Red Currant Bakery

0 Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the middle of the oven and one lower down. Place a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any potential drips.
Banana Caramel Layer
2 Grease an 8" x 8" square metal pan with soft butter.
3 In a small sauce pan, add in the butter, brown sugar, and optionally the ground espresso. Heat over medium low heat, stirring regularly until the mixture becomes thick and glossy and the butter and sugar have become homogenous.
4 Immediately remove it from the heat and add in vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
5 Pour the hot mixture into the greased pan and sprinkle with two big pinches of flaky sea salt.
6 Peel 3 bananas and slice in half lengthwise. Lay the bananas down into the caramel layer, press them close together as they will shrink while baking. You may need to add another banana as needed to fill in space if you prefer.
7 Set aside while prepping the cake batter.
Banana Bread Cake
9 Add three peeled bananas into a large mixing bowl. Mash the bananas with a fork or your mixer. I used an electric hand mixer but if using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment.
10 Then add in both sugars, salt, vanilla, and both eggs. Beat until mostly smooth.
11 Add in the greek yogurt, oil, and brewed or instant espresso and beat again until combined.
12 Finally add in the flour (I used whole wheat and all purpose flour but you can use 100% all purpose flour if you prefer), baking soda, and baking powder.
13 Mix again once more until combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
14 Pour the batter over the banana caramel layer.
15 Bake the cake on the middle rack in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for another 20-25 minutes until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Flip the cake 
17 Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. No more, no less.
18 After 10 minutes, lay a sheet of parchment paper over the cake and pan, followed by the plate or pan you pan to serve or cut the cake on.
19 Holding onto the plate, parchment, and pan, in one fell swoop, flip the stack over. Give the bottom of the now upside down pan a firm tap and then gently lift the pan off.
20 Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Optionally serve with a dollop of cream cheese whipped cream or sour cream whipped cream.