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Caramel apple upside-down cake is packed with tangy apples, rich, moist cake, and smothered in a scrumptious caramel glaze! Serve it warm with a dollop of whipped cream, and it’s just the dessert you need for fall!
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Beautiful: This cake is absolutely stunning! Your friends and family will be wowed by its gorgeous appearance and equally impressed by its delicious flavor.
- Fall Favorite: The combination of dense spiced cake with tart apples and sweet caramel screams fall!
- Easy to Make: Don’t let its sophisticated appearance fool you—this cake comes together quickly and easily!
Ingredients for Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake
These are all the ingredients you need for this perfect cake! It starts with your favorite fresh apples. Add the delicious spiced cake, and you have the ultimate fall dessert! Scroll to the bottom of the post for exact measurements.
- Butter: Adds fat for moisture and also gives your cake a rich flavor!
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar gives your glaze its amazing color and sweetness.
- Cinnamon: A little ground cinnamon is key for the perfect fall flavor!
- Apples: I use medium apples here, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges.
- All-Purpose Flour: Perfect for a light, airy cake structure.
- Baking Powder: Makes your caramel apple upside-down cake nice and fluffy!
- Salt: Salt is added to enhance overall flavor.
- Granulated Sugar: Adds the perfect sweetness to your upside-down cake. It also melts down when baked for the perfect texture!
- Eggs: Add moisture and bind everything together.
- Vanilla: Provides a richer flavor. I like using pure vanilla extract for the best results!
- Milk: It makes the cake batter nice and smooth. I like using whole milk because of its fat content. The more fat in your cake, the more moist and flavorful it will be!
Whipped Cream Topping
- Heavy Whipping Cream: This is the base of your topping.
- Powdered Sugar: Adding a little powdered sugar gives your whipped cream its perfect sweetness and keeps it nice and smooth, too!
How to Make Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake
Making a caramel apple upside-down cake is super easy! In just a few steps of mixing and baking, you’ll create a flavorful fall treat. It’s the perfect dessert to throw together for parties.
- Preheat Oven and Prep Pan: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9-inch round or square pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Melt Glaze Ingredients Together: In a medium saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat until melted. Then, add the brown sugar and bring it to a boil, remove from heat. Then stir in 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and pour into the bottom of the greased pan. Next, arrange the apples over the brown sugar mixture.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk together flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt, in a medium-sized bowl. Set bowl aside.
- Beat Sugar, Butter, Eggs, and Vanilla: In a large bowl or mixer, beat together 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup butter on medium speed until fluffy. Add in eggs and vanilla.
- Mix in Flour and Milk: Next, beat in the flour mixture alternating with the milk until smooth. Pour the batter over the apples and spread evenly.
- Bake: Bake for 55-60 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
- Prepare Whipped Topping: To make the whipped topping, beat the heavy whipping cream on high until soft peaks start to form. Add two tablespoons of powdered sugar.
- Flip Cake and Serve: Run a knife along the edges of the caramel apple upside-down cake and then flip it upside down on a pan. Serve warm with whipped cream on top.
Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake Tips and Suggestions
This mouthwatering upside-down cake loaded with the sweet-tart combination of the caramel apple is absolutely delicious. As easy as it is to put together, here are some of my personal tips and tricks for getting the best results every time!
- Grease Pan Well: Use a heavy coating of your favorite nonstick cooking spray before adding apples and cake batter to your pan! Add a little more when you think you’ve added enough. This cake gets really sticky when it bakes, and fruit is notorious for sticking to the bottom. A well-greased pan will help it slide out perfectly once it’s done!
- Flavor Additions: Chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds in your cake batter are so delicious, and they taste great with the fall spices.
- Let Cake Cool: After pulling the cake out of the oven, it’s important to let it cool for 10-15 minutes. This will help it set into place! Don’t let it cool completely, though; it may become dense and hard to slide out of the pan.
