We all know the illustrious pineapple upside-down cake. Many love it, but personally, I’m not a pineapple fan. What I am a huge fan of though, is apples. You should know this by now. Apples are definitely on my list of favorite fruits. So, when I want an upside-down, I make this apple upside-down cake. In my opinion, all upside-down cakes should be made with apples. It is truly superior to the pineapple. In my opinion, at least.
Preheat your oven and grease your pan. Cut the apples in half. Then, cut 2 apples into 1/4″ slices and cut the other two apples into 1/2″ slices. Make sure you place the apple slices to the side in a bowl with a little bit of apple juice. About a tablespoon. Mix. This will prevent the apples from turning brown.
Melt the butter in a 12″ skillet with the 1/2″ apple slices over medium-high heat.
Cook the apples for about 4-6 minutes. Add the 1/4″ apple slices, brown sugar and lemon juice and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the apples are coated and the sugar dissolves. Only about a minute with this step.
Take this off the heat and transfer the apple mixture to the prepared pan. Lightly press into an even layer and set aside.
Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside
Whisk together the sugars and eggs until thick and slightly paler in color. Should take about a minute.
Slowly whisk in the butter until combined. Add in the sour cream and vanilla and whisk to combine.
Slowly fold in the dried ingredients until just combined. Don’t overmix.
Pour this mixture over the apple mixture in the pan. Spread until even over the top. Lightly tap the pan on the counter top.
Bake for around 30-40 minutes or until golden brown top and a toothpick comes out with some moist crumbs. Make sure you rotate the pan halfway through baking.
Cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. Run a small knife around the outside and place a rack on top to help flip the cake over.
Lift the cake pan off. Make sure you do this over a baking sheet to catch any drippings. Cool for about 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Enjoy with a side of ice cream or whipped cream! Enjoy slightly warm.
See how I do it:
Ingredients
- Topping:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 4 Granny Smith, Gala or Fuji apples, peeled & cored
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Cake:
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Butter a 8" or 9" cake pan completely and flour it. Shaking out the excess flour. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Cut two apples in half and then in 1/2" apple slices. Cut the other two in half and into 1/4" slices.
Get started on the topping. Add the butter and 1/2" slices into a 12" skillet. Cook for about 4-6 minutes over medium-high heat. Add the 1/4" apple slices, along with the brown sugar and lemon juice, stirring constantly. Only cook for about a minute more until the sugar dissolves and the apples are coated.
Take the pan off the heat and transfer the mixture into the prepared cake pan. Spread the apple mixture evenly. Press down slightly. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
Whisk together the eggs and sugars until thicker and slightly paler, about a minute.
Slowly pour in melted butter that's been cooled slightly. Whisk until combined. Add in the sour cream and vanilla and mix until fully combined.
Gently fold in the dry ingredients until just combined. Don't overmix.
Pour this batter on top of the apples in the pan and spread evenly until the apples don't show anymore.
Lightly tap the pan on top of a countertop. Bake for about 30-40 minutes at 350°F or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.
Let the pan cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes.
Run a knife around the sides and use a wire rack to help flip the pan over. Make sure you do this over a baking sheet to catch any drippings.
Once flipped over, lift the pan off slowly. Let it cool for another 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Make sure your sour cream, eggs and butter are room temperature. Don't overmix or overbake. It will result in a dry cake. Don't actually cook the apples fully in the first few steps, you just want to heat them slightly for a few minutes. We'll cook them fully in the oven. Use a wire rack to help invert the cake pan. You can use any good baking apple. I personally love using Granny Smith, but used Gala for this post. All baking apples will work.
I love my mom so much, but man can she repeat things. Some would call it nagging. But, I don’t dare. This past week, my mom has been bugging me. Every single day, she’s been bugging me about apples. Yes, I said apples. You see, my mom tends to buy in bulk. You’d think this philosophy would only apply for big box items, but you’re wrong. She somehow applies this logic to fruit and vegetables as well. Yes, we’re a family of five, but sometimes this philosophy just doesn’t make sense. Because, last week, she bought a ton of apples. I’m talking we have at least 10 or more on hand. No one has been eating them, besides me. Because of that, she’s been bugging me to make a dessert with them, so I can get rid of them. So, I decided to make these squares. I wanted something easy and that wasn’t fried. Thus, I decided on this recipes. These squares have the best of everything. A spongy vanilla cake bottom, the warm tender apples in the middle and the chewy, yet slightly crunchy streusel topping. I loved these and ate them real quick. The best part was, I got a nice snack while finally getting rid of these apples that were laying around. That buys me some time until she buys some more fruit in bulk which should be a week or two. Sorry mama, but it’s true.
Wash and peel some Granny Smith apples. Slice them thinly, not paper thin, and place them in juice, while you work. Anything with acid will work here.
We’re going to make the bottom layer first, which is the cake layer. Start by, creaming the butter on medium speed. Gradually add in the sugar. Scrape and then mix on medium speed for five minutes. Next, add in the extracts and eggs, one at a time. Scrape between additions. Turn the speed to low and add the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined, then use a rubber spatula to finish folding in the dry ingredients. It should be smooth.
Combine the streusel ingredients and fold in to start. Then use your hands to clump up and mix the ingredients. Texture should be like wet sand when finished. Then prepare preserve, dilute with water and mix. Get your pan lined with parchment and greased. At this point you can also pre-heat your oven to 375°F.
