Apples are one of my favorite things
about fall. Almost every year for the past 5 or 6 years we find a local apple
orchard and take our kids to pick apples. It's the whole experience of being
together, picking delicious home grown fruit, then taking it home to eat and
make into wonderful things!
This year must have been a bad year
for apples because several of the orchards we tried to go to said they hardly
had any and there were none left to pick-bummer! So, instead, I
ordered a box of LOVELY honey crisps from our local CSA and have been thrilled
to have them even though we didn't pick them.
Honey crisps are my absolute
favorite apple. They are sweet and mild and nice and crisp and keep a long time
under the right circumstances. They are the perfect apple for this dessert.
They compliment the dense sweetness of the cake and the slight saltiness of the
caramel sauce. I made this cake within hours of finding the recipe and it was
gone in less than 24! And I've been craving it ever since! It's mouth-watering
and delicious. It would be a beautiful addition to any family gathering or
holiday party this season.
Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake
For the caramel sauce:
1 cup brown sugar, packed1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. thawed apple juice concentrate
4 Tbsp. butter
pinch salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
Mix the brown sugar, heavy cream,
apple juice concentrate, butter, salt and cinnamon in a saucepan over medium-low
heat. Cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until it gets thicker. Add
the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off the heat, cool
slightly.
3/4 cup oil (I used coconut oil, melted)
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 Tbsp. thawed apple juice concentrate
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
1 large apple, peeled and shredded
(I used Honey Crisp)
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch round cake pan at least 2-inches deep. Line the bottom with parchment, and grease the parchment. Make sure you measure your pan. If it's pretty close to 2 inches deep, make sure you put the pan on a cookie sheet in case of any spills.
Peel and slice the 2 medium apples into 1/4-inch thick wedges. Overlap the apple wedges in a ring around the bottom of the pan. Pour about 1/3-1/2 cup of the caramel sauce over the apples and set it aside.To make the cake, beat the oil, brown sugar, apple juice concentrate, eggs, spices and salt together for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add the flour and baking soda and mix to combine. Fold in the shredded apple and nuts, if desired, until just incorporated.
Drop batter by scoops on top of the apples in the pan, gently spreading to even out and cover the bottom. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until cake tester inserted near center comes out clean.
Let cake cool in pan for 5 minutes. Run a spatula around the edge to loosen it, then turn cake out onto a serving plate, bottom side up. Pour reserved caramel sauce over the top of the cake and serve warm or room temperature.
SOURCE: Cake from King Arthur Flour and sauce adapted from Pioneer Woman
Looks heavenly.
ReplyDeletethis really does look heavenly... bet it would be great with lashings of double cream... love the caramel apples x
ReplyDeleteI think you're right!! YUM!
ReplyDelete