- Choosing Apples: I like using tart baking apples like Granny Smith or Jonagold in desserts. If you want a sweeter cake, choose Golden Delicious or Honeycrisp apples!
- Toppings: In addition to ice cream or whipped cream, top your caramel apple upside-down cake with chopped nuts or homemade salted caramel sauce for extra decadence!
Storing Leftover Cake
Because this tasty caramel apple upside-down cake has a high moisture content, it will only last a few days. Wrap it tightly and store it in the fridge to keep it fresh for as long as possible!
- In the Refrigerator: Store your cake in an airtight container or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. It will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheating: If you want to serve your leftover cake warm, microwave it for 10-15 seconds.
More Caramel Apple Desserts
The juicy, tart flavor of apple pairs oh, so well with sticky-sweet caramel! This classic combination tastes amazing no matter what dessert it’s in! Here are a few of my other favorite caramel apple desserts to get you excited about fall!
A Reader’s Review
“I made this Sunday for a family dinner. There were four of us, and only one slice of cake left. I think it went over well!!!” -Ashley
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Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2/3 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 medium apples peeled, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup milk
Whipped Cream topping:
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9-inch round or square pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat until melted. Add the brown sugar. Bring it to a boil and remove it from heat. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Pour into the bottom of the greased pan. Arrange the apples over the brown sugar mixture.
- In a medium-size bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt. Set bowl aside.
- In a large bowl or mixer, beat 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup butter on medium speed until fluffy. Add in eggs and vanilla.
- Beat in flour mixture alternating with the milk until smooth. Pour the batter over the apples and spread evenly.
- Bake 55-60 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, to make the whipped topping, beat heavy whipping cream on high until soft peaks start to form. Add two tablespoons of powdered sugar.
- Run a knife along the edges of the cake and flip it upside down on a pan. Serve warm with whipped cream on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is the batter supposed to be really thick like cookie dough?
Not quite that thick, but it is thicker.
What kind of apple’s do you use
what type of Apple??
I made this, and my caramel got gritty and dark. What did I do wrong?
The ingredients list calls for 1/2t cinnamon (twice), but the recipe class for 1/2 and 1/4t. Which measurement is correct?
1/2 tsp of cinnamon goes into the cake batter and then 1/4 is added to the caramel sauce
Thanks for recipe looks so YUMMY GOT TO BAKE ONE REAL SOON.
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I love upside down cakes. I usually make peach or pineapple. My Aunt made an apple years ago and I have been wanting to do it ever since. This looks amazing and I cannot wait to try it. However, I think I will do it in a cast ion frying pan. My Grandma taught me that. Thank you. Can’t wait.
I’m trying this recipe for the first time and just put it in the oven. I wish I had thought of using a cast iron skillet instead of a cake pan! Thanks for the idea–filing it away for next time!
what apples do you think work best with this recipe???
I used granny smith. 🙂
Can’t wait to make this, I love anything apple! I am going to change one or both of the cinnamon amounts to apple pie spice, I Love Apple Pie Spice!
The measurement for the first addition of cinnamon is 1/2 tsp but the instructions read 1/4. Which one is correct? It looks and sounds wonderful! I want to make this for church tomorrow
I will try making this creation soon, looks yummo 🙂 How do you stay so slim with all the goodies you make? You also have a lovely looking family. :):)
Beautiful from-scratch recipe (the best kind, for sure!), can’t wait to try it. And I wanted to say “Hi” from a fellow Utah blogger! 🙂
I’m a little confused – the recipe repeats itself.
Hi, just a heads up. The directions for the upside down cake are messed up. The last several are repeats.
I really enjoy your posts 🙂
Thanks for catching that! I have no idea what happened there. 🙂
instructions 9,10 and 11 are repeated twice on this recipe
Fixed it. Thanks!
Your instructions are a bit woNky. Step 9 should be sooner??
I have no idea what happened but I fixed it. Thanks! 🙂