Great British Baking Challenge No 1 - Upside Down Cake!

Ok, I have decided to honour the 3rd annual Bake Off by trying at least one challenge from each show.  (I know I should do all 3 - but I have a life lol!)

This week, I attempted the signature bake from Week 1 - Upside Down Cake.

I decided to make Lorraine Pascale's Dulce and Banana Cake.

My first tip - never ever EVER leave your caramel for a SECOND let alone for several minutes while you search for your camera to take pictures!  I had a lovely burnt mess at the bottom of my pan lol!  However, apart from that one snaphoo, the rest of the bake was easy peasy simple pimple :)

This is my adapted recipe (I didn't have treacle, so I used golden syrup, and I didn't have wholemeal flour, so I just used all self raising.  I also had no light brown sugar, so I used dark.  Oh, also I had no salt!  Lol, it still came out fine)

Ingredients

For the sticky topping

• 50g/2oz butter, plus extra for greasing
• 50g/2oz soft dark brown sugar

For the sponge

• 150g/5½oz butter
• 175g/6oz soft dark brown sugar
• 4 medium free-range eggs
• a couple of drops of vanilla extract
• 175g self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp golden syrup
• 2 small firm bananas

Method

Grease and line a square tin.  Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

For sticky toffee - Melt sugar and butter over medium heat.  When its all melted, whack up the heat and stir like crazy!  When its a nice light brown colour (and not burnt), pour it into your tin and tip to spread around.

For sponge - Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at time, beating hard between each addition. Add vanilla.  Then fold in both flours, the baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, golden syrup.

Slice the bananas and arrange across tin.  Plop the cake mix on top and smooth. Pop it into the oven for about 35 minutes.  Check with a skewer.

Cool cake in the tin, then turn out onto a plate (Be brave - its better if its quick, just like a plaster lol!)  Take the tin off and peel off the baking parchment.

Cut into squares and eat straight away while its still warm and sticky and gooey!  YUM!

Very easy to make - I acheived it at 7pm on a Sunday evening!

Now come on GD staff, you know you need to comment if you want me to bring you goodies next week..... :)