Best Apple Downside Up Cake Recipes

CARAMEL APPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
• 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.
• 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. Don't be alarmed if your cake takes longer or if the cake rises up and sticks to the foil. (We serve the cake upside down anyway!)
• 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. You can slice and serve the cake warm, but the slices will be messy. I find it's best to cool the cake completely at room temperature before slicing and serving. Do not refrigerate the cake to speed up the cooling process because it could end up tasting overly dense.
• Cover leftover slices and store for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature. I don't recommend freezing the cake as a whole because the topping arrangement doesn't thaw very nicely. See make ahead instructions below.

APPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cover the bottom of a 10x15-inch baking pan with brown sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon. Layer apple slices on top.
• Place flour, apple juice, white sugar, butter, eggs, milk, remaining 1 tablespoon cinnamon, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until completely smooth, 5 to 10 minutes; the longer you mix, the fluffier the cake will be.
• Pour batter over apples in the baking pan, making sure they are evenly covered.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool for 20 to 30 minutes. Place a large serving dish over the cake and carefully flip over.

CARAMEL APPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Spray an 8- or 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick spray.
• Combine butter and brown sugar for topping in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until butter has melted and mixture begins to simmer gently, 3 to 4 minutes. Don't let the caramel mixture come to a boil; just allow it to bubble gently for a couple of minutes so it can thicken slightly.
• Pour into the prepared cake pan, then arrange apple slices all around the pan as desired. Place in the refrigerator so the topping can set while you prepare the cake.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Whisk flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
• Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar in a separate bowl with an electric mixer until light in color and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the bottom and sides as needed. Blend in eggs, incorporating slowly and scraping down the sides again, as needed. Mix in vanilla. Add in dry ingredients on low speed, blending just until combined; batter will be thick.
• Remove the cake pan from the refrigerator. Gently spread the thick batter over the topping, trying not to disturb the apples too much.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack for 15 minutes.
• Place a plate over the top of the pan, then carefully invert it, allowing the cake to release from the pan onto the plate. Let cake cool completely to room temperature, 45 minutes to an hour; the top can be fairly soft and may not cut cleanly while it is still warm.

UPSIDE-DOWN APPLE CAKE RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease a 9-inch (23cm) cake pan.
• In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
• Whisk in the eggs, vanilla and milk until fully incorporated.
• Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk until combined.
• For the sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, and stir in the brown sugar. Bring to a boil and continue to stir for 30 seconds, or until vigorously bubbling.
• Pour the sauce into the greased cake pan.
• Arrange the apples on top of the sauce in a circular pattern. Pour cake batter on top of apples and smooth the top of the batter.
• Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the cake is done (the top will spring back when gently poked).
• Cool for 10-15 minutes and loosen the sides of the cake by running a butter knife around the edge.
• Place a plate upside down on top of the pan, then invert the pan, flipping the cake onto the plate.
• Garnish slices with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
• Enjoy!

CLASSIC PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In an ungreased 9-in. square baking pan, combine butter and brown sugar. Drain pineapple, reserving 1/3 cup juice. Arrange 9 pineapple slices in a single layer over sugar (refrigerate any remaining slices for another use). Sprinkle pecans over pineapple; set aside. , In a large bowl, beat egg yolks until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Blend in vanilla and reserved pineapple juice. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to batter, beating well. , In a small bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. Spoon into pan., Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before inverting onto serving plate. Place a cherry in the center of each pineapple slice. If desired, serve with whipped topping.