Apple Upside Down Cake Recipe
This easy apple upside down cake is the ultimate fall dessert! Juicy spiced apples bake into a buttery caramelized topping, while the soft, buttery and tender spiced cake underneath makes every bite full of cozy flavor. Flip it out of the pan for a beautiful dessert that looks impressive but is surprisingly simple to make.
Equipment
- 1 9 inch (23 cm) cake pan
- 1 sheet parchment paper
- 1 knife
- 1 stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
Ingredients
Caramel Topping
- 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups peeled apple slices about 2 large apples
Spiced Cake
- 1½ cups (180 g) all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons apple pie spice see notes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (180 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Grease and line the bottom of a 9 inch (23 cm) cake pan with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl whisk the melted butter with the light brown sugar until a paste forms. Evenly spread the paste across the bottom of the prepared pan.6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted, ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon , ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Wash, dry, peel, core and slice the apples into ¼ inch slices. Just try to keep the slices as similar as possible to make the layering easier. Decoratively layer the apple slices across the bottom of the pan, fully covering the sugar paste.2 cups peeled apple slices
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, apple pie spice and salt together until well combined.1½ cups (180 g) all purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, 1½ teaspoons apple pie spice , ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large mixing bowl fitted with paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar and light brown sugar on medium speed for 3 -4 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. With the mixer on low, cream in the eggs and vanilla extract until well combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl.6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, room temperature, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, 2 large eggs, room temperature, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- Finally, with the mixer on low, alternate mixing the dry ingredients and buttermilk into the wet ingredients in this order: dry, buttermilk, dry, buttermilk, dry. Evenly spread the buttery spice cake batter into the prepared pan on top of the apples. Make sure to fully cover the apples with the cake batter.¾ cup (180 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
- Bake the apple upside down cake for 40 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake pan in the pan for 10 - 15 minutes.
- Use a butter knife to gently separate the edges of the cake from the pan. Place a serving platter or large plate over the top of the cake pan. Invert the cake pan to the top is now on the bottom of the platter or plate. Gently lift the pan off of the cake to reveal the parchment lined apples. Gently remove the parchment paper from the apple layer. The cake is now ready to be served. I recommend serving this with freshly whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of salted caramel.
Notes
Store: Place the upside down apple spice cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Serve: This upside down apple cake is best served as is or topped with freshly whipped cream, warm with a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream and with a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Apple Pie Spice: Feel free to use the recommended apple pie spice or use your preferred fall spice blend. If you want an approximate apple pie spice blend, mix 1 teaspoon cinnamon with ¼ teaspoon nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon ginger.
Apples: Use apples meant for baking. I personally love using Granny Smith apples. Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Pink Lady apples also work well.
did you make this recipe?tag @olivesnthyme on Instagram