These Banana Upside Down Muffins turned out positively delicious. I love upside down desserts, the way the sugar caramelizes and just melts in your mouth. Adding the fabulous flavor of bananas to the mix was just icing on the… muffin!
Quite a while ago I received a cookbook called Sweet!: From Agave to Turbinado, Home Baking with Every Kind of Natural Sugar and Sweetener
by Mani Niall. I had thumbed through it several times and bookmarked quite a few recipes, but never found the time to make anything.
Banana Upside Down Muffins
On a side note, there was an error in this recipe in the book. I contacted Chef Mani Niall through his website and he was super nice and very helpful with straightening things out. The recipe below is correct.
As you’ll see from the picture below, I did have a couple of casualties when inverting the pan.
I love pineapple upside down cake and I love bananas. So when I saw the name of this recipe I knew it would be something I would enjoy. Even the kids liked the flavor of these muffins! So if you are like me and you get tired of making banana bread, try this delicious recipe on for size. These are perfect breakfast or brunch muffins!
If you prefer it as a dessert, pair it with some freshly whipped cream sweetened with powdered sugar and a little banana extract, sprinkled with cinnamon.
More upside down desserts
You just cannot go wrong with classic pineapple upside down cake made in a cast iron skillet. This recipe tends to be very nostalgic for people because this is how their grandma or great grandma always made it. Nostalgic recipes are dear to our hearts because it helps people remember those that are no longer with us.
A different approach is this blueberry upside down cake. Don’t be fooled, there are lots and LOTS of blueberries. You could probably cut down the number of berries if you wanted to. But would you really want to??
This recipe for raspberry upside down cake actually uses Bisquick! You remember Bisquick don’t you? It’s still around and still in people’s pantries. If you don’t use it though, read through the recipe and compare it to the blueberry upside down cake and I’m sure you could substitute with cake mix.
Banana Upside Down Muffins
IMPORTANT - There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- non-stick cooking spray
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup dark muscovado or brown sugar packed (I used dark brown sugar)
- 4 ripe bananas
Muffins:
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour preferably organic
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup dark muscovado or brown sugar packed
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3 tbsp whole milk
- 3 tbsp dark rum
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 F. Lightly spray a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
- To prepare the pans, place 2 teaspoons of the butter and 2 teaspoons of the brown sugar in each muffin cup. Bake until the mixture in each cup is melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cool for a few minutes. Peel the bananas and cut them on a diagonal into 48 thin slices. In each muffin cup, place two banana slices on the bottom and two banana slices along the sides.
- To make the muffins, sift together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt in a medium sized bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, oil, eggs, milk, rum, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the egg mixture, and stir just until blended. Do not overbeat. Divide evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling them as full as possible (be sure to divide them evenly, they will be about 3/4 way full).
- Bake until the center of a muffin springs back when pressed gently with your finger, about 18 minutes. Immediately invert and unmold the muffins onto a wire rack. Cool briefly and serve. The muffins are best the day they are made.
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Amanda Davis
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Kali says
Can’t wait to try these, I love bananas. One problem, 2 tsp. of butter in each muffin cup would be 24 tsp. That’s 8 tablespoons of butter not 4.
Lisa Milner says
I made the vegan version and used Welch’s sparkling cider instead of the rum, everyone, loved it
Stephanie says
I made these today along with your cheeseburger pasta and they were very good. I didn’t have enough bananas so I made a couple with pineapple and cherries. Very delicious. The rum adds that extra flavor that really makes these delicious. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks so much Stephanie, I’m so happy you enjoyed them both! And I agree, the rum does it!
Georgina Sikora says
Yum I just made these :) I love bananas and I will be making these again!! Thanks for the recipe!!
Schel says
this was really good! I usually dislike bananas and was looking for ways to use up our bananas in a way I’d actually want to eat them-then I found this recipe. So made it straight away…….YUMMM! Really good with the syrup. Only thing is that it looks like next day it might be dry, fast? Will test it out tomorrow with some yoghurt. :)
Thanks!
Amanda Formaro says
So glad you liked it! How were they the next day?
Cindy says
My stomach is already grumbling….I don’t have rum….what can I use in place of the rum?
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Cindy :) 1 1/2 (one and a half) teaspoons of rum extract is a good substitution for the 3 tablespoons of dark rum. Brandy is also a good substitution in equal amounts to the rum. If you don’t have either and are not concerned about the flavor enhancement that the rum can offer, you can use 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla or even 3 tablespoons of water or apple juice. :) Enjoy!
MJ says
Is the rum a necessity?
I want to try these and have everything but the rum!
Amanda says
No, you can remove the rum and use a teaspoon of rum extract instead. If you don’t have that either I believe it would be safe to leave it out altogether.
Patricia says
Just tried making this today. It’s ohhh-so-yummmy! You can never go wrong with bananas. Thanks for sharing. :)
Amanda says
So glad you enjoyed them Patricia!
Amanda says
Thanks everyone, so glad you are enjoying them!
Veronica says
i cant stop eating them my friend made them got me addicted to them and now i cant stop maken them so i could eat them. thanks for the recipe there really awesome
★ SAM ★ says
I blogged these =] I sourced you
http://svereb.blogspot.com/2011/04/banana-upside-down-mmuffins.html
Bill says
These definitely look delicious would like to try think I will try to make them as sugar free as possible
sophistimom says
What a great recipe. I love natural sweeteners, too, but a lot of the time, I'm too chicken to experiment with them. Thanks for posting this, it looks delicious.
Amanda says
Megan – definitely good for breakfast!
Nohemi beh says
I have made many different recipes and this is been by far THE BEST EVER
I have a photo
How can I post it???
Amanda says
Oh yes, that would be great! Go to my Facebook page and add it! https://www.facebook.com/AmandasCookin
Megan says
Looks like a perfect little breakfast goodie to me! Love that caramel goodness.
Amanda says
wholesomewomanhood – so glad you enjoyed them!! :)
Canuck and Heather – thanks guys, they were really good :)
Heather Davis says
Wow these look amazing! I am definitely making them.
Cookin' Canuck says
What a fantastic idea! These look sticky and sweet – everything an upside down cake (or muffin) should be.
wholesomewomanhood says
I made these for our breakfast this morning. So delicious!!
Jelli Bean says
Amanda, I just found your blog this week and can I tell you how in love I am? I love the recipes, the crafts..Give me more! I can't wait to continue exploring.