Try this Easy Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake this Fall baking season for a beautiful and delicious cake everyone will love! It features a homemade vanilla cake topped with a delicious caramel sauce, fresh sliced apples, and baked upside down to perfection.
Easy Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake
Happy Fall, Ya’ll!
Have you started your Fall baking yet?
I’ve been having the BEST time the last several weeks making delicious Fall desserts like my Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake, Homemade Fried Apple Pies, Swirled Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bread, Sweet & Salty Candy Corn Bars, and my Easy Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars.
For today’s recipe, I wanted to share one of my new favorite Fall cakes – Homemade Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake.
This beautiful and delicious caramel apple upside down cake features a vanilla cake that’s made from scratch, sliced fresh apples, and a sweet caramel sauce made with cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter.
This apple upside down cake tastes incredible and is the perfect weekend baking project!
Easy Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake
Why You’ll Love This Caramel Apple Upside Down Bundt Cake:
This caramel apple upside down bundt cake is so good it’ll be hard to resist eating multiple slices, and it’s one that everyone will beg you to make again and again.
Just like my popular Crushed Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Strawberry Upside Down Cake, this Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake is made in reverse starting with the caramel sauce on the bottom, then apple slices layered next, and lastly the vanilla cake poured on top.
The end result is an incredibly delicious and flavorful Fall cinnamon apple cake with the most glorious caramel sauce that bakes into the apples and then drips and oozes down the sides when you flip it.
Oh and did I mention it’s super easy?
You can make this delicious homemade cake in less than 1 hour time and with simple ingredients you already have in your pantry and fridge!
Tips for Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake
- Save time with this amazing apple peeler.
- Use baking apples such as granny smith, honeycrisp, or red delicious, or a combination of sweet and tart for a balanced flavor.
- Set a timer and wait 10 minutes before removing your cake from the pan. If you remove too soon, the cake will be too tender, and if you remove later, you run the risk of the caramel sticking to the pan.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for a super yummy dessert!
More Apple Desserts You’ll Love:
- Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake
- Maple Apple Skillet Cake
- Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars
- Dutch Oven Apple Crisp
How to Make Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake
This caramel apple upside down cake might look complicated, but it’s actually quite easy to prepare.
The star of the show in this apple upside down cake is of course the homemade caramel sauce which perfectly balances the tartness of the fresh apples, but don’t let that scare you away.
Caramel sauce is made easy on the stovetop by combining butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, and comes together quick in just a few minutes time.
Kitchen Tools for Apple Upside Down Cake:
- 8″ x 3″ or 9″ x 3″ Round Cake Pans
- Mixing Bowls
- Sifter
- Rubber Spatulas
- Large Pot
- Whisk
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Cooling Rack
- Cake Stand with Glass Dome Lid
Step 1: Slice Apples and Make Caramel Sauce
First, clean, peel, and slice 2-3 medium apples into 1/2 inch slices and set aside.
I like to use 1 granny smith and 1 red delicious or honey crisp for balance, but you can use whichever baking apple is your favorite.
Next, prepare your caramel sauce.
How to Make Homemade Caramel Sauce:
To make the homemade caramel sauce, simply melt 1/4 cup of butter over medium heat, add in the brown sugar, and stir until the mixture begins to boil.
Once it starts to bubble and boil, remove from heat and stir in 1/2 tsp of cinnamon.
Next, pour the caramel sauce mixture into a parchment paper lined cake pan.
Tilt the pan from side to side so that the entire bottom of the cake pan is covered with caramel sauce.
Step 2: Line the Pan With Apples
Next arrange 1/2 inch sliced apple slices on top of the caramel sauce, overlapping to two rows if desired.
I just did the one row this time around, but whenever I remake it I will definitely overlap.
Step 3: Prepare Cake Batter + Bake
Next prepare your cake batter (as directed in recipe card) and pour on top of the arranged apples.
Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is a light golden brown.
Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.
Step 4: Turn Upside Down and Remove
To remove the apple upside down cake from pan, place the serving plate or platter on top of the pan and quickly turn upside down.
