• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 – 3 ripe bananas, sliced

• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 ttsp salt
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 tbsp dark rum
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350°.

For topping: Cream brown sugar and butter until well mixed. Spread brown sugar mixture over bottom of 9″ -10″ springform pan. Arrange banana slices atop brown sugar mixture, covering completely. Set cake pan aside.

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix mashed bananas, buttermilk and rum in a measuring cup.

Cream 1 1/4 cups sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add dry ingredients alternatively with buttermilk mixture, mixing until just combined. Pour batter over bananas in pan. Bake until cake pulls away from sides of pan and toothpick comes out clean, about an hour. Transfer to rack and cool.