BANANA UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Banana Upside-Down Cake image

Yield Serves 8

Number Of Ingredients 10

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1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 firm but ripe large bananas, peeled, cut diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt 1/2 cup butter in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add brown sugar and stir until smooth. Pour into 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Arrange banana slices in concentric circles atop sugar mixture, submerging into sugar mixture and covering bottom of pan completely.
Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar and remaining 1/2 cup butter in large bowl to blend. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Sift 2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt into medium bowl. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Beat 2 minutes. Spoon batter over bananas.
Bake cake until puffed and golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean (cake will rise above rim of pan), about 1 hour. Transfer pan to rack and cool 5 minutes (cake will fall slightly). Place platter over cake. Turn cake pan and platter over, inverting cake onto platter. Let stand 15 minutes. Remove cake pan. Rearrange bananas if necessary. Serve warm.