Chocolate Banana Upside-Down Cake

Sweet, sticky, caramelised bananas on top of a moist yet incredibly light chocolate-chip sponge - this is the stuff dreams are made of!

This cake is a real show-stopper and it's perfect for parties as it can be served warm as a pudding with a good dollop of ice cream or cold with tea or coffee after a meal. Be warned: this cake is highly addictive and you may find yourself going back for seconds... and thirds...

Chocolate Banana Upside-Down Cake

200g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease 
100g caster sugar 
100g dark brown sugar 
3 medium free-range eggs 
300g plain flour 
1 tsp baking powder 
2 ripe bananas, mashed 
150g dark chocolate chips 
100ml whole milk 

For the caramel and banana topping: 
50g unsalted butter 
70g soft light brown sugar 
70ml golden syrup 
4-5 just ripe bananas, peeled and sliced in half lengthways

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4 and grease a 23cm springform cake tin. 

To make the topping, put the 50g butter, brown sugar and syrup in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Cook at a gentle simmer, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is thick and golden. Pour the syrup into the cake tin. Arrange the sliced bananas, cut-side down, over the base of the tin. 

Put the 200g butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift in the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt, then gently fold through the mixture with a large wooden spoon. Mix in the mashed bananas, chocolate chips and enough milk to reach a dropping consistency – the mixture should drop heavily from the spoon when lifted (you may not need to use all the milk). Dollop the batter evenly over the bananas and smooth the top with a spatula. 

Put the cake on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, then bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden on top and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave in the tin for 5 minutes to cool slightly, then invert onto a large serving plate. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream as a pudding, or cool with a cup of tea or coffee.

TIP: You must bake this cake on a tray as some of the syrup is likely to leak out of the bottom as it cooks.

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