BANANA AND MIXED FRUIT UPSIDE DOWN TOFFEE CAKE

Grease a 26 cm spring form pan and line with a sheet of baking paper by placing the paper over the base then replacing and securing the sides of the pan. Set aside. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. The ingredients required for the Topping , 80 gm of butter/ marg, 200gm of sugar, 100gm of soft brown sugar, the juice of 1 lemon and 2 tbs of boiling water . The ingredients for the Cake....5 firm bananas, 1 cup of granulated nuts, 1 cup of mixed fruit pieces, 250gm of butter/ marg, 250 gm of soft brown sugar, 4 eggs well beaten, 250 gm of buttermilk, 380 gm of self raising flour, 1 and 1/2 tsp of baking powder, 1 dsp of ground ginger, 1 dsp of ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg. Let's get started by making the topping first. Melt the butter / marg (80 gm ) in a frypan, then sprinkle both sugars over top. Add the lemon juice and the boiling water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes until the mixture caramelises. Slice the bananas into thick diagonal pieces and add these to the caramel with the nuts and fruit. Cook over a high heat for 3 minutes to coat all ingredients with the caramel. Now spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, smooth over gently to cover the entire base of the pan and set aside. Onto the cake... Beat the butter / marg together with the sugar with an electric beater until creamy. Mix together the all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. In another bowl mix together the beaten eggs with the buttermilk. Now using a wooden spoon add the butter mix to the buttermilk and egg mixture, incorporating with the dry ingredients until thoroughly mixed. When the batter is well mixed, pour it over the banana mixture, gently smoothing over the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 75 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Allow the cake to stand in the pan for 5 minutes, use a spatula to separate the cake from the sides of the pan. Now to remove the cake place a flat tray or platter over the top of the pan and turn over so the cake is now the right way up . Remove the sides of the pan and gently peel the paper off the banana toffee topping. This cake can be served warm or at room temperature with thickened cream or creme fraiche. The cake will keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator or can be frozen and defrosted for 4 hours before serving. Just a tip for cleaning the toffee encrusted cake pan, fill your sink with very hot soapy water and leave the pan soak, the toffee will dissolve, just be patient .. You can easily make your buttermilk by placing a dsp of white vinegar to each cup of butter required.