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–+ servings
Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake cut into squares on brown parchment paper.
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Apple Upside Down Cake

This homemade Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake is a fluffy spice cake full of warm autumn flavors (like cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg) baked on top of brown sugar caramel apples.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple upside down cake
Servings: 9 -12 slices
Author: Michelle

Ingredients

Topping

  • 4 Tbsp butter, melted
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1-2 large apples (sliced into rings or traditional thin slices)

Spice Cake

  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 3 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp ground allspice
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 Tbsp sour cream

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x9 square baking dish.
  • Pour melted butter into your baking dish and tilt the pan around until the butter is spread evenly on the bottom. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top of the butter. Lay apple slices on top of the brown sugar. Set aside.
  • With a standing mixer or a hand mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
  • Add in brown sugar and granulated sugar. With your mixer, beat the sugar with the butter until light and fluffy.
  • Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  • Add in flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and all spices. Using your mixer (or a rubber spatula), mix until just combined (it’s okay if there’s still a little white in the batter).
  • Add in buttermilk and mix until just combined.
  • Lastly, add in the vanilla extract and sour cream, mixing until everything is just combined.
  • Pour the batter on top of the apples, spreading in an even layer.
  • Bake for 35- 40 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
  • Allow the cake to cool for about 10-15 minutes, then invert the pan onto a plate and lightly tap the pan until the cake comes out.
  • Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Notes

*Instead of using a square pan, you can use a 9x9 deep dish circular pan (about the same depth as a 9x9 square baking pan).