If you can believe it, today’s recipe is actually inspired by Wilbur’s slop in CHARLOTTE’S WEB! Stay with me here. 😉 When the author lists the scraps included in Wilbur’s meals at the farm, he mentions upside-down cake and baked apples. I loved the idea of merging the two together into an amazing dessert, so here we are!
When it comes to upside-down cakes, I’m a total novice. I made one once but didn’t like how it turned out. So rather than try to develop my own recipe for this post, I turned to the Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake from Sally’s Baking Addiction. Sally’s recipes are always winners for me, and I knew a sure-fire recipe would give me a good sense of how an upside-down cake should look at each step in the process. That way I’ll feel more confident developing my own upside-down cakes in the future!
As expected, the recipe was easy and turned out great. It was a HUGE hit with my 5-year-old son, who gobbled it up while chirping that it was “A-MA-zing!” I whole-heartedly agree. The caramel apple topping moistens the tender spiced cake just the right amount, and I appreciated that it wasn’t super sweet, allowing the apples and cinnamon to shine. It reminded me a bit of a breakfast bread, which has me scheming about making upside-down banana bread in the future! 😀
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Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake
“At four would come supper. Skim milk, provender, leftover sandwich from Lurvy’s lunchbox, prune skins . . . a piece of baked apple, a scrap of upsidedown cake.”
— Charlotte’s Web
INGREDIENTS:
- For the Topping
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 2 medium apples, cut into 1/4″ slices
- I used Granny Smith, but any common baking apple should be fine (Pink Lady, Gala, Braeburn, etc.)
- For the Cake
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 6 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
- You will also need a 9″ round cake pan or pie plate, at least 2″ deep (the depth prevents the caramel bubbling over the sides)
Makes a 1-layer 9-inch cake
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- FOR THE TOPPING. In a small sausepan over medium heat, add the butter and brown sugar, stirring occasionally until butter has melted. Stir continuously for 1 more minute. Mixture will bubble and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in cinnamon and vanilla. Pour into an ungreased 9″x2″ cake pan or pie plate (this one is similar to mine). Arrange apple slices on top, overlapping as needed. The original recipe has them fanned out in a circle with a few overlapped in the center. I arranged mine in two overlapping layers of concentric circles, which seemed to work just as well. Place pan in the fridge to set.
- FOR THE CAKE. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment (I used a paddle), beat the butter on high speed for 1 minute or until smooth. Add granulated and brown sugars, beating for 1 minute more. Stop mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom. Beat in the eggs on medium speed one at a time. Beat in the vanilla, stopping to scrape down the sides if needed. Gradually beat in the dry mix. Gradually beat in the milk until just combined, stopping to scrape the sides if needed.
- Scrape batter into the prepared pan and spread out evenly. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean (a bit of moisture/cling is expected, due to the caramel on the bottom). Tent foil over loosely over the cake halfway through to prevent over-browning. If the cake rises and sticks to the foil a bit, that’s ok (remember, the “top” of the cake is actually the bottom, so it doesn’t need to look pretty).
- Allow cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for only 15 minutes. Loosen the sides with a butter knife and overturn onto a serving plate. Allow cake to cool to room temp before serving. If storing, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days (allow to come to room temp again before serving).
- Serve to a terrific, radiant, humble pig!
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Check out my other apple recipes!
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