A high altitude apple upside down cake, made with honey crisp apples baked in a caramel sauce of butter and brown sugar, with a layer of moist and fluffy spice cake.
You might also love these recipes for Polish apple cake, cinnamon apple pecan scones, and apple cider bundt cake.
This site contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that I may make a small commission if you purchase a product using those links. This in no way affects my opinion of those products and services. All opinions expressed on this site are my own.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy to Make. You won’t need a mixer to make this cake, just a bowl and whisk.
Soft, Moist and Sweet. With the moist, buttery vanilla cake, tender apples and gooey butter and brown sugar syrup, this cake is hard to resist. It’s especially good if you drizzle slices of cake with boiled apple cider or concentrate.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Granulated Sugar + Light or Dark Brown Sugar.
- Unsalted Butter.
- Apples. I prefer honey crisp or granny smith, which have a great texture, even when baked.
- Cake Flour or All Purpose Flour.
- Spices. Salt, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and vanilla extract.
- Dairy. Whole milk and sour cream.
- Eggs.
Instructions
Getting Ready
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Grease a 9 inch round cake pan pan with non-stick baking spray and line the pan with parchment paper. Spray the paper, too.
Apple Layer
- Use a fork or pastry cutter to smash together the brown sugar and softened butter (6 tbsp), then press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Core the apples, then thinly slice them. Arrange the apple slices over the butter and brown sugar mixture.
Cake Batter
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices, then whisk until evenly distributed.
- Add the melted butter, eggs, vanilla, milk and sour cream, and whisk into a thick batter.
- Spread the batter evenly over the apples.
Bake
- Bake for about 55-60 minutes, until a sharp knife or cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes, then invert onto a plate or cake pedestal, so that the apple slices are on top. Carefully remove the parchment paper.
- Serve the cake warm or at room temperature, with freshly whipped cream or ice cream.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
After cooling the cake completely, it should be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 1 day, or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To soften the cold cake, reheat individual slices in the microwave at 50% power for 20-30 seconds.
Choose an apple that holds its texture when baked, such as Honey Crisp or Granny Smith.
You Might Also Like
Please check out my Amazon Shop for a curated collection of some of my favorite cake pans from trusted brands, baking tools, ingredients, pretty things and fashion finds. I recommend products that I buy and use every day!
Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!
High Altitude Apple Upside Down Cake
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 9 Inch Round Cake Pan
Ingredients
- ¾ cup light or brown sugar
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 lb honey crisp apples (2 large apples or 3-4 small apples)
- 1 ¾ cups cake flour or all purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 ¾ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup whole milk
- â…“ cup sour cream
Instructions
Getting Ready
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Grease a 9 inch round cake pan pan with non-stick baking spray and line the pan with parchment paper. Spray the paper, too.
Apple Layer
- Use a fork or pastry cutter to smash together the brown sugar and softened butter (6 tbsp), then press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Core the apples, then thinly slice them. Arrange the apple slices over the butter and brown sugar mixture.
Cake Batter
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices, then whisk until evenly distributed.
- Add the melted butter, eggs, vanilla, milk and sour cream, and whisk into a thick batter.
- Spread the batter evenly over the apples.
Bake
- Bake for about 55-60 minutes, until a sharp knife or cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes, then invert onto a plate or cake pedestal, so that the apple slices are on top. Carefully remove the parchment paper.
- Serve the cake warm or at room temperature, with freshly whipped cream or ice cream.
Notes
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/
Leave a Reply