Ingredients
Topping
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 3 Honeycrisp apples, cut into ¼-inch thick half circles (no need to peel)
Cake
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour, properly measured
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to prepare for baking the cake.
- Melt Butter in Pan: Place ¼ cup of unsalted butter in a 9-inch round cake pan or springform pan and put it in the oven for a few minutes until the butter has completely melted.
- Add Brown Sugar: Sprinkle ½ cup light brown sugar evenly over the melted butter at the bottom of the pan to create the caramelized topping base.
- Prepare Apple Topping: Slice 3 Honeycrisp apples into ¼-inch thick half circles without peeling. Arrange the slices in concentric circles overlapping slightly to cover the entire bottom of the pan on top of the sugar-butter mixture. Set aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon salt until combined.
- Add Wet Ingredients: To the dry mixture, add ¾ cup milk, the remaining ¼ cup melted unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring, and 1 large egg. Whisk gently until just combined to avoid overmixing.
- Assemble Cake: Pour the batter evenly over the arranged apple slices in the cake pan, smoothing the batter from edge to edge as needed.
- Bake: Place the cake pan in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the cake to cool slightly before carefully inverting it onto a serving plate so the caramelized apples become the topping. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Do not peel the apples to retain texture and nutrients.
- Measure flour properly by spooning into the cup and leveling off to avoid dry cake.
- Ensure the batter is not overmixed to keep the cake tender.
- Use Honeycrisp apples or other sweet-tart varieties for best flavor balance.
- For a deeper caramel flavor, you can brown the butter slightly before melting in the pan.
- Allow cake to cool a few minutes before inverting to prevent topping sticking to the pan.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
