Emma Petersen’s Miso Maple Upside-down Banana Cake

For the miso maple caramel:

• 120 ml Pure Canadian maple syrup 
• 1 tbsp miso paste
• 50 g coconut oil
• 1 tbsp  smooth nut butter 

For the cake:

• 3  ripe but firm bananas, sliced lengthways
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed  
• 60 g olive oil
• 60 ml  Pure Canadian maple syrup 
• 2 eggs (VE option: flax eggs)
• 1 tsp  vanilla extract 
• 200 g  plain flour
• 1 tsp  baking soda 
• 1/4 tsp  salt
• 1 tsp  cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C fan and line a 23cm round cake tin, plus lightly greasing the sides.
2. Add the maple syrup, coconut oil, nut butter and miso to a small saucepan and place over a low heat, whisking gently until melted, smooth and glossy. Pour this into the base of the tin. 
3. Lay the sliced bananas snugly over the caramel, cut-side down.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, olive oil, maple syrup, eggs and vanilla until smooth and cohesive. Sieve in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon and fold gently until just combined, taking care not to over mix.
5. Spoon the batter over the bananas and smooth the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cake is deeply golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
6. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge, place a plate on top and confidently flip to reveal the maple-soaked bananas and caramel beneath.