Upside Down Banana Cake

**This post has been sponsored by Dunkin’ Donuts Bakery Series. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting brands that support me.

I love food brands that remind me of a time and place in my life. Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee at Home is one of those brands.  Going to school in Boston, I like every other college kid in town, had an iced coffee every morning, even when it was below freezing and snowing. I even interned at the advertising agency that held the Dunkin’ account and made some horribly embarrassing advertising campaign for Dunkin’ Donuts as my final project that thankfully has been lost (hopefully).

So when Dunkin’ Donuts Bakery Series approached me about its new campaign to pick a new coffee at home flavor, I was really excited to share it with you.

Here is the deal, there are three new coffee flavors, Blueberry Pancake, Dulce de Leche Cookie, and Coconut Caramel that you can test and vote for your favorite online.

Today, I am pairing the Blueberry Pancake flavor with my upside down banana cake.  The blueberry in the coffee pairs perfectly with the bananas in the cake and I would be a very happy person if I could eat cake for breakfast every morning.  This pairing works all day long.

Head on over to their website (link to www.dunkinflavorite.com) and vote for your favorite. You have until October 31st to enter your choice, plus a chance to win $5,000 or a year’s supply of the winning flavor (think of all the cups of coffee!!). The best part, you can totally help choose which flavor will be in stores next May. 

Stay tuned for some more tasty dessert recipes headed your way when I pair the Dulce de Leche Cooke and Coconut Caramel.

---

Upside Down Banana Cake

For the banana topping:

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons dark rum
• 1 vanilla bean, split in half (optional)
• 4 - 5 large just-ripe bananas, halved lengthwise

For cake batter:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 Tbs butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon dark rum
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9 ½" cake pan with non-stick spray.

In a small sauté pan over medium heat, melt butter and brown sugar together, stirring to incorporate. Add rum.

Pour butter and sugar mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and spread evenly. Add the vanilla bean if using and carefully place bananas halves flat side down on the pan and set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in a medium sized bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixture, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 to 6 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, then rum and vanilla extract. Starting and finishing with the flour mixture, alternate adding the flour and buttermilk mixture. Mix only until just combined.

Pour batter on top of bananas and spread evenly.

Bake banana cake for 40 to 45minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cake rest for 5 minutes then carefully flip over.