This caramel apple upside down cake is a fall must-make. Combining a soft cinnamon-spiced cake with buttery caramelized apples, we’re essentially getting two desserts in one. After inverting, the topping’s juices seep down into the cake and add unbeatable flavor and moisture. What you’ll love most, besides the flavors, is that there’s no fancy decoration required—the lovely garnish is literally baked into the cake!
I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more success tips. I’ve also made a few small changes to the recipe which are reflected in the printable recipe below.
One of the first dessert recipes I published was caramel apple upside down cake. It’s a forever favorite and totally deserving of that early spot in my archives. I bake this recipe at least once every fall season and have made a couple minor updates to the recipe over the years. The cake is better than ever. I figured you’d appreciate seeing what I’ve done!
One reader, Hannah, commented: “This was so easy! I love that it only used two apples but made such an impressive dessert and really infused the cake with their flavor. A hit for my family 🙂 ★★★★★”
One reader, Kathy, commented: “This cake is easy and absolutely delicious! I’ve made it 4 or 5 times now, and I’m thinking of making another right now! Definitely becoming my go-to dessert recipe! ★★★★★”
One reader, Sasha, commented: “This recipe is SO GOOD! It will absolutely be a fall classic for years to come. Thanks for this recipe! I followed it as is and it came out perfect. ★★★★★”
This Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake Is:
- Melt-in-your-mouth soft & moist, like this apple cake but remixed a bit!
- Extra flavorful like my beloved apple cinnamon bread
- Easy—no crazy ingredients or techniques required
- Perfectly sized for a small family or gathering
- The best destination for your freshly picked apples 😉
Try it at least once. I guarantee it will be a repeat recipe in your kitchen. And if you are looking for even more inspiration, here is a list of 30+ fall cake recipes.
Apple Upside Down Cake Topping
The topping is baked underneath the cake. After the cake slightly cools we’ll invert it onto a serving plate, the same way we flip pear tarte tatin before serving. The caramel flavor comes from the butter and brown sugar. Combined with vanilla and apples, the topping alone makes this a recipe worth repeating. It’s downright GOOD.
I know you’ll appreciate this: I mention this above, but it’s worth repeating. Apple upside down cake is basically already frosted—once you invert the cake, the garnish is already there! Use apple slices, not chunks, just like I recommend for apple cobbler.
A few preliminary notes on the topping:
- The topping in my original recipe had a little too much butter. I also reduced the cinnamon and put more in the cake itself.
- Melt the butter and brown sugar together on the stove, then cook for 1 minute. The mixture will slightly thicken and take on a caramel-like flavor that intensifies as the cake bakes. Not a lot of recipes do this, but it makes a big flavor difference. In my pineapple upside down cake recipe, we simply add melted butter to the cake pan and sprinkle the brown sugar on top. As a result, you don’t really get the same caramel flavor. Perfectly fine for that recipe, but why not take an extra minute here?
- Arrange the apple slices on top of the butter/brown sugar mixture. Try to squeeze as many apple slices in the pan as you can. No one has ever complained about extra caramel-y apples!
Let’s Make the Cake Batter
The cake batter is pretty straightforward and similar to the original recipe. Like most cakes, the base is creamed butter and sugar. Regular sugar lightens up the crumb, while brown sugar adds flavor. We use both in this cake. The cake is super soft and cinnamon-spiced—similar in taste and texture to apple cupcakes.
The batter differs from my pineapple upside down cake. Pineapple rings are heavier than apple slices, so we use cake flour, egg whites, and sour cream in that recipe to help keep the crumb light. Here we can use whole eggs and all-purpose flour.
Two Baking Tips:
- You can bake this cake in a cake pan or pie dish, but make sure it’s at least 2 inches deep. I recommend this pie dish, which is 1.8 inches deep but I never have an overflow issue.
- Because of the wet bottom layer (which is the topping), the cake takes much longer than a typical 1 layer cake. Its juices will bubble up the sides, creating these incredible caramelized edges. (See the edges below? They’re so good!) With upside down cakes, it’s always good practice to place a baking pan or sheet on a lower rack to catch any juices should they splatter over the edges.
