This apple upside down cake features an incredibly moist cake that is loaded with cinnamon and nutmeg, topped with a caramelized apple topping. This cake is simply irresistible.
This cake will easily become your fall favorite cake. This cake is full of fall flavors, extremely easy to make, and takes a few pantry essentials that you most probably have laying around.
One of our favorite parts about this cake is that it's already decorated. This cake truly needs minimum effort but it turns out amazing.
We love making apple recipes, especially in the fall time. If you like apple desserts as we do, you should try out our apple fritters, easy apple cake, apple crumble pie and apple turnovers!
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Why this recipe works
- Extremely easy to make.
- Melt in your mouth delicious.
- Made with simple ingredients.
- Perfect for fall.
- The perfect size for family gatherings.
What is an upside down cake?
An upside-down cake is a cake that is baked “upside down” in a single pan, with different toppings on the bottom of the pan. In the baking process, the cake gets a caramelized topping that makes this cake so irresistible and popular.
This cake is usually made with sliced fruits like apples, pineapples, peaches, pears, and many more.
Ingredients
For the apple topping:
Apples- we like to use granny smith apples for this recipe, they are a little bit less sweet, but any kind of your favorite apples will work!
Butter- melt the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds or until it's melted.
Brown sugar- adds a delicious caramel flavor and texture.
Cinnamon and nutmeg- add fall flavors and smells amazing!
For the spiced vanilla cake:
Flour- we used all-purpose flour for this cake, cake flour will work as well.
Milk- use whole milk for this recipe.
Sugar- we used granulated sugar for this recipe, caster sugar will work too.
Brown sugar- adds a delicious caramel flavor to this cake.
Baking powder and baking soda- to allow the cake to rise.
Cinnamon and nutmeg- give this cake fall flavors and a fabulous aroma.
Butter- make sure your butter is at room temperate.
Vanilla extract- for extra flavor.
Eggs- make sure your eggs are at room temperate.
Salt- use kosher salt.
Instructions
Start by melting the butter. We prefer melting the butter in the microwave, but you can melt it on the stovetop as well.
Next, pour the batter into your baking pan, we used a 9-inch baking pan for this cake.
Sprinkle the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg on top of the batter and smooth it out with a spoon as much as you can to make an even layer.
The next step is to peel, core, and slice the apples into thin slices. We like to use granny smith apples for this recipe, but any kind of your favorite apples will work.
Arrange the apple slices on top of the butter mixture. Set the pan aside and make the cake batter.
Make the cake:
Start by mixing your dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, and mix well with a whisk.
For the wet ingredients, start by placing the butter and sugar in a big mixing bowl and whisk with an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer for about 3 minutes or until the butter and sugar are combined and are creamy.
The next step is adding the eggs one at a time, and the vanilla extract, mixing consistently.
Add ½ of the dry ingredient mixture, and add the milk, mixing until just combined, and add the rest of the dry mixture.
It is important that you don’t overmix the batter, so you won’t develop the gluten in the flour.
Pour the cake batter into the pan and bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake cool for 5 minutes, then carefully flip it on a leveled surface. Eat the cake hot or at room temperature.
Expert tips
- Don’t overmix the batter! This step is crucial, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step is important and prevents a dry and dense cake.
- Use your favorite kind of apples! We like using granny smith apples, but any apple kind will work.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- If you don’t want to use a cake pan, you can use a pie dish for this recipe, make sure that it's deep enough.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to frost this cake as it is pulled out of the oven, but let the cake cool for at least 1 hour so it will be more firm and won’t crumble up.
Faq's
This cake will last for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature of up to 5 days stored in the fridge.
You will need two large apples for this recipe.
Use your favorite kind of apples! We like using granny smith apples, but any apple kind will work. If you like sweet apples, use Honeycrisp, or pink lady.
Freezing
This cake is very easy to freeze. After baking, let the cake cool to room temperature and wrap it tightly with a few layers of plastic wrap. Freeze up to 3 months.
To thaw: place the cake in the refrigerator overnight or place it a room temperature for a few hours.
Best apples for baking
Our favorite apples for baking are Granny Smith apples. They have a few advantages: they hold their shape while baking, they have a crisp texture, they are not too sweet and have a little tang to them, and they are easy to find in any grocery store.
You can use any apples that you like best, but keep in mind that different apple kinds have different textures and flavors, some are sweeter, some are sourer, some have a crisp texture, and some have a mealy texture to them.
The best apples for baking:
- Granny smith
- Yellow delicious
- Pink lady
- Ginger gold
- Gala
- Cortland
- Jonagold
Serving
Serve this cake either hot or at room temperature. We like adding a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of the cake, but this cake tastes amazing by itself!
Storing
Store this cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Tools
Mixing bowls- best glass mixing bowls.
Whisk set- our favorite copper whisk set.
If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to leave a rating and a comment below. We love hearing from you.
More apple recipes:
Apple turnovers- These apple turnovers are so easy to make, and taste absolutely incredible. Made with a delicious apple filling and wrapped with flaky puff pastry.
Apple fritters- These apple fritters are made with fresh apples, topped with a simple glaze. This recipe takes 30 minutes to make with no yeast or rising time, and it tastes like apple donuts!
Apple turnovers- These puff pastry apple turnovers are made with a delicious spiced apple filling and wrapped with flaky puff pastry.
Easy apple cake (sharlotka)- This apple cake contains only a few simple ingredients to make and takes under 20 minutes to prep.
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📖 Recipe
Apple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
Apple topping:
- 2 Apples
- 60 g Butter
- ½ cup Brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
Spiced vanilla cake:
- 1 ½ cup Flour
- ½ cup Milk
- ½ cup Sugar
- ¼ cup Brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 100 g Butter
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 Eggs
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
Instructions
Make the topping:
- To make the topping for the cake, you will start by melting the butter. We prefer melting the butter in the microwave, but you can melt it on the stovetop as well.
- Next, pour the batter into your baking pan, we used a 9-inch baking pan for this cake.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg on top of the batter and smooth it out with a spoon as much as you can to make an even layer.
- The next step is to peel, core, and slice the apples into thin slices. We like to use granny smith apples for this recipe, but any kind of your favorite apples will work.
- Arrange the apple slices on top of the butter mixture. Set the pan aside and make the cake batter.
Spiced vanilla cake:
- Start by mixing your dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, and mix well with a whisk.
- For the wet ingredients, start by placing the butter and sugar in a big mixing bowl and whisk with an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer for about 3 minutes or until the butter and sugar are combined and are creamy.
- The next step is adding the eggs one at a time, and the vanilla extract, mixing consistently.
- The last step in making the cake is adding ½ of the dry ingredient mixture, and adding the milk, mixing until just combined, and adding the rest of the dry mixture.
- It is important that you don’t overmix the batter, so you won’t develop the gluten in the flour. This step is important and prevents a dry and dense cake.
- Pour the cake batter into the pan and bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool for 5 minutes, then carefully flip it on a leveled surface. Eat the cake hot or at room temperature.
Notes
- Don’t overmix the batter! This step is crucial, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step is important and prevents a dry and dense cake.
- Use your favorite kind of apples! We like using granny smith apples, but any apple kind will work.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- If you don’t want to use a cake pan, you can use a pie dish for this recipe, make sure that it's deep enough.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to frost this cake as it is pulled out of the oven, but let the cake cool for at least 1 hour so it will be more firm and won’t crumble up.
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