Apple Cinnamon Upside Down Cake is a wonderful fall cake recipe.

apple cinnamon upside down cake on white plate

Not only does this cake taste completely delicious, but it looks impressive too. Look at all of those apples that have perfectly caramelized on top!  Apple Cinnamon Upside Down Cake has nice fall flavors in a tender cake. The fresh apples cooked into it are a big time bonus.

showing process of making apple upside down cake with batter and apples in pan

Three Steps to making an Apple Cinnamon Upside Down Cake:

  1. Butter the pan and sprinkle brown sugar on top of the butter.
  2. Place slices of fresh apple in two concentric circles on top of the brown sugar.

apple upside down cake in round pan ready for oven

3. Spread the cake batter evenly on top of the apples.

apple cinnamon upside down cake in pan

How to flip an upside down cake:

Make sure the cake has cooled. Run a knife around the edge of the cake in the pan. Place a large plate or serving platter on top of the cake pan, and carefully invert the cake onto the platter. If any of the apples happen to get stuck in the pan, carefully move them to the top of the cake.

apple upside down cake on white platter

What kind of apples are best to use when baking apple cakes?

It’s always a good idea to combine a couple different kinds of apples when baking. That’ll give the cake the great flavors you’re looking for. If you prefer a more tart apple flavor, use a mix of Honeycrisp and Granny Smith. For a sweeter-tasting cake, try using Gala and/or Fuji.

serving slice from apple cinnamon upside down cake

Serving suggestions:

Apple Cinnamon Upside Down Cake is delicious all by itself. But it’s even more delicious topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream too. Even better- try salted caramel ice cream on top! Freshly whipped cream is another good topping for this cake.

How to make freshly whipped cream:

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Use an electric mixer to beat these ingredients until medium peaks form. At this point, it’ll be ready for spooning onto slices of cake for serving.

serving slices of upside down apple cake

It’s time to make this beautiful Apple Cinnamon Upside Down Cake for your next fall gathering or as a dessert for a family dinner. Enjoy!

Here are a few more apple cake recipes you might like to try:

apple cinnamon upside down cake on white plate
5 from 3 votes

Apple Cinnamon Upside Down Cake

Fabulous fall cake recipe!
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Ingredients

BOTTOM OF THE PAN:

APPLES:

CAKE BATTER:

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.

PREPARE THE PAN:

  • Coat the bottom and side of a 9-inch round cake pan with 2 tablespoons butter; sprinkle the bottom of the pan with brown sugar.

ASSEMBLE THE APPLES:

  • In a medium bowl, toss the apples with lemon juice; arrange the apples in the prepared pan in two concentric circles (you might not use all of them). 

PREPARE THE CAKE BATTER:

  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; set aside.
  • In another bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat until incorporated. With mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture in three parts and the milk in two, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
  • Spoon the batter over the apples in the pan; smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack, at least 30 minutes and up to 6 hours (if the cake has risen above the rim of the pan, simply push it gently back inside the rim).
  • To serve, run a knife around the edge of the pan, and invert the cake onto a rimmed platter.

Notes

  • *This is a super easy cake to make. Watch the time- if you bake too long, it might be dry.
  • Be sure to arrange the apples carefully so that it decorates the top when it's flipped over.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 383kcal, Carbohydrates: 55g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 87mg, Sodium: 306mg, Potassium: 230mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 34g, Vitamin A: 586IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 79mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

Apple Cinnamon Upside Down Cake

 

5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate This Recipe




5 Comments

  1. Fran says:

    5 stars
    Thanks for sharing this delicious, easy to follow , and beautiful apple cake. Made this yesterday for Rosh Hashanah and it was a big hit. Only thing I edited is I used dark brown sugar instead ( only thing I had)

  2. Bogie says:

    5 stars
    This was delicious. I served it for a girl’s night out and it was a big success. I will make this again. I make a homemade caramel sauce to swirl on top of the cake before serving….awesome!

  3. Debbie Savage says:

    Hi Lori, I love apples and cinnamon and am looking forward to making this cake. I have a question, do you melt the butter in the bottom of the pan, or just smear it?

    1. Lori Lange says:

      You can just rub the room temperature butter on the bottom of the pan.

  4. Sandi Z. says:

    Delicious! I made mine in a cast iron pan so the edges were a bit crispy. My family loved it!!
    Thanks recipe girl 🙂