I love the look of a perfect upside-down cake, but I was so apprehensive of trying it on my own. Pineapple upside-down cake must be the most common and most favorite one throughout the world, but I saw a recipe for a simple apple upside-down cake in, wait for it… one of Costco’s cookbooks! The recipe sounded really simple. It is basically a vanilla flavored cake poured on top of a layer of apple slices and a little brown sugar.
This cake is not as laborious to bake as the traditional upside-down caramel apple cake, as there is absolutely no cooking of sugar involved. I get nervous whenever I need to be precise about sugar temperature and stuff. I also replaced the butter in the batter with oil, and what do you know? It turned out just as light and fluffy.
I almost always use sweet red apples (usually gala ones) for baking. I am not a super big fan of Granny Smith green ones. You could use them if their tartness is something you love in a cake or pie.
It would have been lovely if I had cherries to place in the gaps between the apples. I had only dried cranberries with me that day, and they worked beautifully. The cranberries paired perfectly with the sweet apples and brown sugar glaze. Speaking of which, look at that lovely golden sheen! The cake is so simple yet it looks like you made a lot of effort.
My cake rose slightly in the middle but I was not very much bothered by it. If you are serving it at a party and want perfectly flat slices, you can level the top of the cake before inverting it.
APPLE & CRANBERRY UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
You will need: (Makes an 8-inch square cake)
- Brown sugar – 1/4 cup, tightly packed
- Red apples – 2-3, pips removed and sliced thinly (we will use only the larger circles)
- Dried cranberries – a small handful
- Oil (or butter) – 1/2 cup
- Sugar – 1 cup
- Eggs – 2, large
- Vanilla extract – 1 tsp
- Milk – 1/2 cup
- All purpose flour – 1 1/2 cups
- Baking powder – 1 1/2 tsp
- Salt – 1/2 tsp
How to:
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 deg.F and line an 8-inch square cake pan with foil or parchment paper. Brush lightly with oil or melted butter as well.
- Sprinkle brown sugar at the bottom. Arrange the larger apple circles on top and place dried cranberries in the gaps and scatter a few on top of the apples as well.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt and keep aside.
- In a mixing bowl, cream the oil/butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes till nice and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat well for a minute.
- Add the flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with the flour, beating lightly after each addition. Combine gently with a spatula. Do not over-mix.
- Pour the batter on top of the apples and berries and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 40-45 minutes or till the cake passes the toothpick test.
- Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes. Place a serving platter/tray on top and invert the cake onto it. Slice the cake and serve warm along with tea, coffee or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a delicious treat.
Notes:
- You can use pitted and halved cherries instead of the dried cranberries.
- Be patient and cool the cake for a while in the pan before attempting to invert it. If any of the apple or cranberries stick to the pan, remove them gently and stick them onto the cake.
- I covered the entire pan in foil which made inverting the cake very easy. If you covered only the bottom of the pan, you may need to run a knife or spatula along the cake’s edges to loosen it before attempting to invert it.
Tell me, have you attempted an upside-down cake? Which is your favorite?
Try this lovely combination of apples and cranberries and let me know what you think.
If you don’t want the hassle of inverting a cake, try my recipe for a skillet apple cake, a lovely vanilla cake topped with apple slices. I baked it in a skillet, you can easily adapt the recipe to bake in a regular cake pan as well.
If you like what you see, please follow my blog via Email (button on the right), Facebook, Pinterest or Bloglovin’, or maybe even all four!!!
I am linking this up at these awesome blogs.
- C.R.A.F.T
- A Blossoming Life
- Skip To My Lou
- Between Naps on the Porch
- Home Stories A To Z
- A Stroll Thru Life
- Cedar Hill Ranch
- Coastal Charm
- Elizabeth & Co
- House On The Way
- Savvy Southern Style
- The NY Melrose Family
- The Turquoise Home
- Living Well Spending Less
- Design Dining and Diapers
- The Novice Gardener
- The Shabby Nest
- French Country Cottage
- My Romantic Home
- The Charm of Home
- Thirty Handmade Days
- Crafts a la Mode
- Love of Family and Home
- DIY Show Off
- Nifty Thrifty Things
- By Stephanie Lynn
Judith Hannemann says
I’m coming with Jhuls–and I want orange pound cake too LOL!!!
Thanks for coming and linking up at our Happy Holidays Link Party. We’d love to see you back next week starting Saturdays @7pm ET on The Midnight Baker from now until Christmas!
Judy@ http://www.bakeatmidnite.com
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Sure thing, Judith!
And thanks for hosting 🙂
Jhuls says
I hope you don’t mind if I come at your doorstep now to ask you for a slice of this. Uh, you could bake another one for me, too. 😀 Photos and recipes are amazing, Anjana. <3
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Come on over, Jhuls. We can bake one together 😉
HostessAtHeart says
I love cakes cooked in the skillet. This cake with the apples and cranberries looks delicious!
chefjulianna says
Awesome! I have always loved these topsy turvy cakes!! Yours looks extremely delicious with the colourful addition of the cranberries! 😀
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Thank you!
Lily says
I love a good upside down cake, it is such a beautiful dessert, thanks for sharing:)
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Thank you, Lily!
Baking With Gab says
I love how colourful this photo shoot was!! Also, the cake sounds delish 🙂
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Thank you so much, Gab!
indusinternationalkitchen says
Looks delicious and so gorgeous Anjana! 🙂
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Thank you, Indu!
Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake says
I love this, it looks and sounds amazing!
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Thank you, Michelle!
The Gastronomic Bong says
Beautiful cake. love how simple it is to make.. lovely pictures.. 🙂
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Thank you, Arpita!
maggiemaysgifts says
oh my! yum!
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
It is!!!
spiceinthecity says
Oooh just gorgeous Anjana! I have a favorite pineapple upside down cake that I posted long ago, but never tried one with apples! Have to try soon 🙂
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Thank you, Naina. It is really very simple, but looks like you made a lot of effort. My kinda cake 😉
Jess says
Lovely cake Anjana 🙂
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Thank you!
MyKabulKitchen says
What a beautiful cake, love the addition of cranberries 🙂
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Thank you!
theveganmuffinwoman says
Loving the idea of this cake! Thanks for sharing!
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Thank you!
Michelle@TheRibbonRetreat says
This looks delicious and so pretty! Thank you for sharing! Pinned!
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Thank you, Michelle!
simplyvegetarian777 says
Loved it Anjana! Simple and easy recipe. I might try making single portion cup cake with this :).
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
They would be so cute baked as individual cupcakes with an apple slice at the bottom. Lovely!
milkandbun says
Beautiful cake and photos! 🙂
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Thank you so much!
sarahjmir says
Mmm Mmm Mmm!
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Thank you, Sarah!
Namrata says
Yumm! Upside down cake indeed look great, yours is no exception!
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Thank you, Namrata!
skd says
This looks marvelous Anjana 🙂 Tx for your warning ‘ be patient..’ That is one thing I can’t be when it comes to a freshly baked cake lol
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Thank you. I feel you, it is so hard to be patient when it comes to cake, right?!!
trialsinfood says
Looks great!
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried says
Thank you so much!