Apple Upside Down Cake

This Apple Upside Down Cake is a spiced cake that starts with sliced apples and cider caramel on the bottom, but once the cake it inverted, they're on top! Fantastic served warm or at room temperature, as-is or with a scoop of ice cream and salted caramel sauce!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cakes

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 25

Servings slices

Calories 396kcal

Author Amee

Equipment

8 inch cake pan (3-inch tall)
Offset Spatula

Ingredients

Apple Cider Caramel

1 cup apple cider
6 Tablespoons butter, diced (salted your unsalted to your preference)
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
2 Tablespoons agave syrup (or light corn syrup)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste (see note)
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
pinch salt

Apple Cake

2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (I used Gala apples)
1 ½ cups flour (I used all-purpose flour)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, at room temperature (I used large eggs)
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (see note)
⅓ cup buttermilk, at room temperature (see note)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For Apple Cider Reduction

Boil apple cider in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to about ¼ cup in volume, 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

For Caramel

In a medium saucepan, combine the diced butter, sugar, brown sugar, and agave syrup. Warm over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves.
Remove from the heat and add reduced apple cider, vanilla bean paste (see note), cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Stir to combine.
Pour the caramel into an *ungreased* 8-inch round cake pan. The pan should be at least 3 inches tall to ensure it doesn't overflow in the oven. If you want to risk it with a shorter pan, definitely place a sheet pan on the rack beneath the cake to catch any potential overflow.
Peel, core, and slice apples about ¼ inch thick. Arrange the apples in the caramel as you'd like them to look on top of the cake. I started in the center and worked my way out. Place the pan in the refrigerator to set while you prepare the cake batter.

For Cake

Preheat oven to 350° F. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, cardamom, nutmeg, and salt). Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the eggs one at a time, allowing the first egg to incorporate before adding the second. Add vanilla bean paste (see note) and mix to combine.
Gradually add half the dry ingredients, followed by the buttermilk, then the remaining dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated.
Remove the pan with the chilled apple-caramel topping from the refrigerator and spread the cake batter evenly over top. A offset spatula works well for this.
Bake 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs attached. I turn the pan around in the oven halfway through baking to help ensure an even bake. The cake will get quite dark. You can tent the cake with foil to keep it from overbrowning.
Cool the cake 10-15 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a serving plate. **The cake must be inverted while still warm to release!** Serve warm or at room temperature. Fantastic with a scoop of ice cream and/or some salted caramel sauce! (There is a recipe for salted caramel sauce included in my Apple Shortcake recipe!)
Store any leftover cake, covered, in the refrigerator for up to three days. I don't recommend freezing the cake.
Enjoy!

Notes

Note on vanilla bean paste - I love using vanilla bean paste both for the fantastic flavor and the lovely black flecks of vanilla beans. If you prefer to substitute, you can use an equal measure of vanilla extract.

Note on buttermilk - No buttermilk? You can pour ½ teaspoon vinegar OR lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup, then add enough milk (I find that 2% milkfat or greater works best) to come up to the ⅓ cup line. Let sit for 5 minutes, then it's ready for use!

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