How do you get inspiration for your cooking? Cookbooks? TV shows (Great British Bake Off anyone?). My brain registers everything that can be related to food. I don’t even know how it does that! So when I was thinking about weekend baking, I thought that I want to try an upside down cake. I have never made one before, but I heard that they are delicious. Then suddenly I remembered that I saw something on the Instagram about pineapple upside down cake… I like pineapple, don’t get me wrong (unless it is on a pizza – than I have to unfriend you ;-)) but it just seems not right for baking. I might try it next time, just to prove myself wrong though.
Anyway, let’s get to THIS cake. As everything in the autumn (my Mr will argue that in Ireland it is already winter…), everything smells of cinnamon and nutmeg. My upside down cake just had to be with apples. And what goes with apples? Dark caramel. I now know that I cannot take the credit for this amazing invention as it seems that lots of people already thought about the combination before. Sadly I won’t get an innovator of the year award. Oh well, at least I will eat this sweet and delicious cake – and that’s like winning anyway!
I think this cake would work very well with pears and ginger (just saying) – so if you make one, please post it on instagram with #polkafoodie I want to see it!
Caramel apple upside down cake
You won't be able to stop eating it...
Ingredients
For the caramel apples
- 3 apples any eating type
- 100 g dark muscovado sugar
- 75 g unsalted butter
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 tsp cinnamon
For the cake
- 150 g unsalted butter softened
- 200 g dark muscovado sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 150 ml milk
- 210 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 0.25 tsp nutmeg
Instructions
To make caramel apples
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Preheat the oven to 175C. Prepare 8" tin by oiling it. The tin should preferably not have a loose bottom as the caramel may leak out during baking. If you don't have the sandwich tin, just wrap the outside with foil.
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Peal and cut the apples into slices. In a pan, heat the sugar with butter, salt, vanilla and cinnamon until all combined and slightly tick. It will be about a minute or two.
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Pour the caramel onto the bottom of prepared tin and arrange the apples on top.
To make the cake
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Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar and mix until combined.
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Add eggs one at a time, then add vanilla and mix well.
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In a separate bowl combine the flour with baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
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Add part of the flour to the batter and mix. Add milk and mix again. It may look as if the batter is curdling, but don't worry. Add the rest of the flour and fold just to combine the ingredients.
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Pour the batter on top of the caramel. Bake for about 1hr 15min (depending on your oven) until toothpick inserted in the middle is dry.
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When baked, take out of the oven and let it sit in the tin for about 10-15 min. Then take the plate, cover the top of the tin with it and turn it all upside down. You should be able to remove the tin easily. If that doesn't happen, you can loosen up the sides of the cake by running knife around it.
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Let it cool completely before eating.
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Enjoy!
Just to prove to you how good this cake is, I ate two slices while writing this post…