It’s 2022, and banana bread is so lockdown 2020. However platanos the wrong way up cake? That can by no means get outdated.
As somebody who all the time assists in keeping yellow platanos, or plantains, to hand on my kitchen counter or in my freezer, I’m all the time in search of new tactics to use them. And even though making them into platonos en tantacion (just about the Latin American model of bananas foster) isn’t a nasty concept, I lately started pondering of how to become my trusty platanos into one thing extra magical. I contemplated banana truffles that I may just give a Hispanic kick to. Plátano cream pudding crossed my thoughts (and I’ll most certainly make that too), however what’s extra breathtaking than an the wrong way up cake to sing their own praises what a platano can do?
Even though they appear alike, there are some key variations between bananas and plantains. The latter are a starchy banana selection frequently used all the way through Latin The us. They’re normally greater and more difficult than bananas, with a miles thicker pores and skin. They could also be inexperienced, yellow, or very darkish brown. Inexperienced plantains are used for savory arrangements, whilst the yellow ones in finding their method into sweeter dishes. When ripe, plantains have a dry texture, while ripe bananas are clean and creamy. And whilst ripe bananas are eaten uncooked, plantains aren’t — they want warmth and fats (and loads of it) to be palatable and assist spoil down their starches. Once they’re cooked, they’re candy like a banana however don’t style like one — as an alternative, they have got a vegetal taste. That implies that neither plantains nor this plantain the wrong way up cake have that banana taste we’re so used to in the USA, the place “banana” normally refers to cushy, candy dessert bananas, particularly the ones from the Cavendish circle of relatives.
To broaden this recipe, I pored over a ton of vintage banana the wrong way up cake recipes and in addition recalled my favorites. Something I knew needless to say was once that my cake would comprise bitter cream, since probably the most very best banana the wrong way up desserts I’ve ever had used bitter cream or buttermilk. That’s no twist of fate: the acidity in each substances brings a pleasing tang to the cake and is helping to tenderize the gluten within the flour, which supplies the cake a softer texture and extra frame.
For this cake, search for the yellowest plantains you’ll in finding. Spots like a leopard are excellent. And if you’ll’t in finding contemporary ones, take a look at the freezer phase, the place plantains are on occasion offered peeled and frozen.
As an alternative of frosting, the plantains themselves are used to brighten the cake. Sliced in half-lengthwise and dripping in caramel, they’re easy but surprising. So the following time you come back throughout a plantain and sweetness the right way to use it, neatly, now you understand — move and bake a cake.
Plantain Upside Down Cake Recipe
Makes 1 (9-inch) cake
Components:
For the caramel topping:
¼ cup unsalted butter
½ cup (100 grams) brown sugar
1 pinch kosher salt
2-3 massive ripe yellow plantains or 6 small plantains
For the cake:
1⅓ cups (180 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon flooring cinnamon
½ cup unsalted butter (softened)
¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
2 massive eggs
½ cup bitter cream or yogurt
Flaky sea salt for garnishing
Directions:
First, make the caramel topping:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 levels. Grease the ground and aspects of a spherical 9-inch springform pan with butter or non-stick cooking spray. Wrap the pan with tin foil for those who occur to have a sugar leak.
Step 2: Upload the butter and sugar to a saucepan and convey to a boil over medium warmth. Let boil, stirring, till the sugar is absolutely dissolved, 2-3 mins. Take away from the warmth and stir within the salt. Pour the caramel into the springform pan and use a spatula to unfold it lightly around the base, operating temporarily and in moderation prior to it cools. Slice the plantains into halves or thirds lengthwise and organize on most sensible of the caramel, lower aspect down to hide the bottom of the pan in one layer.
Subsequent, make the cake:
Step 1: Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Put aside.
Step 2: The use of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or an electrical whisk, cream in combination the butter and sugar. Beat within the eggs separately, scraping the bowl between additions. On low pace, upload half of of the dry substances and blend till simply blended, then upload all the bitter cream or yogurt, blending till simply blended. Upload the remainder dry substances and blend till simply blended. Pour the cake batter over the plantains and unfold it lightly throughout them. Position the cake on a rimmed baking tray and bake for 35 to 45 mins, or till a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out blank.
Step 3: Let the cake cool within the pan for 5-10 mins. Invert it the wrong way up onto a plate and free up the springform pan — you don’t wish to wait any further than this since the caramel will harden and glue the cake to the pan. Let the cake cool for every other 10-Quarter-hour, or till it’s heat however no longer nonetheless scorching (you don’t need it to chill absolutely, or the plantains will strengthen up a bit of). Garnish with sea salt and serve. The cake is very best eaten once it’s made, however will also be saved wrapped tightly in plastic within the fridge for 2-3 days.
Marisel Salazar is a New York Town-based meals and eating place creator, cook dinner, and recipe developer. She is initially from Panama and has lived in Hawaii, Japan, Virginia and Madrid. You’ll be able to in finding her on Twitter and Instagram, and on TikTok at @mariselmsalazar.
Celeste Noche is a Filipino American meals, commute, and portrait photographer founded between Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco.
Recipe examined by means of Deena Prichep
