Apple Upside Down Cake:

Written by on in Cakes

This Apple Upside Down Cake is the perfect dessert. With its tender cake and sweet cinnamon coated apples, it is likely to become your new Fall favorite.

I’m always looking for a new way to incorporate apples into a dessert. I’ve done apple pie, apple crisp, apple donuts and many more but I was looking for something different. That’s when pineapple upside down cake came to mind. I figured if you can use pineapple why not apples, so I gave it a try and this was the outcome.

What You Need For The Caramelized Apples:

  • Apples: I prefer Fuji, but if your looking to use an apple that is on the tart side, then Granny Smith will work as well.
  • Lemon juice:
  • Unsalted butter:
  • Brown sugar:
  • Cinnamon:

What You Will Need For The Cake:

  • All purpose flour: I prefer King Arthur.
  • Butter: Unsalted and brought to room temperature.
  • Brown sugar:
  • Eggs:
  • Baking powder:
  • Pure vanilla extract:
  • Salt:
  • Whole milk:

How To Make Apple Upside Down Cake:

Preheat oven to 350º. Spray the walls and bottom of a spring form pan with baking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and set to the side.

Peel and slice apples into 1/4” slices, place in a large bowl and toss with lemon juice.

Place a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and sliced apples and cook for 10 minutes or until apples just start to soften. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly or until easy to handle.

Line the bottom of of the prepared spring form pan with the softened apples in a circular motion.

Now its time to prepare the buttery cake. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the room temperature butter and sugar until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and continue mixing until combined.

To a separate small mixing bow whisk together the all purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour, and mixing after each addition. Gently pour batter over prepared apples, being careful not to move the apples, spread to cover.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before releasing the spring form pan.

Once cooled, release the ring and remove it from the cake. Fold down the ends of the parchment paper. Place a serving plater over the cake then carefully invert the cake onto the serving dish.

Serve immediately on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Tips For Making Upside Down Apple Cake

  • I find that the best way to bake this cake is in a spring form pan lined with parchment paper. In doing this the cake will come out of the pan perfectly without loosing any of those delicious apples.
  • There are many different varieties of apples, but for this recipe you will want to use an apple that is firm so that they don’t loose there shape once they are cooked. I prefer a Fuji apple. They keep there shape when cooked and they have a delicious sweet taste. If you prefer the tartness of a Granny Smith, that would work as well.
  • As with all cake batters, do not over mix. An over mixed batter will produce a dense cake.
  • When inverting the cake on to a serving platter, make sure the cake has cooled. You can be burned from any hot juices that might drip out.

Apple Upside Down Cake

Ingredients:

For The Caramelized Apples:

  • 3 To 4 apples, peeled, cored and sliced into thin slices
  • 1/4 Cup butter ( 1/2 stick )
  • 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar.
  • 1 Teaspoon cinnamon.
  • Juice of a small lemon.

For The Cake Batter:

  • 1/2 Cup ( 1 stick ) unsalted butter, at room temperature.
  • 3 Tablespoons of brown sugar.
  • 1 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
  • 2 Eggs.
  • 1 Cup all purpose flour.
  • 1 Teaspoon baking powder.
  • 1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Pinch of salt.
  • 1/2 Cup whole or 2% milk.

Instructions:

For Caramelized Apples:

  1. Peel, core and slice apples into thin slices and toss with lemon juice in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Place butter, brown sugar and cinnamon on medium heat until butter is completely dissolved. Gently add apples and toss to coat.
  3. Sauté the apples for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The apples should be soft but still hold there shape. Remove from heat and put on the side to cool.
  4. Line a 10 inch spring form pan with parchment paper. Place the caramelized apples in a circular motion on the bottom of the pan and pour any left over juices that are in the pan on top of the apples, then set aside.

For Butter Cake :

  1. Preheat oven to 350º.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream room temperature butter with sugar until completely combined. Add vanilla extract, then the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each egg.
  3. In a separate bowl, sift together the all purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add the flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, alternating between the flour and the milk, starting and ending with the flour.
  4. Pour cake batter over the caramelized apples and bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  5. Let cool for at least 15 minutes. Release the ring from the spring form pan. Place a serving dish over the cake then carefully invert the cake onto the serving dish.
  6. Serve immediately on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
  7. Enjoy.