Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake

By Sarah On September 8, 2014 | Updated: September 30, 2024

This caramel apple upside down cake is incredibly moist inside and features a tender apple upside down topping with lots of homemade salted caramel.

New favorite fall cake coming in HOT! Who in their right mind could say no to all those caramel-y apples??

This apple cake is a close cousin of this beloved peach cake but with a few very fall-themed adjustments. We’ve got a homemade salted caramel syrup coming into play here coating tender apples to perfection along with a pretty dang incredible spice cake base.

Not only is it stunning on any fall table, but you don’t need to be a whiz with baking to pull it off either! Each component is very simple and I walk you through every step.

The shining star here is undoubtedly the homemade salted caramel sauce as it kinda gets baked into every nook and cranny of this cake and coats the tender apples to perfection.

Suffice to say, you definitely will not be getting away from this cake without a second slice.

This Apple Cake features…

A melt-in-your-mouth soft and fluffy spice cake
A sweet and salty homemade caramel apple upside-down topping
Show-stopping for any fall event and surprisingly easy to bake

Making the Apple Upside Down Cake

(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)

Ingredients You Will Need

Granulated sugar
Unsalted butter
Heavy whipping cream
Kosher salt
Apples
Brown sugar
Greek yogurt
Eggs
Vanilla extract
All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Baking soda
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Cloves
2% or skim milk

Choosing Your Apples

This recipe is great with a variety of apples. I typically try to stick with a sweeter, crisp apple that holds its shape after baking such as gala, honeycrisp, braeburn, or jonathan.

I do recommend you stay away from using granny smith apples in particular for this cake because I found they give it a bit of a too-tart flavor and require more sugar to balance that.

Tips for Perfect Apple Upside Down Cake

Cut apples into uniform slices – you want all the apple slices the same thickness so they cook evenly.
Make homemade caramel – caramel can be delicate business, but my recipe is very simple and only 4 ingredients!
Pour caramel into pan immediately – caramel tends to set up a bit as it cools so make sure you pour it into the pan immediately once it’s done cooking.
Cream butter and sugars together – make sure your butter is softened to room-temperature and cream well with the granulated and brown sugars several minutes until completely smooth.
Bring yogurt, eggs, and milk to room temperature – this will help these ingredients mix more cohesively into the butter-sugar mixture.
Spoon and level flour – I use the spoon-and-level technique for measuring flour as this will prevent over-measuring your flour. Use a spoon to scoop flour into the measuring cup, then level with the back of a knife.
Use a toothpick to test cake for doneness – be careful not to push the toothpick into the caramel apple portion of the cake.
Invert cake after 20 minutes of cooling – this 20 minutes gives the cake time to set up a bit and the caramel sauce will be the perfect temperature to cascade over the apples after inverting.

Recipe Variations

Try these ideas for a different twist on this cake.

Use pears – pears will work great in place of the apples in this cake.
Add cranberries – dot a few fresh cranberries around apples for a burst of tartness in the cake.
Serve cake with ice cream – for a next-level dessert, pair a slice of this cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Storing and Serving Cake

I recommend serving this cake at room temperature or warm if possible! If you plan to store cake, I recommend storing in refrigerator no more than 4 days and reheat individual slices in microwave 15-30 seconds before serving.

Every bite of this upside down cake is pure fall! From the caramelized apple topping to the melt-in-your-mouth spice cake, you’ll definitely have a hard time resisting that second slice.

Fall is served!

Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.

Watch this cake made step-by-step on Google web stories.

More delightful cakes to bake up next!

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