Apple-Honey Upside-Down Cake Recipe (With Video)

Yield:

8 to 10 Serves

Apples and honey are a heavenly pairing, making this upside-down cake the perfect fall dessert. Make it for Rosh Hashanah to ring in a sweet new year, or serve it at Thanksgiving when you want to balance all the pies with something a little different.

Choose firm, tart apples for this recipe. They'll balance the sweetness of the honey and hold their shape as they cook in the caramel underneath the cake batter. The key to getting the cake out of the pan cleanly is loosening the edges and letting it cool before inverting it onto a serving plate. Then, serve with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Apple Honey Upside-Down cake — Credit:
Johnny Miller

The Best Apples for This Recipe

Apples you eat whole or cook into applesauce are not the ones you want for this dessert. Choose firm varieties such as Mutsu, Winesap, or Granny Smith because you need apples that will maintain their shape when baked and inverted onto a serving plate—and that have enough tartness to counter the buttery-sweet caramel.

Directions

Preheat oven, prepare pan, and combine dry ingredients:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with oil. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Combine dry ingredients:

In another medium bowl, whisk together 2/3 cup sugar, honey, eggs, melted butter, and milk.
Whisk wet with dry ingredients:

Whisk egg mixture into flour mixture until just combined.
Make caramel:

In a small, heavy saucepan over high heat, combine remaining 2/3 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons water. Cook, swirling pan occasionally (do not stir), until mixture is deep amber, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in room-temperature butter. Immediately pour into prepared pan.
Arrange apples and spread batter:

Decoratively arrange layers of apples over caramel filling. Spread batter evenly over apples.
Bake:

Bake until top springs back when lightly touched, 45 to 55 minutes. Loosen edges with a knife. Let stand 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.