Cardamom Banana Upside Down Cake

Ingredients

• 3 overripe bananas
• 2 ripe bananas, not too ripe! (to cut and line the bottom of the pan)
• 3 Tbsp melted clarified butter, or unsalted butter in a pinch
• 3/4 cup (150g) of granulated sugar
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1/2 cup (120ml) maple syrup
• 3/4 cup (105g) all-purpose flour
• Seeds from 4 cardamom pods, ground (this translates to about 1 tsp of ground cardamom if you don’t have whole pods)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 stick (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Mash and Drain the Overripe Bananas:
   • Use a fork or masher to smash the 3 overripe bananas in a microwave safe bowl.
   • Microwave the bananas for one minute.
   • Transfer the banana pulp to a fine mesh strainer and sit it over a bowl to let the liquid drain. Cover with a kitchen towel and let drain for 1 hour. Do not press the pulp into the strainer! Just let gravity do its thing. This is a crucial step to ensure the cake batter is the right consistency.
2. Prep:
   • Grease a 9″ cake pan with 1 Tbsp of the melted clarified butter. Make sure to brush the sides of the pan as well.
   • Cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan to line.
   • Slice the two remaining bananas lengthwise. You may be able to cut the banana 3 or 4 times lengthwise. The thinner the slices are, the better! If the bananas on top are too thick, the top will have a mushy texture when eating.
   • Spread the thinly cut banana slices on the parchment paper on the prepared pan. Make sure to cover the entire pan neatly. This will be the top of the cake!
   • Put aside.
3. Make the Caramel Syrup:
   • In a small saucepan, heat 50g (1/4 cup) of the sugar, 1/8 tsp cream of tartar, and 2 Tbsp of water on medium high heat.
   • Give a quick stir with a spatula to mix the ingredients together. Once ingredients are homogenous, stop stirring.
   • Leave the mixture alone without stirring.
   • The mixture will begin to bubble. Keep an eye on it at this point to ensure that the bottom doesn’t burn.
   • Once the syrup begins to caramelize and turn an amber color, give an occasional stir so that the bottom doesn’t burn. Continue to cook until has fully turned a light amber color. It should be a thin, pourable consistency.
   • Remove from heat.
   • Return to the prepared pan that has been lined with the banana slices.
   • Pour the hot caramel syrup over the bananas in the pan.
   • Pour the 1/2 cup (120 ml) maple syrup over the bananas as well.
   • Put aside.
4. Make the Cake Batter:
   • Preheat oven to 325^oF.
   • Open 4 cardamom pods and add the seeds to a mortar in pestle. Grind into a fine powder.
   • If you can’t find whole cardamom pods, you can use 1 tsp ground cardamom instead, but the cardamom flavor will not be as pronounced. You may want to taste the batter after fully made to see if you need to add more cardamom powder to your taste.
   • In a medium bowl, sift together 3/4 cup (105g) of all-purpose flour, the ground cardamom, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 baking soda, and 1/4 tsp salt . If you don’t have a sifter, use a whisk to get rid of any clumps. Put dry ingredients aside.
   • Cream together the stick of unsalted butter (113g), the remaining 2 Tbsp remaining melted ghee, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and the remaining 1/2 cup (100g) of sugar. Cream until light and fluffy.
   • Beat in one egg at a time with a whisk, using a spatula to wipe down the sides of the bowl in between additions.
   • At this point, I like to use a spatula to incorporate the components by hand. Gently folding prevents losing all of the air you beat into the sugar and eggs.
   • Add half of the sifted dry ingredients to the bowl and use a spatula to fold in until just combined.
   • Check on the banana pulp that has been draining. It should look pretty dry after an hour of draining, and it should have cooled to room temperature. Once again, do not press the pulp into the strainer to get out remaining liquid.
   • Fold the drained banana pulp into the batter gently until fully incorporated.
   • Add in the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until there are no pockets of dry ingredients.
   • Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. You will see some of the caramel syrup pool around the sides.
   • Use an offset spatula to smooth the batter evenly to the sides of the pan.
5. Bake and Serve:
   • Bake for 50-60 minutes.
   • The cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
   • Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.
   • If the sides of the cake are sticking, use a knife to release the sticking points.
   • Carefully invert the cake over a serving plate and remove the pan. Peel off the parchment paper and serve.

Note: This cake is great to eat straight out of the oven when it is still warm, although I have noticed that leaving the cake on the counter covered overnight allows for the syrup to fully soak into the cake and gives it a deeper caramel flavor. This cake can stay covered on the counter or in the fridge for up to 3 days.