Description
This Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake is a delightful fall dessert featuring tender apple slices caramelized with butter and brown sugar, layered under a warmly spiced cinnamon-nutmeg cake. Baked to golden perfection and served inverted, this cake offers a sweet, moist texture with a rich, buttery caramel topping, perfect for cozy gatherings or special occasions.
Ingredients
Scale
Topping
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 medium apples, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch slices (1.5–2 cups, or 188–250g apple slices)
Cake
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 Tablespoons (90ml) whole milk, at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) to prepare for baking the cake.
- Prepare Topping: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine butter and brown sugar. Whisk occasionally until butter melts, then whisk constantly for 1 minute as mixture thickens. Remove from heat, whisk in cinnamon and vanilla. Pour this mixture into an ungreased 9×2 inch pie dish or round cake pan. Arrange the peeled and sliced apples neatly on top, overlapping if needed. Chill in the refrigerator to set the arrangement.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: Using a mixer with paddle or whisk attachment, beat softened butter on high speed until creamy (about 1 minute). Add granulated and brown sugars, beat on high until creamed (about 1 minute). Scrape bowl as necessary.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Beat in eggs and vanilla on high speed until combined, scraping sides and bottom as needed.
- Combine Ingredients: With mixer on low speed, gradually add dry ingredients to wet, then slowly pour in milk while mixing. Beat just until combined, avoiding overmixing. Whisk by hand if needed to eliminate lumps. Batter should be slightly thick.
- Assemble Cake: Remove topping pan from refrigerator and pour cake batter evenly over apple topping layer.
- Bake: Bake for 40–46 minutes at 350°F (177°C). Halfway through baking, tent the cake with foil to prevent over-browning. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool and Invert: Cool cake on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Carefully invert the cake onto a serving plate so the caramelized apple topping is on top. Allow the cake to cool completely at room temperature before slicing for best results.
- Storage: Cover leftover slices and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze slices for up to 3 months. Avoid refrigerating or freezing the whole cake to preserve topping arrangement and texture.
Notes
- Use a 9×2 inch pan to accommodate the topping and batter without overflow.
- Chilling the topping before adding batter helps keep the apple slices neatly arranged.
- Tenting the cake with foil during baking prevents the top from burning before the center cooks fully.
- Cooling the cake completely before slicing helps prevent messy, sticky slices.
- Do not refrigerate the whole cake to speed cooling as it may become dense; room temperature cooling is best.
- Freezing the cake whole is not recommended because the topped apple arrangement does not thaw well.
- Use room temperature eggs, butter, and milk for better batter consistency and rise.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/10th of cake)
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 32g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 50g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 65mg
