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Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake

 

There is nothing better than a rich and decadent cake that is easy to make. This caramel apple upside down cake will become your favorite fall baking dessert recipe!

So this was the first thing I rushed to make after we went apple picking. I’ve been craving this cake all year and I waited because I knew I wanted to go apple picking and use those apples to make the cake. When we went to the main part of the farm to pick up our picking permits, I browsed through their pre-picked apple selection and I immediately fell in love with their Cortland and Staymared apples because they had that “dusty” looking coating that blueberries get (which actually helps them repel water) so we went directly to those orchards.

This is my favorite caramel apple upside down cake. I love to make this cake everytime we go apple picking. Guaranteed to become your favorite simple cake!
Now’s about the time I explain to you that I am not naturally the outdoorsy type. I used to be when I was with Vlad, but I eventually went back to my hermit ways. I love the thought of having fun outdoor adventures. I just can’t stand the heat and more importantly, bugs. Plus I am basically allergic to everything outside. So as soon as we reach the orchards, my allergies kicked which in turn started giving me issues with my asthma. And of course this happened to be the one time I take my inhaler out of my purse because the one I kept inside the house ran out. So I was huffing and puffing and trying not to start an attack in the middle of an apple field. At the same time, I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to pick apples because it is so much fun.

This easy and delicious caramel apple upside down cake that will become your family's favorite dessert - and your favorite breakfast when the kid's are away!

So here I am walking at a snails pace scared that I was going to have an asthma attack while searching through the trees for the best apples. And of course all the best ones had to be at the top, so I ended up picking my daughter up so she could grab them for me. We had a ton of tun at the end of it all and despite the fact that their apples were just over $1 a pound, I still ended up spending a ton on apples. I also bought some apple cider, peach cider, and apple cider doughnuts for us to munch on during the ride home.
We are actually going back today to go for a hayride and pumpkin picking. I love this particular farm because the hayrides are cheap and they come with the ability to pick one pumpkin AND you get a free apple cider doughnut and apple cider. Suh-weet!

An incredible caramel apple upside down cake that will become your favorite dessert recipe to make this fall - or any time of year!

Anyway, the caramel apple upside down cake. Yeah. It’s yummy caramel goodness that soaks right into a simple, buttery cake. But it’s got apples, so it counts as a breakfast food. I recommend making at least two of these (the recipe is easily doubled or triples) because they don’t last long. At least they didn’t in my house. I made three. One for us, another for my grandmom and aunt (my grandmoms diabetic, so it’s mostly so she doesn’t feel left out) and one for the neighbors. Well… my family ended up eating two and a half over night. Oops.

There is nothing better than a rich and decadent cake that is easy to make. This caramel apple upside down cake will become your favorite fall baking dessert recipe!

Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake

Yield: 1 9-inch cake
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar, divded
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
  • 1 large apple (or two medium apples) peeled and sliced to medium thickness
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmet
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

Special Equipment

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take out a 9-inch cake pan and lightly grease.
  2. In a skillet, heat half the butter until melted and slightly bubbly. Add one cup of the sugar and cook until a caramel brown color. Add in half the cinnamon and vanilla extract and stir well.
  3. Pour the caramel mixture into the baking pan and make sure it is spread evenly on the bottom.
  4. Place the apple slices onto your baking pan over the caramel. They should be fairly close together, but not too tight. You might not need to use all of the apple slices, depending on the size of your apples. That's okay. They make a good snack while your cake is baking.
  5. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, remaining cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and salt together. Set aside.
  6. In a separate bowl cream the remaining butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well between each egg. Add in the remaining vanilla and the yogurt.
  7. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix until combined. the batter should be quite thick.
  8. Pour the cake batter over the apples and spread to the edges. Since the batter is so thick, it will take some gentle coaxing to get the batter to spread evenly. You don't want to work it too hard otherwise the apple slices will start moving around.
  9. Bake for about 30 - 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife along the edges of the cake, then place a plate over the pan and carefully, but quickly turn over the pan and plate so that the pan is on top. Carefully remove the pan and the cake should come out easily. Wait 10 minutes before slicing.

Did you make this recipe?

I'd love to see how it turned out! Tag me @acookienameddesire and use the hashtag #acookienameddesire

© Amanda Powell

 

linked up at Miz Helen Country Cottage

About Amanda Powell

Baker, photographer, and sometimes world traveler behind A Cookie Named Desire. Obsessed with helping people live life sweetly with delicious food to share with the special people in your life and creating lasting memories.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Renee says

    I haven’t fixed this yet but will be today for my bunco group of ladies tomorrow and our potluck. I have never had an Apple Upside down cake, but have had a Pineapple upside down cake that my Mom used to fix in a heavy iron skillet. I am going to fix this in my iron skillet and see how it works. Thanks, looks Yummy!

