Recipe: Autumn Apple Upside Down Cake

A perfect recipe for a cold Autumnal day is this autumn apple upside down cake. It turned out surprisingly well and was a nice mid-week treat. I used some apples a neighbour had given us from their apple tree but any cooking apples will do fine. Normally we use our own apples as me and Mr. Nomad pick them from a local tree in the village, but we have stripped the tree bare so being given these was the perfect excuse to get baking! 

Autumn Upside Down Apple Cake

Yield: 9

Ingredients

• 76g (1/3 cup) butter, cut up
• 73g (1/3 cup) packed brown sugar
• 6 small cooking apples (or equivalent), halved, stems removed, cored
• 180g (1 1/3 cups) self-raising flour (I used Doves Farm gluten free) OR equivalent of plain flour and some baking powder
• 134g (2/3 cup) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 160ml (2/3 cup) milk (I used koko coconut milk, but you can use any)
• 57g (¼ cup) butter, softened
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla essence or almond essence

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F / 180c. Place the 76g (1/3 cup) of butter in a baking tin roughly 9x9x2. Place it in the oven for 5 minutes or until the butter melts. Take it out and sprinkle brown sugar over the melted butter; stirring until it’s all mixed in. Arrange some of the apple halves in the mixture with the cut side of the apple down. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the sugar is bubbling.

2. Whilst that is in the oven, peel the remaining apples and then shred them with a grater then set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, ginger and cinnamon. Add the grated apple, milk, 57g (¼ cup) of butter, an egg and vanilla or almond extract. Mix these together well until all combined. At this stage it won’t look very appetising but it will be good I promise! Once the sugar is bubbling in the tray in the oven, take it out and spoon the cakey mixture over the apples evenly. Some butter may be exposed but don’t worry about this.

3. Bake for 35 minute or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges and invert onto a platter (I used two chopping boards either side of the tin to make it come out without breaking). Cool for 20 minutes and serve! Perfect with ice cream or yogurt.

Notes

I made a gluten-free version by using Doves Farm gluten-free flour, and I used coconut milk instead of milk.

What autumnal treats have you been enjoying this November?