Prediction: This gorgeous caramel-topped banana cake will turn up in lots of Instagram feeds (and on bake-sale tables) this fall. It’s from Gail Simmons’ first cookbook, Bringing It Home, in which the popular Top Chef judge reveals her own impressive culinary chops and shares her favorite recipes to enjoy in your own kitchen.
“Banana bread was always a staple in my mom’s kitchen when I was growing up,” says Simmons. “Over the years, I have riffed on her recipe in dozens of ways. This idea turned out to be a total keeper. It’s pretty perfect.”
It’s also typical of Simmons’ approach in the kitchen. It’s familiar (banana bread!) and modern at the same time, with its salty caramel topping, beautiful big slices of banana and warm cardamom. It’s at once homey and upscale. Simmons is especially proud of the recipe, because it’s the result of a lot of trial and error to perfect.
“I’m not a chef — I never wanted to be called a chef,” says Simmons. Nevertheless, she has serious chops, having attended culinary school, apprenticed in some of New York’s top kitchens, worked as legendary Vogue food critic Jeffrey Steingarten’s assistant and managed special events for famed chef Daniel Bouloud — all before joining Food & Wine in 2004 and Top Chef in 2006.
Get the recipe for Simmons’ fudgy chocolate meringue cookies >>
With that kind of deep cred, why wait so long to write cookbook? (Simmons’ first book was 2012’s culinary memoir Talking with My Mouth Full.) “I’ve helped write other people’s books,” says Simmons, which gave her a front-row seat to the intensity of a producing a cookbook, and she grappled with the idea of it. “Does the world need another cookbook? Does the world need my recipes?” she recalls wondering.
“But when I had a moment to think about it, my life had changed a lot,” she adds. The birth of her daughter, Dahlia, now 3, and a major home renovation meant more time in her own kitchen cooking for her family. Bringing It Home, two years in the making, shares 100 of Simmons’ favorite dishes, along with hard-earned kitchen wisdom learned from chefs and other mentors (starting with her mom, who was a noted food writer and cooking teacher in Simmons’ native Toronto).
“In a good week, I get to cook dinner three nights a week, and that’s pretty good for a New Yorker,” says Simmons. “Now that I have a daughter, we’re home a lot more. I was ready to share these recipes with everyone.”
You’ll be glad she shared this one.
Banana-Cardamon Upside-Down Cake with Salty Caramel
By
Ingredients
Topping:
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- 2 firm-ripe bananas, peeled
Batter:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 2 bananas, peeled and mashed
- ¾ cup sour cream (preferably full-fat)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Directions
½ cup granulated sugar
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
For topping: Melt butter in a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Stir in brown sugar and salt; cook over medium heat 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until evenly combined. Remove from heat. Cut bananas in half crosswise; cut halves lengthwise in thirds. Arrange slices, cut side down, on top of caramel.
For batter: In a large bowl, combine granulated sugar, brown sugar and softened butter. Beat on high 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium; beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla until combined, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and remaining ingredients. Gradually add dry ingredients to banana mixture until evenly distributed. Pour batter into skillet. Smooth top evenly. Place skillet on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake 40-45 minutes or until lightly browned and a cake tester inserted into middle of cake comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool completely. Run a butter knife around edge of cake, then place skillet over very low heat 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat: carefully invert cake onto a large plate.
Kitchen Counter
Serves 10.
