Best Upside Down Apple Cake with Caramel

This upside down apple cake is a rustic, incredibly soft cake made with cornmeal and topped with a buttery caramelized apple layer, wonderful served with a little whipped cream.

If you love a cozy fall dessert, you will also want to try my Easy Apple Bundt Cake, Easy Cinnamon Apple Crisp, and Apple Cider Donut Cake.

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This recipe came from an old baking group's list, slightly adapted from a Bon Appetit apple cornmeal upside-down cake.

Cornmeal, a cast-iron skillet, and the upside-down method come together for a soft cake with a caramel glaze and crispy edges, exactly my kind of fall baking project.

Why You Will Love This Upside Down Apple Cake

• Delicious fall dessert: caramelized apples and moist cake are simply irresistible together.
• Great texture: cornmeal in the batter gives the cake a unique bite and extra depth of flavor.
• Versatile: easily adapted with different fruits or spices.
• Easy to make: simple ingredients and steps for any occasion.

What ingredients are in easy apple upside-down cake?

• Unsalted butter: used to coat the skillet and add flavor to the caramel and cake
• Granulated sugar: for sprinkling over the bottom of the skillet to create a crunchy, caramelized layer and also to sweeten the cake batter.
• Apples: use whatever variety you have on hand. If you use Granny Smith, they are more crisp and bit more tart. Honey Crisps would also work well and are a bit more sweet.
• All-purpose flour: used for structure and binding in the cake batter
• Baking powder: helps the cake rise and creates a light, airy texture
• Sea salt: enhances flavor in the cake batter, balancing the cake's sweetness
• Cornmeal: adds texture and a slightly nutty flavor to the cake
• Eggs: bind all the ingredients together
• Vanilla extract: adds flavor to the cake batter
• Milk: adds moisture and lightens up the texture of the cake. You can also use plant-based milk as a dairy-free alternative.

The part I love is that you make a caramel first and then add the apple slice to the caramel to simmer and cook a little. The caramel sauce is incredible (and incredibly hot! be careful when you add your apples on top of the sauce); so incredible that you'll want to save it to pour on top of a big bowl of vanilla ice-cream!

We all LOVE this cake. How can you go wrong with a moist and delicate cake topped with juicy apples that have been cooked in a caramel sauce? It is my idea of baking perfection.

slightly adapted from Bon Appetit

How to make the best apple upside-down cake?

Step 1: Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat, using a pastry brush to coat sides with butter as it melts. Add ½ cup sugar and cook until sugar dissolves and mixture turns deep golden brown. Sprinkle ¼ cup sugar evenly over bottom of skillet, and cook until sugar starts to bubble and turn golden brown.

Step 2: Add apple wedges and gently shake skillet to distribute caramel evenly. Cover and cook until apples release their juices. Cook apples until they are tender. Remove from heat and set aside.

Step 3: Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl to blend. Place cornmeal in large bowl; pour ½ cup boiling water over and stir to blend. Add 5 tablespoons room temperature butter and ¾ cup sugar to cornmeal mixture.

Step 4: Using electric mixer, beat until well blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture alternately with milk in 2 additions each. Carefully pour batter over apples in pan.

Step 5: Bake cake until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool cake in skillet 5 minutes. Run small knife between cake and pan sides to loosen cake. Carefully invert cake onto serving plate. Serve and enjoy!

Variations and Substitutions

• Swap the cornmeal: white cornmeal, or a mix of types, works in place of yellow.
• No cast iron? a 9 or 10-inch round cake pan works, lined with parchment for easy release.
• Make it vegan: use flax or chia eggs and a plant-based milk.
• Swap the fruit: pears, peaches, or berries all work in place of apples.
• Add spice: a little cinnamon or nutmeg in the caramel adds warmth.
• Make it gluten-free: use a gluten-free flour blend or almond flour in place of all-purpose.
• Swap the sugar: brown sugar works in both the batter and the caramel.
• Add crunch: stir chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter before pouring it over the fruit.
• Add booze: a splash of rum or brandy in the caramel adds a boozy note.

What to serve with an apple upside down cake?

• Whipped Cream: serve the cake with homemade or store-bought whipped cream.
• Vanilla Ice Cream: a scoop of vanilla ice cream is a classic and really delicious combination with a slice of warm apple upside-down cake.
• Cinnamon sugar Sprinkle: sprinkling some cinnamon sugar on top of the cake before baking adds an extra layer of flavor and enhances the spiciness from the apples. It also gives the cake a nice crunch on top.
• Caramel Sauce: drizzling some extra caramel sauce on top of the cake before serving can take this dessert to the next level. Try out my easy homemade recipe!
• Hot Apple Cider: make some hot cider to serve with a slice of this apple cake. It's a cozy and delicious combination.

How to store apple cornmeal cake

Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days on the counter. Or place in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Originally published August 2012 and updated for content October 2023.

Some other apple desserts to enjoy:

• Easy Apple Bundt Cake
• Easy Cinnamon Apple Crisp
• Apple Cider Donut Cake
• Easy Apple Crumble Pie with Oats
• BEST Easy Apple Coffee Cake with Crumble Topping

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5 from 5 vote

Easy Apple Upside-Down Cake

Easy Apple Upside-Down Cake is an incredibly soft cornmeal cake topped with gooey caramel and sweet apples. The cornmeal helps create crispy edges, apples, and a sweet caramel glaze make this cake particularly delicious.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 4 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 9 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apples, cornmeal cake, upside-down cake

Servings: 8 slices

Calories: 76kcal

Author: Lora

Equipment

• 10 inch cast iron skillet

Ingredients

• ▢ 8 tablespoons 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• ▢ ½ cup for the caramel plus ¾ cup (for the batter) sugar
• ▢ 1 ½ pounds Golden Delicious apples about 4 medium, peeled, quartered, cored, each quarter cut into 2 wedges
• ▢ ¾ cup all purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ⅓ cup yellow cornmeal
• ▢ ½ cup boiling water
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ⅓ cup whole milk

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat, using a pastry brush to coat sides with butter as it melts. Add ½ cup sugar and cook until sugar dissolves and mixture turns deep golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes.
• Sprinkle ¼ cup sugar evenly over bottom of skillet, and cook until sugar starts to bubble and turn golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add apple wedges and gently shake skillet to distribute caramel evenly. Cover and cook until apples release their juices, about 5 minutes.
• Uncover and reduce heat; cook until apples are tender and caramel thickens and coats apples, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes Remove from heat and set aside.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl to blend. Place cornmeal in large bowl; pour ½ cup boiling water over and stir to blend. Add 5 tablespoons room temperature butter and ¾ cup sugar to cornmeal mixture. Using electric mixer, beat until well blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture alternately with milk in 2 additions each. Carefully pour batter over apples in pan.
• Bake cake until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool cake in skillet 5 minutes. Run small knife between cake and pan sides to loosen cake. Carefully invert cake onto ovenproof.

Nutrition Disclaimer

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.

Notes

• Cool before inverting: 5 minutes in the skillet keeps the cake from falling apart when flipped.
• Dairy-free option: use plant-based butter and milk.
• Storage: counter up to 2 days, fridge up to 1 week.
• Nutrition: the original calorie estimate looked too low for this recipe, please recalculate or confirm with your recipe plugin before publishing.

Nutrition

Calories: 76kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 256mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 16IU | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 1mg

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