Expect a Dense Cake
I’ve made hundreds of upside down cakes, or so it seems, and I say with 100% certainty that this style of cake will always be on the denser side. (Unless you are using store-bought cake mix.) The cake is served upside down. The weight of the topping, which is the bottom of the cake as it bakes, weighs down the crumb beneath it. Upside down cake will never be as light and airy as white cake. If you were to make this exact cake batter and serve it right-side-up, the cake would taste much airier. Does that make sense?
While this apple upside down cake is mega soft and not nearly as dense as, say, pound cake, it’s not overly light either. I know you’ll love its unique texture, especially paired with the caramel apple topping. Let me know how you like it!
Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 8-10
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This stunning apple upside down cake combines a soft cinnamon-spiced cake with a delicious buttery caramel topping. Pack those apples into the pan—this cake can hold a lot and you won’t regret those extra slices!
Ingredients
Topping
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 medium apples, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch slices (1.5–2 cups, or 188–250g, apple slices)*
Cake
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 Tablespoons (90ml) whole milk, at room temperature*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Prepare topping first: Combine butter and brown sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk occasionally until butter has melted. Cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute as mixture thickens. Remove from heat and whisk in the cinnamon and vanilla extract. Pour into an ungreased 9×2 inch pie dish or round cake pan. (Make sure the pan is 2 inches deep. I recommend this pie dish, which is 1.8 inches deep but I never have an overflow issue.) Arrange the apple slices neatly on top, overlapping where necessary. See photo above. Place pan in the refrigerator for a few minutes as you prepare the cake batter. This helps solidify or “set” the topping’s arrangement.
- Make the cake batter: Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add both sugars and beat on high speed until creamed together, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. On high speed, beat in the eggs and vanilla extract until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer onto low speed and as the mixer runs, slowly pour in the milk. Beat on low speed just until all of the ingredients are combined. Do not over-mix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
- Remove topping from the refrigerator. Pour and spread cake batter evenly over topping.
- Bake for 40–46 minutes, tenting foil on top of the cake halfway through bake time to prevent the top from over-browning before the center has a chance to fully cook. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean—a couple moist crumbs are OK. Don’t be alarmed if your cake takes longer or if the cake rises up and sticks to the foil. (We serve the cake upside down anyway!)
- Remove cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack for just 15 minutes. Invert the slightly cooled cake onto a cake stand or serving plate. Some of the juices from the topping will seep over the sides—that’s ok. You can slice and serve the cake warm, but the slices will be messy. I find it’s best to cool the cake completely at room temperature before slicing and serving. Do not refrigerate the cake to speed up the cooling process because it could end up tasting overly dense.
- Cover leftover slices and store for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature. I don’t recommend freezing the cake as a whole because the topping arrangement doesn’t thaw very nicely. See make ahead instructions below.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can refrigerate the topping in step 2 for up to 1 day. If refrigerating for longer than 1 hour, cover it tightly. Other than that, this isn’t the best cake to make ahead of time or freeze because the apples will settle down into the cake—while still tasty, the presentation won’t be as pleasing. You can, however, prepare the cake batter’s wet ingredients (cover and refrigerate) and dry ingredients (cover at room temperature) separately up to 1 day ahead of time, then continue with the recipe the next day. Let the wet ingredients come to room temperature before mixing.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Saucepan | Whisk | 9-inch Pie Dish | Glass Mixing Bowl | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack
- Old Recipe: The current cake recipe was updated in 2020. If you loved the old cake recipe, originally published in 2012, here it is: increase the topping’s butter to 1/2 cup (1 stick; 115g) and add 1/4 teaspoon each of ground cloves and ground nutmeg when you stir in the cinnamon. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of walnuts on top of the apples before pouring/spreading on the cake batter. In the cake batter, reduce the milk to 1/4 cup (60ml).
