Chocolate banana upside-down cake

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4 and grease a 23cm springform cake tin. To make the topping, put the 50g butter, brown sugar and maple syrup in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Cook at a gentle simmer, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is thick and golden. Pour the syrup into the cake tin. Arrange the sliced bananas, cut-side down, over the base of the tin.
2. Put the 200g butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift in the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt, then gently fold through the mixture with a large wooden spoon. Mix in the mashed bananas, chocolate chips and enough milk to reach a dropping consistency – the mixture should drop heavily from the spoon when lifted (you may not need to use all the milk). Dollop the batter evenly over the bananas and smooth the top with a spatula.
3. Put the cake on a baking tray (see tip), then bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden on top and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave in the tin for 5 minutes to cool slightly, then invert onto a large serving plate. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream as a pudding, or cool with a cup of tea or coffee.