Make the Banana Cake with Salty Caramel from the New Gail Simmons Cookbook

Gail Simmons has a new cookbook: "Bringing it Home: Favorite Recipes from a Life of Adventurous Eating."

The "Top Chef" judge previewed several recipes from the book ($30, Grand Central Publishing) at a dinner at Monteverde restaurant in Chicago last week. Among the standouts: a sultry banana-cardamom cake inspired by the banana bread Simmons' mom used to bake as a kid. Only in this version, Simmons has turned the recipe into an upside-down cake baked over a layer of banana-studded salted caramel. The kicker: The caramel not only soaks into the cake, but also drips around it when you invert the cake from the pan.

It's genius. Try it for breakfast or dessert.

Want more? Buy the book here.

Banana-Cardamom Upside-Down Cake with Salty Caramel

Serves 10

Banana Topping

4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

2 firm-ripe bananas, peeled

Cake Batter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

6 tbsp. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature

2 large eggs

2 bananas, peeled and mashed

3/4 cup sour cream (preferably full-fat)

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1. Heat the oven to 350ºF.

2. For the banana topping: Melt the butter in a well-seasoned 10-inch cast iron skillet. Stir in the brown sugar and salt and cook over medium heat, stirring, until evenly combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

3. Cut the bananas in half crosswise, then the halves lengthwise in thirds. Arrange the slices, cut side down, on top of the caramel.

4. For the batter: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar and soft butter. Beat on high until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions as needed.

5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cardamom and salt. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the mashed banana mixture until evenly distributed. Pour the batter into the skillet. Smooth the top evenly.

6. Place the skillet on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned and a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. To invert the cake from the pan, run a butter knife around the edge of the cake, then place the skillet over very low heat to just warm the bottom, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, then carefully invert the cake onto a large plate.

RELATED: Pair this recipe with a dark-chocolate cocktail

Marissa Conrad is a Forbes contributor. Follow her on Forbes, Twitter and Instagram.