- Apples: Use your favorite variety of apple. I typically use Granny Smith, Fuji, or Honeycrisp. Here’s more on the best apples to use for baking.
- Milk: Whole milk is best, but you can use lower fat or nondairy milk if needed.
- Why is everything at room temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read more about the importance of room temperature ingredients.
Reader Comments and Reviews
A few questions – do you think this recipe would work with an 8 inch 2.6 tall springform and with vegan butter in the cake? And about how much caramel in cups is the topping? Thank you!
Hi Dena, we haven’t tested this recipe with vegan butter, but you can certainly give it a try. You could use a springform (although an 8-inch is too small) but we fear the buttery topping will drip out the bottom, no matter how tightly the springform sides are sealed to it. Definitely place a baking sheet underneath should liquid begin to drip.
Thanks, not sure I have another pan so might need to trial with the 8 inch and just use a little less batter. Any idea apx. how much topping the butter+brown sugar equals?
So So good!!! I mean the cake itself was delicious and the yummy apples were a bonus!
I’m going to make this for our Canadian Thanksgiving dinner this up coming weekend. What type of apples do you recommend? There is so much choice out there.
Hi Lyn, Use your favorite variety of apple. We typically use Granny Smith, Fuji, or Honeycrisp. Here’s more on the best apples to use for baking.
I was so excited to try this recipe as every other one for sally♥️ but I couldn’t get the caramel, butter was being separated from sugar, and when I tried pouring it in the pan, It solidified and didn’t spread, I ask how can I fix this problem
Hi Sara, if your butter is separating, this is a quick fix for next time. Simply remove the pot from heat, grab a whisk, and vigorously whisk until the butter and sugar come together. We promise they will eventually. Keep whisking!
Both easy and delicious! I will definitely be making this again.
Can I substitute eggs for flax seed gel?? I can’t have eggs.. suggestions to make this Eggless please.
Hi Naveena, we haven’t tested this recipe with any egg substitutes, so we’re unsure of the results. Let us know if you do give anything a try.
I love this recipe! Made it for a friend’s birthday and it was a hit.
Only problem was the cake stuck to the sides of the pie dish a bit, so it didn’t come out as aesthetically pleasing as yours! Would appreciate suggestions!
Hi Kosha, if the cake stuck to the pan, it sounds like it may have been slightly over baked. An easy fix for next time! Try decreasing the bake time just a bit. Use a toothpick to test for doneness – a mostly clean toothpick means the cake is ready. You can also run a knife along the edges of the pan before inverting – that should help loosen it up a bit. Thank you again for giving this one a go!
Loved it! Last night I made this for Rosh Hashanah dessert and it was a hit! I thought it would be more dense as you mentioned but it turned out light and fluffy perfect. Served with fresh made whip cream. Even my picky baker daughter loved it. Thank you it’s a keeper!
This recipe is so delicious! I made it gluten free as I’m coeliac just by substituting the flour for gluten free flour and adding 1/4tsp xanthum gum to bring the crumb together, so good! Definitely my favourite recipe!
This recipe is SO GOOD! It will absolutely be a Fall classic for years to come. Thanks for this recipe! I followed recipe as is and it came out perfect.
This recipe is SO GOOD. I’ve made this cake at least 15 times for different occasions and I get endless compliments and recipe requests every time 😀
hello, will heavy cream work instead of whole milk?
Hi Andy, heavy cream would be too thick for this cake batter. Best to stick with whole milk here!
Would this recipe work as cupcakes? Can I freeze them?
Hi Laurie, these should work well as cupcakes, but we’re unsure of the exact bake time so keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Unfortunately, this isn’t the best cake to make ahead of time or freeze because the apples will settle down into the cake—while still tasty, the presentation won’t be as pleasing. Hope you enjoy it!
Can I make this in a 10” iron skillet like I do for Pineapple Upside Down Cake?
Hi Susan, yes, that will work well!
I love this recipe! I make it with all kinds of fruit-now I’m using sour cherries and almond flavoring. It’s yummy!
