Apple Upside-Down Cake

The Foodies' KitchenApril 23, 2022

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You can never go wrong with an apple dessert. This Apple Upside-Down Cake features our favorite type of apples for baking: Washington Granny Smith Apples. Their sweet and tart flavor balances the sweetness of the batter, and their texture holds up really well when baking.

This is a great recipe to share with the family on a Sunday afternoon, and it is easy to prepare. We quickly made caramel to cover the bottom of a baking pan, cover with sliced Washington Granny Smith apples, and pour the cake batter on top. Bake it and it’s ready! We recommend adding vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top.

Helga & Kitty

Apple Upside-Down Cake

Yields one 9-inch cake
8-10 servings

Ingredients, for the topping:
6 Tablespoons (85g) of 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 Washington Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch slices

Ingredients, for the cake:
1 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup 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:

Combine butter and brown sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk occasionally until butter has melted. Cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute as mixture thickens. Remove from heat and whisk in the cinnamon and vanilla extract.
Pour into an ungreased 9×2 inch pie dish or round cake pan. (Make sure the pan is 2 inches deep. I recommend this pie dish, which is 1.8 inches deep but I never have an overflow issue.)
Arrange the apple slices neatly on top, overlapping where necessary. See photo above. Place pan in the refrigerator for a few minutes as you prepare the cake batter. This helps solidify or “set” the topping’s arrangement.
Preheat the oven at 350ºF.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together. Set aside.
Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add both sugars and beat on high speed until creamed together, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. On high speed, beat in the eggs and vanilla extract until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer onto low speed and as the mixer runs, slowly pour in the milk. Beat on low speed just until all of the ingredients are combined. Do not over-mix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
Remove topping from the refrigerator. Pour and spread cake batter evenly over topping.
Bake for 40-46 minutes, tenting foil on top of the cake halfway through bake time to prevent the top from over-browning before the center has a chance to fully cook. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean– a couple moist crumbs are OK.
Remove cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack for just 15 minutes. Invert the slightly cooled cake onto a cake stand or serving plate. Some of the juices from the topping will seep over the sides– that’s ok. This cake is best served after it has cooled completely so it doesn’t fall apart when slicing.

Have you made this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture with the hashtag #thefoodieskitchen!

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