Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake

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, packed
1 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.

 

For the cake:

2 medium cooking apples (I used Honey Crisp)
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