Let the cake naturally fall out of the pan before removing.
Tip: If you sprayed your pan well enough you shouldn’t have any issues, but if you do have any sticking, you can always tap the outside of the pan with a butter knife to get the cake to release.
Once you remove the pan, remove any extra caramel sauce from the pan and drizzle on top of your warm cake.
It will look so beautiful and delicious!
Step 5: Serve and Enjoy
Slice and serve your cake warm, and if desired top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake Recipe
PrintEasy Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake
Try this Easy Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake this Fall baking season for a beautiful and delicious cake everyone will love! It features a homemade vanilla cake topped with a delicious caramel sauce, fresh sliced apples, and baked upside down to perfection.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Caramel Sauce
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2–3 medium apples, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch slices
Vanilla Cake
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup canola oil (or a neutral flavored oil)
Instructions
Prep Work:
- Preheat oven to 350˚F and lightly spray the bottom of a 9×3 round cake pan with non stick spray. Place parchment paper that has been cut to size in the bottom of the pan and spray again with non-stick spray. Set aside and begin preparing your apples, caramel sauce, and cake.
- Clean, peel, and slice 2-3 medium apples into 1/2 inch slices and set aside. I personally used 1 granny smith and 1 red delicious apple for a balanced flavor.
Caramel Sauce:
- In a saucepan, melt 1/4 cup of butter over medium heat until melted. Add in brown sugar and stir until the mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat and add in 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Stir and pour mixture into the parchment paper lined cake pan. Tilt the pan to cover the entire bottom of the pan.
- Next arrange the apple slices on top of the caramel sauce, overlapping if desired.
Cake:
- In a large mixing bowl combine the yogurt, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until the mixture is smooth. Add in baking powder and salt and whisk to combine. Using a sifter, add in the all-purpose flour 1/2 cup at a time, and gently fold until combined. Lastly, add in the oil and stir until the mixture is smooth.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is a light golden brown on the top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Place cake pan onto a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Once cooled, place the serving plate or platter on top of the pan and quickly turn upside down. Let the cake naturally fall out of the pan before removing. If you sprayed your pan well enough you shouldn’t have any issues, but if you do you can always tap the outside of the pan with a butter knife to get the cake to release.
- Once you remove the pan, remove any extra caramel sauce from the pan and drizzle on top of your cake. It will look so beautiful and delicious!
- Serve the cake warm or at room temperature and if desired, top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- Store leftover cake covered at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Keywords: caramel apple upside down cake, apple upside down cake, caramel apple cake, easy apple upside down cake, easy caramel apple upside down cake, homemade apple cake
More Delicious Cakes:
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake
- Double Chocolate Cranberry Bundt Cake
- Best Ever Pina Colada Cake
- Luscious Strawberry Pineapple Cake
- Quick Pineapple Upside Down Cake
I hope you enjoyed today’s recipe for my Delicious Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake! Give this cake a try this weekend and tag me in your posts at #carasrecipes if you re-create it!
Thanks for stopping by! – Cara
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Delicious! I used a spring form pan, didn’t have as much caramel sauce as was pictured! Maybe leaked out?
Anyway will definitely make again.
Thanks, Maureen! I’d recommend using a regular cake pan next time just in case, but I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I have made this cake twice now for my husband and kids, and they are OB-SES-SED with it. I make a lot of desserts, and they swear this is the best cake they have ever had. Thank you for sharing the recipe! It’s so easy and has a great presentation! Also – kindly Unspoken – like the Kate Voegel song??
Thank you so much, I’m so happy too hear you all loved it! And yes, OTH fan for life haha!
Delicious! I did change it by using a boxed classic white cake. It worked great! It made 2 cakes so I doubled the ingredients.
Thanks, Esther! And yes – you can always use a boxed mix if preferred. So glad you enjoyed it.
This is amazing and so easy! I’ll definitely make it many more times in the future. I added speculaas spice mix to the caramel and the cake and it turned out incredible.
That sounds great! Glad you enjoyed it!