Banana Upside Down Cake

This Donna Hay recipe has had a post-it note sticking on it for a year!  There were two banana recipes in this particular issue that I tagged. One was a loaf cake, which I haven't made yet, but will, and will post it soon. 
But this particular photo had me drooling...I love caramelized bananas. When my grandmother was baking, she'd give me some extra crust and I'd take some bananas and brown sugar and make little pies. Yum! You never forget those first attempts at cooking and those little pies were delicious.
I'm going to insert a word of caution here...this is an extremely sweet dessert. In fact, I was surprised as I thought it would be more cake-like, but no....the caramelized sugar seeps into the cake. (Which you could use less of) A couple mouthfuls did it for me and I'd serve it with half and half to cut the sweetness. Not ice cream as DH suggests! 
Sure looks tempting though, doesn't it?

Banana Upside Down Cake with Coconut and Palm Sugar
From Donna Hay, Issue 67

Ingredients:
75g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup grated palm sugar (Whole Foods has it, already grated and packaged)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup coconut flakes
1/4 cup milk

For the caramel sauce:
100g unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup brown sugar

4-5 bananas, depending on size

Method:
Preheat oven to 350.
Lightly grease a 6 by 10 inch baking dish or baking pan with sides.
Make the caramel sauce:
Melt the brown sugar and butter together on the stove and boil for 1 minute. Pour it into the baking dish. Cut the bananas in half lengthwise and arrange them face down on top of the caramel sauce. Set aside.
Make the cake:
Place the butter, palm sugar and brown sugar in an electric mixer and beat fot 10 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg and beat again. Add the flour and baking powder and mix until combined. Then add the coconut flakes and milk and mix again. 
Spoon the mixture over the bananas and with a palette knife, smooth the top evenly. 
Place the dish on a parchment-covered baking pan to catch any spill during baking.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
Loosen the sides with a knife and invert carefully on a serving dish. Serves 8.