    Reply

  2. Medha @ Whisk & Shout says

    This cake is absolutely stunning- your pictures are awesome! Pinning 🙂

    Reply

  3. nicole (thespicetrain.com) says

    This cake looks gorgeous, Amanda! So sorry to hear about your allergies, I know how terrible that can be. Glad to hear that you still had a lot of fun!

    Reply

    • Amanda says

      Thank you! I’m pretty used to having to struggle through allergies or else I’d never be able to do anything haha!

      Reply

  4. Samina @ The Cupcake Confession says

    This looks absolutely fabulous!

    Reply

    • Amanda says

      Thank you!!

      Reply

  5. Julia (@Imagelicious) says

    It’s all about apples now and I Love it. This cake looks super delicious!

    Reply

    • Amanda says

      Yes, I love apple season! Thank you!

      Reply

  6. Jenn @ Peas and Crayons says

    I always joke that I’m allergic to life 😉 haha the outdoors slay me! as does your beautiful photos — this cake looks phenomenal Amanda!

    Reply

    • Amanda says

      Thank you!! I wish there was a way to get rid of allergies for good!!

      Reply

  7. Michelle @ My Gluten-free Kitchen says

    I adore recipes with apples! I would to make a gluten-free version of this! It looks delicious!

    Reply

    • Amanda says

      I’d love to hear how the gluten free version comes out!!

      Reply

  8. Allison says

    This is so incredibly gorgeous! I can only imagine it is as delicious as it looks. I have a bag apples that I think I need to turn into a cake now.

    Reply

    • Amanda says

      Yes, you really need to make it! The caramel is kind of addictive. I may have taken a spatula to the leftover caramel in the pan when I made this!!

      Reply

  9. Beeta @ Mon Petit Four says

    This cake looks incredible, Amanda! I love that caramel apple goodness, and the fact that they’re made with fresh apples from the orchard can only mean this cake is sensational! So sorry that you were having allergy/asthma issues while you were picking out the apples. I’ve never had asthma but I imagine it to be a scary thing when you feel like you’re going to have an attack. At least all ended well – I would have totally loved to be on that car ride home with the cider doughnuts! 🙂

    Reply

    • Amanda says

      After my last serious attack I learned how to keep myself calm and not exert myself which can set it off. I do well delegating work though! 😉 and yeah, apples right from the orchard are incredible!!!

      Reply

  10. Rosemary @anitalianinmykitchen says

    Hi Amanda, I miss being home for the apple and pumpkin picking, always so much fun. Your cake looks amazing, can’t wait to try it.

    Reply

    • Amanda says

      Apple and pumpkin picking are my favorite. I hope you get to do it again soon!

      Reply

  11. Christine | Vermilion Roots says

    Whoa. This cake! I want it. Seriously. 🙂

    Reply

  12. Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health says

    i have not gone apple picking or anything picking for that matter..so i will be vicariously living through other peoples post and currently drooling at this recipe!

    Reply

  13. Wajeeha says

    This looks so good…I wish I could go for apple picking but I live in a desert! I wish I could take a fork and dive into the screen…caramel and apple are such a delicious combination! 🙂

    Reply

  14. Ariel says

    This looks AMAZING! It sounds like you had a fun adventure grabbing apples too 🙂 I can’t wait to try this out this week! It looks like the perfect fall dessert! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  15. Lisa @ Healthy Nibbles & Bits says

    I still haven’t gone apple picking yet, but I really need to change that soon. What a gorgeous cake you made with the apples!

    Reply

  16. Annie @ Annie's Noms says

    This is so beautiful! Caramel Apple is one of my favourite flavour combinations and this looks so yummy!

    Reply

    • Amanda says

      You really can’t go wrong with caramel apple anything, right? Thanks for stopping by!!

      Reply

  17. Steph @ Steph in Thyme says

    GORGEOUS! I love the lighting in these photos, and the cake looks divine!!

    Reply

  18. Jen says

    My caramel seized. Any ideas? It was a really rainy, humid day. Could that have been why?

    Reply

    • Amanda says

      There could be a few different reasons that can happen. The humidity can sometimes be a culprit if its pretty humid. At what point did it seize? If it seized after it had already caramelized (turned amber/golden brown), you can add warm heavy cream to the mixture a tablespoon at a time and keep stirring until it smooths out again. Just in case that happens again.

      Reply

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