A simply delicious upside down apple cake recipe, topped with caramel and filled with quince jam and nuts for added tastiness! Warm and gooey, with crisp apples and a caramel glaze, it’s hard to resist this old-fashioned upside-down cake. With only a handful of ingredients, this apple upside down cake is a cinch to make!
Upside down apple cake
Guys, this is my new favorite dessert! This upside down apple cake bakes in no time and is full of tangy apples, sweet caramel and crunchy peanuts, all in a soft and moist sponge cake. What an amazing combination of flavors and textures! I’d also like to take the time and congratulate myself for the quince jam addition which proved to be an awesome idea! I’m just modest like that lol
Jokes aside, this jam matches all the ingredients so perfectly and acts as a wonderful balance between the sweetness in caramel and tanginess in the apples. I used homemade quince jam which scores double points in my book! I made the upside down apple cake recipe before, several times but I never used these ingredients together and it never tasted so good! Experimenting with recipe is what I love most (even though many times they prove to be epic fails lol)
More apple desserts you will love:
- Apple roses in puff pastry
- Fried apple fritters
- Apple tiramisu
- Apple pull apart bread
- Filo pastry apple pie
All of the best comfort foods seem to be complicated and time-consuming. Who has time for that? Upside down apple cake with caramel is the perfect solution. This recipe is simple enough for a beginner cook, but still feels special and indulgent. Plus, it’s perfect for any season.
Why is it called upside down cake?
The upside down name comes from turning the cake upside down after baking, so that it looks like a regular cake but with the caramel base as the top of the cake.
What apple is best for an apple cake?
All sorts of apples would work great with upside down apple cake. My favorite is Granny Smith and Gala apples.
Do you use whole apples or sliced?
You don’t have to slice your apples as for this recipe you’ll need whole apples. You just have to peel them and remove the core where you’ll be placing a filling of jam and unsalted peanuts.
Other choices of nuts that go well with this recipe are walnuts, pecans and almonds.
Do you grease the pan when making an upside down cake?
No, you don’t have to grease the pan as you won’t be able to prepare the caramel base if you do. Even if you prepare the caramel sauce in a separate saucepan, you won’t need to grease the pan. You’ll be turning the cake upside down when the caramel base is still hot/warm so the cake won’t stick to the pan.
Of course, using a non stick cake pan is always recommended as well as useful.
Should I use parchment paper for upside down cake?
No, you don’t need to use parchment paper as the upside down cake doesn’t stick thanks to the warm caramel sauce at the bottom.
What toppings would taste good on this cake?
Other good options are honey, vanilla sauce, white chocolate sauce, spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, maple syrup or nuts. Once cooled in the fridge you can decorate it with whipped cream or cream cheese (or both)
What to serve with this apple cake?
A scoop of vanilla ice cream would be an amazing companion to upside down cake. Other suggestions are whipped cream, orange scented crème fraîche, creme anglaise or just simple cream cheese frosting.
How do you store an upside down apple cake?
You can store this delicious apple cake in the fridge, in an airtight container. It will keep well for up to five days, moist and delicious, especially if you add the syrup I recommend below.
Can you freeze upside down apple cake?
Yes, upside down apple cake is freezer friendly and can be stored in the freezer up to three months. Wrap it in two layers of cling film, or place it in an airtight container, before storing in the freezer.
This caramel upside down apple cake is so easy to make and it tastes amazing. The perfect dessert for any occasion! Serve this delicious cake at your next party and watch your guests rave about how amazing it is. You’ll be the star of the show! Follow my easy recipe and start baking today!
What’s in the upside down apple cake?
- Eggs – I used medium large eggs
- All purpose flour
- Sugar – for the cake and to make the caramel. I used white granulated sugar but brown sugar works great too, especially for the caramel (if you want to get a darker color)
- Lemon zest
- Lemon juice
- Baking powder
- Vanilla extract
- Rum extract
- Fresh apples
- Quince jam
- Unsalted peanuts
- Milk
- Vegetable oil
- Ground cinnamon
Tools you will need:
- mixing bowls
- measuring teaspoon and tablespoon
- sharp knife or an apple core remover
- round cake pan with removable bottom
How to make upside down apple cake recipe?
