Forget about the fuss and muss of apple pie. There’s a new apple dessert in town and it’s call Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake!
You’d think after a week of cookie recipes I might be just a tad tired of the sweet stuff.
I’d say you are right but before I take a wee break from it all (and seriously, by wee I mean a tiny dot in the universe) I just had to bake up a cake for a celebration today.
Oh, I know it’s Monday, who wants to celebrate today but when one of your blogging buddies is about to get married you forget about the Monday blues! A bunch of us have gotten together for a fun virtual bridal shower for Joanne of Eats Well With Others!
If you don’t know Joanne, you should. She has the perfect mix of seasonal vegetarian dishes that would make any meat eater want to become a vegetarian and seriously irresistible desserts. It’s the perfect balance, have a day full of vegetables and end with a sweet note.
Today’s menu consists of everything that I think Joanne would absolutely love if we could all be together to cook up one delicious shower for her. Instead she’ll just have to find the time in between wedding planning, running a blog, and getting her PHD? Did I mention she’s pretty awesome.
I’d dish some wedding advice from one married lady to another soon to be married one but I have a feeling it’s all been said. So instead, don’t sweat the big or small stuff. Go, have fun and eat. Seriously, eat. Don’t let them take your food away.
How about some cake now? No shower or any autumn party would be complete without some cake.
The best part about this one is it feels like you are enjoying a heavenly slice of apple pie without the fuss and muss of constructing one. No dealing with pastry crust, no waiting time and there’s cake underneath salted caramel apples. Can it get any better than this?
Apple pie sorry but you might just get replaced at Thanksgiving this year.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 apples (any variety), sliced 1/8th inch thick
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- coarse sea salt to finish
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 inch round cake pan.
- In a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat cook the sugar until it melts and starts to caramelize. When it's light golden brown add the butter and stir until it melts and then off the heat stir in the heavy cream.
- Return to the heat and cook until the sauce is thick and all the sugar is melted if any seized up when you added the cream. Stir in the vanilla and sea salt. Let cool slightly while you slice the apples.
- Using a mandoline or sharp knife, halve and core the apples - peeling is optional and slice about 1/8th inch thick.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar until light and airy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla extract.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Mix in half the flour mixture on medium low speed. Mix in the milk and then the remaining flour.
- Pour the caramel sauce in the bottom of your cake pan and then arrange the apple slices on top of the caramel sauce.
- Pour the cake batter over the apples, being careful not to move the apple slices too much. Tap the pan hard against the counter to get out any air bubbles and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before placing your serving platter on top and carefully flipping over.
- Let the pan sit on the platter for about 30 seconds before removing, it should come off without any issue.
- Serve warm.
- Store any remaining cake in an airtight container.
Let’s take a look at everything that’s on Joanne’s virtual shower menu today!
Cocktails:
- Pumpkin Spice White Russian – Nutmeg Nanny
- Warm Apple Pie Cocktail – Miss In The Kitchen
- Bourbon Apple Cider Cocktail– Cook Like A Champion
Snacks/Savory:
- Baked Brie with Honey and Sliced Almonds – The Lemon Bowl
- Butternut Squash and Apple Galette – Warm Vanilla Sugar
- Roasted Pumpkin Crostini – Annie’s Eats
- Kale Salad with Maple Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Dressing – Blahnik Baker
- Lemony-Pasta Stuffed Zucchini – Very Culinary
- Pumpkin Dip with Apple Chips– Meadows Cooks
Sweet:
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake – The Baker Chick
- Peanut Butter Fudge Pie with Salted Peanut Butter Caramel– Taste and Tell
- Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake – The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
- Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake – Chocolate and Carrots
- Roasted Butternut Squash Pie with Brown Sugar Marshmallow Topping – Keep It Sweet
- Caramel Corn Chocolate Chip Cookies – The Cooking Actress
- Caramel Cranberry Apple Galette – Bakeaholic Mama
- Coconut Pecan Tarts – Bake or Break
- Cranberry Margarita Cupcakes – Baker by Nature
- Gingerbread Truffles – Dinners Dishes and Desserts
Pingback: Gingerbread Truffle Recipe | Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
Pingback: Butternut Squash and Apple Galette - Warm Vanilla Sugar
Pingback: Baked Brie with Honey and Sliced Almonds Recipe
I want this cake!!! All of it!
Pingback: Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake #eatswellbridalshower | chocolate & carrots
Pingback: Roasted Butternut Squash Pie with Brown Sugar Marshmallow Topping | Keep It Sweet Desserts
Such a yummy looking cake! Love it!
Pingback: Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake | 4theloveofcocktails
Pingback: Stuffed Zucchini with Lemony Pasta — Very Culinary
Pingback: Coconut Pecan Tarts - Bake or Break
Thank you thank you thank you chica!! This cake is making my Monday blues disappear. And damn straight I am guarding my plate of food at the wedding WITH MY LIFE. It seems reasonable if I bite anyone who tries to take it away, right?
Caramel apple is totally my jam! I want to dive into this and eat my way out.
Thank you thank you thank you chica!! This cake is making my Monday blues disappear. And damn straight I am guarding my plate of food at the wedding WITH MY LIFE. It seems reasonable if I bite anyone who tries to take it away, right?
Caramel apple is totally my jam! I want to dive into this and eat my way out.
Pingback: Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake
If this were a real life shower, I’d gladly help myself to a big slice of this cake!
Pingback: Coconut Pecan Tarts
Pingback: Kale Salad with Maple Butternut Squash - Blahnik Baker
suuuuch a beautiful cake!
I love your wedding advice. LOL This cake sounds great too. Wonderful fall recipe.
Just lovely!!!
What a fun twist on a classic.
This looks just lovely Susan- I know Joanne would love it!
Wow, this cake looks amazing! And it sounds SO good right now. Wish I had a piece!
That cake looks so moist and then you added caramel apples on top of it? Oh yes!!
YUM! I love upside down cakes! This looks amazing!!
Pingback: Roasted Pumpkin Hazelnut Crostini | Annie's Eats
Susan, that looks divine! Tony ‘n I adore apple desserts, especially in cake. I’m adding this to my “must bake” list this winter.
What spectacular cake. Glisteningly gorgeous!
I love upside down cakes because they look fancy without being complicated. Love how you made a caramel apple version!
I attempted to cook this recipe – the Carmel Apple Upside Down Cake and it was a fiasco — caramelizing the sugar dry is not a good idea at all. I followed the recipe but it gummed up totally and I could not even use the icing layer. I tried to substitute by just using butter and brown sugar and apples for the bottom layer but the cake was as too dry and no flavor. I ditched this recipe. Should have baked my original Apple Dapple Cake for Thanksgiving. At least my daughter-in-law made brownie muffins.