Easy Apple Upside-Down Cake

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

Cook Time37

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apples, cornmeal cake, upside-down cake

Servings: slices

Calories: 76kcal

Author: Lora

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 1/2 cup sugar and cook until sugar dissolves and mixture turns deep golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes.
Sprinkle 1/4 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 1/2 cup boiling water over and stir to blend. Add 5 tablespoons room temperature butter and 3/4 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