A true taste of the harvest season, this moist cake is elevated by the addition of warm spices, decadent caramel, and Honeycrisp apple.
Spiced Apple Upside-Down Cake
Makes 1 (9-inch) cake
Ingredients
- 2 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (⅛-inch thick)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened and divided
- ½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup whole milk, room temperature
- Garnish: chopped sweetened dried orange slices
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9-inch square cake pan with baking spray with flour. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper. Do not spray pan again. Shingle apple slices in bottom of pan.
- In a medium stainless-steel skillet, melt ½ cup butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, syrup, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. Bring to a simmer; cook until sugar is melted and fragrant, approximately 3 minutes. Slowly add orange juice, whisking until combined and smooth. Simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until caramel thickens, approximately 2 minutes. Pour caramel over apple slices in prepared cake pan.
- In a large bowl, beat remaining ½ cup butter, granulated sugar, orange zest, and vanilla extract with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and remaining ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Spoon batter onto caramel-apple layer in pan, spreading evenly. Tap pan on countertop a few times to remove any air bubbles.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around sides of cake to loosen; carefully invert cake onto a serving plate. Remove parchment paper. Let cool completely. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
- Just before serving, cut into 25 equal squares (approximately 1¾ inch squares). Serve cold or at room temperature.
- Garnish with sweetened dried orange, if desired.
Notes
*We used Honeycrisp apples.
MAKE-AHEAD TIP: The cake can be prepared a day in advance if loosely covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying out.
MAKE-AHEAD TIP: The cake can be prepared a day in advance if loosely covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying out.
This Spiced Apple Upside-Down Cake looks amazing — the mix of Honeycrisp apples and warm spices really captures fall perfectly. I tried something similar last week and it reminded me of the comforting desserts from the Wendy’s menu. Definitely adding this to my weekend baking list, thank you for sharing such a cozy recipe!