Apple Upside Down Cake (BEST Recipe!) - Chef Savvy (2024)

The BEST Apple Upside Down Cake. Tender vanilla spiced cake topped with a gooey homemade caramel and sliced apples. Serve warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Looking for more Apple Desserts? Try my Apple Cider Doughnuts or my Stuffed Baked Apple!

Apple Upside Down Cake

I love apple season! It’s one of my favorite times of the year! Every year my husband and I make a trip up to Pennsylvania and pick apples from a local orchard. We come back with lot’s of apples and lots of reasons to make this Apple Upside Down Cake.The cake is perfectly moist with a hint of spice and vanilla. Layered on top is a quick caramel sauce and apple slices. It’s the perfect dessert to welcome in Fall!

I love to make upside down cakes. They make such a beautiful presentation! If you don’t have apples you can always substitute whatever fruit you have on hand! Peaches, pears, pineapples or blueberries would all be amazing in this! You could even do a combo of the two.

This cake is best served warm right out of the oven with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream! If you want to make individual upside down cakes try my Mini Upside Down Cake Recipe and just substitute apples.

Ingredients for Apple Upside Down Cake

• Unsalted butter: Along with brown sugar create the homemade caramel! If you don’t have unsalted butter salted butter can be used instead. Just make sure to omit the salt.
• Brown sugar: Gives the caramel a nice molasses flavor. Only have granulated sugar? Make this recipe for 2 ingredients brown sugar.
• Cinnamon: Adds the perfect spice to the cake and the caramel sauce. You could also add pumpkin pie spice for an extra kick.
• Flour: I use regular all purpose flour in this recipe. To make this cake gluten free substitute gluten free flour 1:1. I like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour.
• Baking powder: Is the leavener in the cake. Baking soda can not be substituted.
• Apples: My favorite apples to use in this recipe are honey crisp, granny smith and pink lady.
• Egg: Adds moisture and structure to the cake.
• Vanilla: Adds the perfect flavor to the yellow cake.
• Milk: You can use regular 2% milk or buttermilk in this recipe.

How to make Apple Upside Down Cake

• Preheat oven: To 325 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8 pan with nonstick spray.
• Make homemade caramel sauce: In a medium saucepan melt 1/4 cup butter and 2/3 cup brown sugar. Bring to a boil then remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

• Pour the caramel sauce into the bottom of the prepared pan. Layer with apple slices.

• Combine dry ingredients: In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

• Make batter: Add butter and brown sugar to an electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat until creamy and smooth, scraping the bowl occasionally. One at a time add the eggs and mix to combine. Add in the vanilla. With the mixer on low add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk, beating after each addition until the batter is smooth. (Make sure not to overmix)

• Bake: Pour the batter on top of the apples spreading in an even layer with a spatula. Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out mostly clean.

• Cool: Allow the cake to cool on a cooling rack for 15 minutes then transfer to a serving plate turning the cake over upside down to loosen the can. Serve immediately and enjoy!

• Reheat: To serve leftovers reheat in the microwave for a couple of seconds and serve immediately!

Here are more delicious dessert recipes to try!

• The BEST Brownies
• Texas Style Blueberry Cobbler
• Apple Fritter Bread
• Easy S’mores Bars
• The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Hot Fudge Pudding Cake