I made this for our daughter yesterday and it was a great hit. I will now make it for my sister-in-law who is coming in from out of town.
This is a great recipe. It came out of the pie plate and looked just like the photos for the recipe.
Thanks!
Hi, Sally. Do you think this recipe will work in a loaf pan?
I actually have not tried it before, so I’m unsure. The amount of batter would absolutely fit into a 9×5-inch loaf pan. I’m wondering if there may be too much topping though. Let me know how it turns out.
Hi! I’m doing this recipe for my exam and i was wondering if you could please give me the measurements that serves only 4 people. Thanks!
I just made this and WOW, it’s amazing! I did add some chopped walnuts on the caramel before pouring cake mixture in. Will definitely be making this again!
This recipe is so good. You know how I know? Well I made it for one, but also, because the ingredients also come in weights. I highly advise weighing your ingredients, your ratios will be better.
I also used Bob Red mills 1 to 1 baking flour…and couldn’t even tell my cake was gluten free. I let the batter rest in the baking pan for 30mins before going in the oven and used full fat whipping cream for the milk, and lactose free butter to make this both gluten and lactose free.
This recipe is going in with the ONE other recipe I have found that works well as a gluten free recipe. Thank you!
Wish I could attach photos, my goodness, she a pretty cake too!
Why did some of my apple float to the top?!? :/
This can happen if the batter is too liquidy and thin. Did you alter the batter recipe at all? It’s supposed to be a thick batter, which helps hold down the apple topping.
Does the cake pan need to be lined with parchment paper? Does the lining affect the apple caramel topping?
Hi Roopa, you do not need to line the pan.
The cake is absolutely full of flavor and delicious. Only, it’s very sweet. I made it with half amount of the sugar and it’s really good.
Can I sub applesauce for the butter in the cake mix part?
We don’t recommend that swap.
I replaced the butter with applesauce in the cake mix and it turned out good. It was very moist and had extra apple flavor and saved some calories. It still has plenty of buttery flavor from the topping.
This cake is easy and absolutely delicious! I’ve made it 4 or 5 times now, and I’m thinking of making another right now! Definitely becoming my go to dessert recipe!
I made this for the first time yesterday. The taste of the cake and the apples were delicious. I baked the cake for almost 50 minutes. The center was still not baked but I took it out because the edges were getting too dark and the outer part of the cake ended up a little dry with the center not cooked. Any ideas about what happened and what to do next time?
Hi Judy, happy to help! This can happen if your oven is running a little too hot, baking the cake unevenly. We always recommend using an in-oven thermometer so you know exactly how hot your oven really is. Additionally, this can happen if you use a pan that is too small, so the batter is quite thick. Did you use a 9 inch pie dish or cake pan?
I made this with the apples before it was really good but what about making it with bananas instead?
Hi Ashhy, we haven’t tested it, but bananas can release a lot of moisture so we’re not sure that they’d be a great candidate for this cake. If you decide to do any experimenting, please do let us know how it goes.
I struggled with the caramel sauce made it twice & it kept just separating & sugar not melting
I baked it according to the recipe and it was a great success. I lined the bottom of a springform pan with baking paper and there was only a few drops of the topping that leaked out. Running a knife around the edge of the cake prior to releasing it from the pan is a must.
After the cake cools down, do you recommend storing it in the fridge or out in room temperature?
Hi Christy! If it’s just sitting out for a couple hours before serving, leave at room temper. Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator.
Can I suggest adding a little bit in the instructions to run a knife around the cake before inverting? I’ve never made an upside down cake before and when I went to invert it, the sides were stuck to the pan (unbeknownst to me) and the middle easily slid out and then fell apart. The cake tastes amazing but isn’t much of a cake at this point sadly
I am not the author of this recipe but I find in anything where you’re flipping it upside down, you can never have too much spray. I know the recipe says you don’t have to, but better safe than sorry and I always find with upside down recipes like cakes, monkey bread, etc. You should always spray the heck out of your pan.
It really wasn’t necessary if it’s being flipped per the instructions