In your prepared pan, pour in the cake batter and smooth it out with an offset spatula.
Then fan over the apple slices until they’re all used. Brush on the preserve throughout to hold the apple slices together.
Now sprinkle the streusel on top of the apples and make sure to cover as much space as you can.
Bake at 350°F for 50-55 minutes. Let it cool in the pan until cooled completely.
Use an offset to wiggle the sides free and unmold onto wire rack or cutting board. Use hot water and sharp knife to cut into squares. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and cinnamon and enjoy while warm!
Video:
[buymeapie-recipe id=’17’]
On this particular day, I woke up to weather that just wasn’t cooperating. It was cloudy, raining and just dark. It was really depressing. Whenever weather like that hits, I have to make something to pick my mood up. A comfort food usually does the trick. Nothing says comfort food to me, like fried foods. These apple fritters sure did the trick. Along with a glass of milk, I felt like I was at a carnival somewhere not so rainy. I’ve tried to make apple fritters many times. I’ve had many problems with them as I’m sure many of you have as well. The problems are typically that the batter yields a soggy fritter or the fritter is usually undercooked. I didn’t have either problem with this recipe. This fritter was delightfully crispy from the outside, but fluffy on the inside. I was in fritter nirvana.
To start out wash, peel, core and dice apples to 1/4″ thickness. Place in orange juice or pineapple juice in between to prevent browning. Lay out the apple dices on a paper towel lined baking sheet. Pat dry and wait until dry, about five minutes.
Sift the dry ingredients. Combine the wet ingredients. Toss the apples in the dry ingredients. Add in the wet ingredients and fold in until flour and sugar are absorbed. Don’t over mix.
Heat the oil to 350°F. Pour the batter into a 1/3 measuring cup and pour in the batter into the oil once it’s heated to the right temp. Flatten with a back of the spoon. Cook each side for 2-3 minutes. Remove to a paper towel lined baking sheet.
Combine the glaze ingredients and whisk until smooth. Glaze the fritter after cooling for five minutes. Let it drip onto a wire rack. Top with confectioners sugar if you’d like. Enjoy!
Video:
[buymeapie-recipe id=’12’]
I seriously have an obsession with apples. Okay, the word “obsession” is a little strong. But, they’re by far my favorite fruit. I’m constantly munching on them whenever I’m watching TV. Apple pie, apple tarts, apple ice cream, apple crumble and so on and so on. They’re all so delicious! My brother constantly makes fun of me for incorporating apples in desserts. I’ll be eating something with butter or sugar in it, but if it has a little bit of fruit in it, I’ll claim it to being healthy. Hey, technically it is! He just laughs and walks away when I try to convince him. I may not be doing such a good job at convincing you either, so let’s move on.
Apple dumplings are a staple in the south. But, this Midwestern girl, likes them just fine. This recipe yields about five or six 7″ dumplings. The apples were tender, the crust was flaky and the acidic glaze perfectly complimented the apples inside.
To get started, you’ll need a few tools. You can use a 13×7″ baking dish or just a regular half sheet pan. You’ll need a fluted pastry wheel, pastry brush, ruler and pastry blender, if you have one. Pre-heat your oven to 375°F.
To start, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Mix with a fork until blended.
Next, add the shortening and blend with a pastry blend until crumbly. If you don’t have a pastry blender, you can also use your hands. Toss the flour mixture with the shortening to coat. Break up the shortening into little pieces and smash with your index finger and thumb. This is called the sablage method.
If you want an example of how to do this with your hands: Sablage Method
It should look crumbly like this after you’re done.
Now, take the milk and add it gradually. As you add it in, stir with a fork until the dry ingredients are moistened.
After adding the milk and stirring, you should have big crumbs like this. Now, try to shape it into a ball in the bowl. A little more milk may be required to make it work.
Now, turn this out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 21×14″ rectangle. You may need to add flour or milk depending on if it’s too crumbly to roll out or not. If it is, that means it’s too dry. Try adding a little more milk and knead it into the dough. Then, re-roll it out into the rectangle.
Take your pastry wheel and cut out five to six 7″ squares. You will have to cut out about two or three the first time and re-roll from the scraps. I ended up getting five.
Now, let’s work on the filling. Peel and core two apples. I used the Granny Smith variety, but you can use any good baking apple. After you core them, slice one in half cross wise. Slice the other one in thirds crosswise. Add one slice to each dough portion.
Top the apple with a teaspoon of butter and sprinkle on the sugar and cinnamon.
Brush the corners with water. Take the top right corner and meet it with the lower left hand corner in the middle. Do the same to the other corners. Pinch the edges to seal.
Place on a lightly greased half sheet tray lined with aluminum or in a lightly greased baking dish.
Bake at 375°F for 35 minutes or until the dumplings are lightly browned and the apples are tender. 35 minutes was perfect for me.
You can work on the glaze while the dumplings are cooking or you can do it after they’re out of the oven. It’s a quick process regardless. Combine the sugar, orange juice, water, butter and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Let it come to a boil and then let it simmer. Stir occasionally. Let it simmer for 4-5 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted.
Brush the glaze on the dumplings thoroughly right out of the oven. After that, enjoy warm!
[buymeapie-recipe id=’2′]Save