavor, but it’s very comparable to brown sugar in baking. 🙂 Hope you’re having a wonderful start to the week my friend!
yummm..this looks sooo good..My hubby loves bananas..am surely going to make this for him..thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Cookilicious! Let me know how you like it. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we have!
Omg this cake looks so amazing! I also love banana desserts! Thanks for sharing!
Laura | Laura Aime Vous
Thank you for your encouragement Laura! I hope you get to try it out!
This looks absolutely delicious and I love bananas and caramel 🙂 I will try this asap. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Melanie, I hope you are having a wonderful day today! Let me know what you think when you try this out. I appreciate you taking the time to comment!
This sounds so unique and delicious! I love banana in desserts too, especially if there’s chocolate and peanut butter in there. 😉 This dessert is pretty also, that’s big plus! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Justine! The bananas and caramel really made for a great combination. I agree, peanut butter and chocolate are great too!
You had me at salted caramel! This upside down cake looks super good and pretty easy to make! Thank you for sharing this great cake recipe!
Hi, Ashleigh! I hope you are having a great day! Thank you for taking the time to stop by and for your encouragement!