Prepare the ingredients and the pan
- Preheat oven to 325 F
- Clean the apples, peel the skin off and remove the core with a sharp knife.
- Mix quince jam and peanuts in a small bowl.
- Choose a cake pan that fits all apples. I picked a small one and my apples didn’t fit but I didn’t want to waste the last apple so I sliced it and stuck the apple slices between the whole apples. I like to play around like that lol
Make the caramel base
- Put 10 tbsp sugar in the cake pan, on the stove over medium heat and caramelize the sugar, making sure it coats the sides of the pan too. Alternatively use a small saucepan to make the caramel sauce then immediately transfer it to the cake pan and coat the bottom and the sides in caramel while still hot.
- Place the apples in the pan and fill the cores with the jam peanuts mixture.
- Drizzle lemon juice and sprinkle cinnamon powder. Leave the pan aside.
Make the cake batter
- Make the sponge cake batter. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and the sugar in a hand mixer or stand mixer at medium speed until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is light and fluffy. Slowly add milk, oil and vanilla extract. Then add lemon zest and mix well. Mix the all purpose flour with baking powder then gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix well.
- Pour the batter in the prepared pan, between the apples.
Bake the cake
- Bake in the middle of the oven for about 40-45 minutes or until the cake top becomes golden brown (make a toothpick test in the middle; if it comes out clear the cake is done).
- Optional step – make a syrup: in a small bowl, whisk together some rum extract, water and a bit of sugar. Mix until the sugar is dissolved, then pour over the cake to make it more moist, before turning it upside down. I chose this step and it made the cake even more amazing if that’s even possible! For my syrup I used 2 tablespoons rum extract, 4 tablespoons sugar and half a cup water. Mix until the sugar is dissolved. I used a spoon to distribute the syrup.
- Place a large plate over the cake pan then turn it upside down. Remove the cake pan.
- You can serve as is or wait to completely cool and add toppings, such as whipped cream, caramel or vanilla sauce.
Upside down apple cake is a delicious dessert that tastes amazing! I hope you enjoy making upside down apple cake as much as I did! Let me know in the comments below how it turned out for you or what toppings would go well on this caramel upside down apple cake. If you have any questions just ask away!
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Upside down apple cake
Equipment
- cake pan with removable bottom
Ingredients
For the cake
- 4 eggs large
- 6 tbsp sugar
- 8 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 5 medium red apples cored and peeled
- 5 tbsp quince jam
- handful unsalted peanuts
For the caramel
- 10 tbsp sugar
- lemon peel as preferred
- cinnamon powder as preferred
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- rum extract as preferred - optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F
For the caramel
- Place the caramel sugar in the cake pan, on the stove over medium heat and caramelize the sugar, making sure it coats the sides of the pan too. Do not over brown the sugar! It will cook a little more when baking the cake.
For the cake
- Clean the apples, peel the skin off and remove the core with a sharp knife.
- Mix quince jam and peanuts in a small bowl.
- Place the apples in the pan and fill the cores with the jam peanuts mixture.
- Drizzle lemon juice and sprinkle cinnamon powder.
- Make the sponge cake batter. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and the sugar with a hand mixer. Slowly add milk, oil, vanilla and lemon zest and mix well. Mix flour and baking powder. Gradually add flour mixture and mix well.
- Pour the batter between the apples.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for about 40-45 minutes or until the cake top becomes golden (make a toothpick test in the middle, inserting into the batter not the apples; if it comes out clear the cake is done).
- Optional step - make a syrup. Mix 2 tablespoons rum extract, 4 tablespoons sugar and half a cup water. Use a spoon to distribute the syrup evenly.
- Place a large plate over the cake pan then turn it upside down. Remove the pan.
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