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This Apple Upside Down Cake is a moist, cinnamon-spiced apple cider cake baked over a layer of sliced apples and a gooey caramel. Once it comes out of the oven, you flip it over to reveal the glossy caramelized apple topping. It’s like pineapple upside down cake but made for fall!

A caramelized apple upside-down cake on a white plate, with two green apples and a cake server nearby, set on a light surface.

I love upside down cakes because the topping makes itself in the oven, no frosting needed. The brown sugar and butter melt around the apples as the cake bakes, creating a caramel-like layer while the apples cook. The apple cider and cinnamon in the cake batter give it tons of fall flavor.

This is exactly the kind of dessert I like for fall: warm spices, no complicated decorating, and plenty of apple in every bite. If you love apple cake or pineapple upside down cake, you’re going to love this (with or without a scoop of ice cream on top!)

Ingredients for baking are arranged on a white surface, including bowls of flour, brown sugar, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, eggs, cider, vanilla, milk, butter, and two green apples. Labels identify each item.

Apple Upside Down Cake Ingredients

  • The magic of an upside down cake is the caramel apple topping, made with unsalted butter melted in the pan and topped with brown sugar.
  • I love baking with Granny Smith Apples because the tartness and baking can accept all the sugar and time in the oven. Be sure to peel, core, and slice them all the same thinness so they bake evenly.
  • The cake is your classic vanilla cake recipe, but I add apple cider and cinnamon for fall flavor.
A slice of apple upside-down cake on a white plate with a fork beside it. A green apple and the rest of the cake are in the background.

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Dorothy’s Tips and Testing Notes

  • Be sure to turn the cake out onto your serving plate immediately after removing from the oven. Once the caramel cools it will become hard and it will be impossible to get it free from the pan.
  • You know the cake is done baking when the toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs. The cake is nice and moist, even when cooled.
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Apple Upside Down Cake Recipe

By: Dorothy Kern
Apple Upside Down Cake is the fall version of a pineapple upside down cake using apple slices and a cinnamon cake batter with a gooey caramel topping.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 53 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 23 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
A caramelized apple upside-down cake on a white plate, with two green apples and a cake server nearby, set on a light surface.
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Ingredients

Topping:

  • ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter, sliced
  • ⅔ cup (134g) packed brown sugar
  • 2 Granny Smith Apples, approximately 190g each (see note)

Cake:

  • 1 ⅓ cups (162g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (119ml) milk
  • ¼ cup (59ml) apple cider

Instructions 

Make Topping:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Peel, core and slice apples 1/8-1/4 inch thick (make thin, even slices so they cook evenly)
  • Place sliced butter in a 9-inch round cake pan with at least 2-inch sides. Place in oven while it’s preheating to melt the butter. Once it’s melted, remove the pan, brush some of the butter up the sides, and sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the butter.
  • Arrange apple slices nested together all over the bottom of the pan. Set aside.

Make Cake:

  • Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • Cream butter and sugar with a hand or a stand mixer until fluffy and creamy. Mix in eggs then vanilla until smooth. Add milk and apple cider along with dry ingredients and mix until batter is no longer lumpy.
  • Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30-34 minutes, or until it’s golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs.
  • Immediately upon removing from the oven, place a large, rimmed serving plate (at least 10-inches round) upside down over cake. Being careful not to burn yourself, using oven mitts, flip the cake quickly upside down. Tap the cake pan a few times to release the cake and carefully remove the pan.
  • If there happens to be any caramel left in the pan, place it back into the oven to loosen up, then scrape it out with a spatula and spread it over the top of the cake.
  • Cool before slicing and serving. Store loosely covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece | Calories: 448kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 266mg | Potassium: 198mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 49g | Vitamin A: 641IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Can you freeze Apple Upside Down Cake?

  • Store baked and cooled cake in the fridge for up to 3 days. Serve room temperature or lightly warmed.
  • You can freeze the cake once it’s fully baked and cooled. Place in an airtight container and freeze for up to a month.
A glass bowl contains two raw eggs, creamed butter and sugar, and vanilla extract, ready for mixing, on a white countertop.
A glass bowl with flour, cinnamon, and wet ingredients being mixed on a white countertop, viewed from above.
A glass bowl filled with light brown cake or muffin batter sits on a white countertop.
A round baking pan filled with a dark mixture topped with an even layer of brown sugar, placed on a light countertop.
A round baking pan filled with sliced green apples arranged in layers on top of a brown crumbly mixture, sitting on a white surface.
A round cake pan filled with light brown cake batter sits on a white marble surface, ready to be baked.

How to make Apple Upside Down Cake

  1. The butter and sugar will be nice and creamy looking before you add the eggs and vanilla extract.
  2. Always whisk the dry ingredients before adding them to the batter along with the milk and cider.
  3. The cake batter will be a normal loose batter but will be light brown.
  4. It’s easiest to place the butter in the pan and place the pan in the oven to melt it, then add the sugar.
  5. Evenly layer the apples so they cook the same.
  6. Place the batter on top the apples in the warm pan.

Upside Down Cake FAQ

How to keep upside down cake from sticking to the pan?

The pan doesn’t need to be greased; there is melted butter on the top. The trick for release is to flip the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.

How do you prepare apples for cake?

It’s best to peel and core the apples and slice in thin equal sized slices so the apples cook evenly.

Favorite Apple Recipes

Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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