Apple Upside Down Cake

The Apple Upside Down Cake is another version to its popular counterpart, the tropical flavored Pineapple Upside Down Cake. But trust me this upside down cake made with apples, which is also eggless and vegan, is simply delish too. The eggless Apple Upside Down Cake recipe is easy to make and going to be your go-to tea-time snack or after-meal dessert the moment you try it. So, give it a try today!

About Apple Upside Down Cake

Despite of the patience that baking and creating patisserie dishes involve, I have always considered it as a therapeutic activity.

The satisfaction that I get after baking a perfect cake, pie, muffin, bread or any such dish is unmatched! More when it is liked by all, as it adds to the confidence and really makes my soul happy from within.

This eggless Apple Upside Down Cake recipe is one of those that has been developed by me. It not only tastes good, but is a complete stunner in its looks as well.

Yes, I agree that it took me some trials to overcome my impatience to get this cake right. I’ve had my share of baking blunders too. But in the end the efforts paid off, and how!

Why This Recipe Works

Baking without the use of eggs or non-dairy products can be a challenge for the biggest of professional chefs. I’m glad that I have finally cracked it (not the egg, but the recipe!) for keeps.

This eggless Apple Upside Down Cake has been a hit for my family too, from the word go. The cake has a good crumb and is light and soft sans eggs The secret to this texture in the cake is the addition of lemon juice and water.

In addition, this Apple Upside Down Cake is made of ingredients that are easily available in the kitchen and you don’t have to have sleepless nights in sourcing anything special to prepare it.

Since jaggery is also easily available in India, I have added organic powdered jaggery in the cake batter. In case you don’t have it, the cake batter can be sweetened with regular sugar or powdered sugar too.

Besides this gorgeous Apple Upside Down Cake, if you are a true-blue apple fan, here are some more recipes that you must try – Apple Cake, Apple Pie and Apple Muffins.

Wondering what is Jaggery? It is unrefined sugar made from sugarcane juice and is locally made in many Indian states. But you can easily get it from Indian grocery stores or online if you live outside India.

In case you cannot source jaggery, look out for the Latin American panela or Mexican piloncillo. You could also easily swap jaggery with brown sugar or muscovado sugar.

How to make Apple Upside Down Cake

Preparation

1. Grease a 7 to 7.5 inches round cake pan or tin. You can even line the pan with butter paper or parchment paper.

Rinse, peel, core and slice 2 medium-sized apples. Do not make thin slices. Layer the apple slices in the tin.

You can have a single layer or double layer. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C/356 degrees F for 15 minutes.

2. I doubled the apple layer and sprinkled ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder, 2 to 3 tablespoons demerara sugar and few drops of lemon juice on the apple slices.

Instead of demerara sugar, you can easily use brown sugar or raw sugar.

Make Apple Upside Down Cake

3. In a mixing bowl take the following listed dry ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ cup powdered jaggery (or ¾ cup brown sugar or ¾ cup raw sugar or ½ cup confectioner’s sugar or powdered sugar)
• ½ teaspoon ground vanilla powder
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder

Mix them well with a wired whisk.

If using vanilla essence or extract, then add it when adding lemon juice in step 5.

4. Add 1 cup water and ¼ cup oil, mix well to form a batter without lumps. Do not over mix.

5. Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice and mix well again. You can see tiny bubbles on the batter after adding lemon juice.

6. Pour the cake batter in the prepared cake pan/tin layered with apples. Shake the sides of the pan, so that the air bubbles are released.

7. Put the cake pan/tin in the preheated oven and bake for 45 to 55 minutes at 180 degrees C/356 degrees F or for some more time if required.

Do keep a check as oven temperatures vary. It may take less or more time in your oven.

8. Make sure to remove the cake carefully when its cooled down to room temperature. I removed it while it was still hot. Hence, the apple slices got stuck at the bottom of the cake pan.

Lining the cake pan/tin with parchment or butter paper is always advisable as it helps to easily remove the cake without the apple slices sticking at the bottom.

Slice or cut the Apple Upside Down Cake into wedges and serve as an after meal dessert or with tea or coffee.

Why is it called an Upside Down Cake

It is not rocket science to guess why a cake must be called an ‘upside down’ one? You pour your usual cake batter over some fruits sprinkled with sugar and spices, bake it and then flip it over while unmolding it. By doing so you get a cake, whose bottom becomes the top and hence an ‘upside down.’

Other than the traditional choice of using pineapple for such a cake, fruits like apples, pears, cherries, plums and peaches are also used to make lovely upside down cakes. This Apple Upside Down Cake recipe is going to help you bake one such amazing cake.

Other region specific upside down cake variants include the Tarte Tatin from the French cuisine and Bolo de Ananas a.k.a Bolo de Abacaxi from the Portuguese cuisine.

Expert Tips

1. The time taken to bake the cake will vary from oven to oven. It may take less or more time in your oven. So, you will have to keep a check.
2. It is always better to line your cake pan/tin with a parchment or butter paper. This helps in easily remove the cake without letting the apple slices stick to the bottom of the cake pan/tin. Also, keep in mind to cool the cake to room temperature before removing it from the pan.
3. Some whole wheat flours have a strong nutty flavor which comes through while baking. Adding flavorings and spices will help mask this typical taste/flavor.
4. After sprinkling cinnamon powder and nutmeg powder on the apple layer in the pan, you can also drizzle some lemon juice on them. This avoids discoloration of the apple slices.
5. Make sure to not over-mix the cake batter as this might result in a dense, chewy, weak cake. Since this recipe uses whole wheat flour too, over-mixing can result in a doughy batter with formation of gluten strands in it. This will hamper the rising of the cake while baking and result in a lumpy doughy mass of cooked atta.
6. The sweetness in the cake batter can be adjusted as per your preferences. You can also use unrefined cane sugar or powdered sugar instead of powdered jaggery.
7. You can use garam masala powder and cardamom powder instead of cinnamon powder or nutmeg powder. While using garam masala powder, make sure that you add just ¼ teaspoon as adding more may overpower the flavors.
8. You can use vanilla essence or extract instead of ground vanilla powder.

FAQs

This Apple Upside Down Cake recipe from the blog archives, first published in March 2013 has been republished and updated on December 2022.