A moist cake with a hint of spices topped with rich and buttery caramel apples!
So it was an occasion and we needed a dessert, go figure
I have always been a big fan of pineapple upside down cake so that totally came to mind
But these are interesting days and we don’t always have what we need and in that context I knew we were out of any kind of pineapples be it fresh or canned
What I also knew was we had a good amount of apples
Hmmmm…
What’s wrong with an apple upside down cake?? Nothing as far as I’m concerned!
When I think of a warm inviting dessert I think of apples and when I think of apples I think of a caramel
So let’s get started!
Preheat your oven to 325 F
We are using a 12 inch cast iron pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil on the bottom and sides
Now let’s start the caramel
We will need 1 cup of (lightly packed) light brown sugar, 1/3 cup of butter, 2 teaspoons of vanilla, and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
Add these ingredients into a small sauce pan over medium low heat
Cook to a low simmer while whisking
Be careful not to overcook or whisk as you may cause the caramel to seize up
Once the sugar granules have melted and caramel is smooth pour it into the pan and spread it out
There are a variety of apples we can use here but we happened to have Gala apples on hand so that’s what we went with
We used 2
Peel the apples and core them
Our corer also slices the apples but the slices are pretty large so we sliced each one into three thinner slices
Lay the slices onto the caramel starting with the outer edges and working your way inward towards the center
Don’t worry if there are some apples left over as they make a great snack
We are taking an easy route here by using a basic boxed yellow cake mix that we will doctor up a bit
Our mix required 1 cup of water, 3 eggs and 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
Add the cake mix and the rest of the ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together
Now I did mention we were going to doctor this up so simply add in 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
I urge you not to skip this step. Adding in the cinnamon and nutmeg takes an ordinary box cake and makes it taste like a homemade spice cake!
Mix to incorporate
Pour the batter over the apples and caramel and spread it out evenly
Place the pan in the preheated oven
Bake for 40-60 minutes or until a tester comes out clean
Place the pan on a wire rack and allow the cake to cool for at least 15-20 minutes
Using a thin knife or offset spatula, slide around the outside edges of the cake to separate it from the pan
Place a pan or plate that is larger then the cake pan over the top and carefully flip them both over
Gently tap the bottom of the pan and remove
You may have an apple slice or two that are trying to escape, this is perfectly normal
Just gently remove them from the pan and place them back on the cake
Yum!!!
Serve warm with ice cream on the side or allow to cool and serve with a nice cup of coffee!
Anyway you slice it I know you’re going to love it!!
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Enjoy!!!
Simply Sundays ~ Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
I cup (lightly packed) light brown sugar
1/3 cup of butter
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
2 gala apples
1 15.5 ounce box of yellow cake mix
1 cup of water
3 eggs
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
Directions
Preheat your oven to 325 F. Spray a 12 inch cast iron pan with cooking oil. In a saucepan over medium low heat add in 1 cup of (lightly packed) light brown sugar, 1/3 cup of butter, 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
Cook to a low simmer while whisking. Be careful not to overcook or whisk as you may cause the caramel to seize up. Once the sugar granules have melted and caramel is smooth pour it into the pan and spread it out
Peel and core 2 gala apples. Cut into fairly thin slices and lay them down over the caramel in the pan starting from the outer edges working your way in towards the center. Set aside any left over apples slices for another use
Follow the directions for a 15.5 ounce yellow cake mix. Pour cake mix into a large bowl along with 1 cup of water, 3 eggs and 1/3 cup of vegetable oil and whisk together. Add in 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of freshly grated nut meg and whisk to combine
Pour the batter over the apples and caramel and spread it out evenly. Place the pan in the preheated oven. Bake for 40-60 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack and allow the cake to cool for at least 15-20 minutes; using a thin knife or offset spatula, slide around the outside edges of the cake to separate it from the pan
Place a pan or plate that is larger then the cake pan over the top and carefully flip them both over. Gently tap the bottom of the pan and remove. Replace any apple slices that may have stayed in the pan and place them back on the cake
Serve warm or allow to cool and serve
Tools used to make this recipe
Anchor Hocking 8 Cup Measuring Cup Glass Batter Bowl with Spout
Architec Carving Board, Gripperwood
NuWave Flex Precision Induction Cooktop
Pyrex Prepware 1-Cup Measuring Cup
Royal Classique 10 Piece Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons Set with Silicone Handles
Silicone Flexible Rubber Baking Spatula
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