Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake
Submitted by nloxford on January 03, 2008 at 7:42 pm

This cake is very rich--a small slice is eminently satisfactory.

Topping:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 large, firm cooking apples* (about 1 pound), peeled, cored, and sliced

Batter
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
3 large eggs
1 3/4 cups King Arthur
*Granny Smiths are a good choice.

Place the topping ingredients, except for the sliced apples, into a deep, 9- to 10-inch wide oven-safe saucepan or stovetop-safe baking dish (such as the Fruit Dessert Pan). Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat while you add the apples, layering them in concentric circles to cover the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, and continue cooking for 16 to 18 minutes, until the apples are tender and the liquid has turned a light caramel color and thickened slightly--it should coat the back of a spoon in a thick, sticky layer.

While the apples are cooking, prepare the cake batter. Beat the butter, sugar, baking powder, vanilla, salt, and spices together until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition. Whisk in the flour. Use an ice cream scoop or spatula to drop mounds of batter over the hot apple mixture. Smooth slightly--there may be spaces, but they will disappear as the batter bakes.

Bake the cake in a preheated 350°F oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until the caramel bubbles up around the edges and the top is browned and firm. A cake tester inserted into the center of the cake (but not down into the caramel) should come out clean. Remove the cake from the oven, and let it stand for 10 minutes to set up.

Run a dull knife around the edges of the pan and turn the cake out onto a serving platter. Be careful, the gooey caramel topping is very hot. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream; it’'s best eaten slightly warm. May be made ahead, and reheated in a 350°F oven--just be sure that the serving platter is oven-safe! Yield: one cake, 10 to 12 servings.

Nutrition per serving (1/12 of cake, 134g): 420 cal, 20g fat, 4g protein, 59g total carbohydrate, 44g sugar, 1g dietary fiber, 105mg cholesterol, 230mg sodium.

• This topic was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by BakerAunt.