Apple Upside Down Cake
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This Apple Upside Down Cake has a delicious buttery caramel topping with caramelized apple slices and a moist vanilla cake. The apple slices are perfectly tender and each bite tastes like a warm, fall day.
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I love having apple trees in my yard so each fall I can have all of the apples my heart desires without having to even leave my yard. That means plenty of apple desserts like this apple slab pie and this apple coffee cake being baked up and shared with my family and friends.
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
Quick and Easy – This apple upside down cake is easy and comes together so quick. The best part is once it’s layered in the pan and baked up, it’s so beautiful and nothing else is needed.
No Frosting Required – Once the cake is baked and flipped, the caramel sauce will coat the cake and nothing else is needed. The apple slices really add to the presentation of this cake too.
Perfect Fall Cake – I love using seasonal ingredients for my recipes as you may have been able to tell and this apple upside down cake is no exception. The cinnamon, caramel sauce, apples are all great fall ingredients.
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Ingredients
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all ingredients and quantities.
- Butter – I like to use salted butter but unsalted butter will work too.
- Brown Sugar – Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar will work for this recipe. If it’s clumpy, just whisk it into the butter until it’s dissolved.
- Apples – My go-to apples are honeycrisp, but you can use any baking apple you like.
- Eggs – Use large eggs for this recipe. They can be at room temperature or cold, either way they’ll mix in fine.
- Milk – Whole milk has more fat providing additional moisture and richness.
Substitutions and Variations
- You can replace the apples in this recipe for other fruit like peachesor bananas.
- Light brown sugar and dark brown sugar can be used in this recipe.
- Add spices like cinnamon,nutmeg, and apple pie spice, to the cake.
- You can use half and half or 2% milk instead of whole milk in the recipe.
NOTE: This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. While the oven is preheating, pop the butter for the topping in the pan and let it melt in the oven. Don’t let the butter brown though.
Step 2: Add the dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk until well incorporated.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Step 4: Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract until incorporated.
Step 5: Beat in the milk until combined.
Step 6: Beat in the dry ingredients just until combined. Stir in any remnants from the sides of the bowl. Set aside.
Step 7: Pull the pan of melted butter out of the oven and whisk in the brown sugar and cinnamon.
Step 8: Lay the sliced apples around the outside of the pan and then in the center.
Step 9: Spoon the cake batter into the pan of apples and gently spread out.
Step 10: Bake the cake until golden brown. Test the cake with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
Step 11: Let the cake 10 minutes before flipping it out onto a cake platter.
Tips for Succes
- Don’t slice the apples too thick. Slice them about 1/4-inch thick.
- Keep a close eye on your butter that’s melting in the oven so it doesn’t burn.
- Don’t overmix your cake batter. It’s a simple recipe so once the eggs are incorpored begin mixing in things just until they are worked into the batter.
- Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before flipping it out. This will help the caramel to cool and soak into the cake some before turning out.
- If any of the apples stick to the bottom of the pan, just remove it and gently place them back on top of the cake.
How To Store and Freeze
To store this apple upside down cake, place it in a container with a lid. Plastic wrap will stick to the top of the cake, so it’s not recommended. Store at room temperature for a day or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
If you have a large enough freezer container for the whole cake, it can be frozen for up to 3 months in it. Place in the fridge overnight to thaw.
More Upside Down Treats
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Apple Upside Down Cake
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Ingredients
Topping
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cups sliced apples about 2 medium sized apples
Cake
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the ¼ cup butter in the bottom of an 8 inch cake pan and pop it in the preheating oven until fully melted.
- While butter is melting, add the 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt to a medium bowl. Whisk until combined and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the ½ cup butter and 1 cup granulated sugar together with a hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy
- Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 large eggs. Beat until well combined and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Beat in the ½ cup whole milk just until combined.
- Add in the dry ingredients and beat just until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in any remnants.
- Remove the cake pan from the oven.
- Add the ½ cup light brown sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon into the pan of melted butter and stir until combined. Spread the mixture out evenly into the bottom of the pan.
- Lay the 2 cups sliced apples on top of the brown sugar mixture.
- Spoon the cake batter on top of apple mixture and gently spread until evenly distributed.
- Place in the oven and bake in center of oven for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let cool 10 minutes. Loosen the cake from sides of pan with a butterknife and turn out onto a cake plate.
- Let cool before slicing and serving.
Notes
(Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.)
