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
Delicious . Best Upside Down apple cake I’ve ever had. Didn’t have the pie pan but used my 9x9x2″ cake pan and all came out beautifully. Thank you so much for a great dessert.
While I adore basically every recipe I get on here, this one needs a little adjustment. The caramel needs to be increased by about half, layer a bit more apples, and the cake part came out dry! It smelled incredible so I was disappointed when we ate it
My Goodness this is so delicious. No shortcuts. Did everything you suggested. Perfection! Looks exactly like yours. I wish I could upload a photo. Dinner for three and it was gone by the end of the evening.
Fantastic! I made this for a potluck and everyone loved it.
Just made this recipe and it’s absolutely delicious but I think mine turned out far denser than the recipe intends… are there any tips to amend this issue? There are also a lot of air bubbles, I thought I tapped them out before baking. Great recipe though thank you!
Hi Hazel, read the section of this post titled: Expect a Dense Cake. That should help answer your questions!
Caramel apple upside down cake was a crowd pleaserFamily enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed making it!
This looks super yummy and easy! But…can I use boxed cake mix ? Should I add anything to the box cake mix ? (ie: cinnamon, etc)
Hi Rita, we haven’t tested this cake with a box mix so aren’t sure what to recommend, but let us know how it goes if you try it!
I made this exactly as printed. A big hit for Sunday supper dessert. Delicious. Thank you for the recipe
Could you double this and make it in a bundt cake pan
Hi Meg, a Bundt pan could work, but arranging the apples may be tricky. We’re unsure of the best bake time. Let us know if you try anything!
could you use a spring form pan?
Hi Katie, If you have a 9″ spring form pan, it should be fine.
Your recipe looks absolutely delicious but I’m wondering if it will be sufficient for nine adult servings. I know it says serves 8 to 10 but when I look at my pie pan, it looks like the pieces would be very thin. Have you ever tried doubling it and putting in a 9 x 13 pan?
Hi Joann! For larger servings, you can try doubling it and baking in a 9×13 inch pan. We are unsure of the bake time needed but let us know if you give it a try!
Hi Sally: Your raves and reviews were so good I had to make this cake. We are fortunate here in Bucks Co., Pa. to have Empire apples. They are a cross between a Delicious and a Macintosh apple, perfect for eating and baking. Plus if you keep the skins on when making applesauce, you get the most beautiful pink color, and not a drop of sugar is needed. I baked this cake for 55 minutes in my Wolf toaster oven. It turned out perfectly. I just had a warm piece and it is everything you said it would be–gorgeous and very delicious. Thanks for another great recipe! Kathy
Just made this recipe for the first time for Sunday family dinner. Flavor was wonderful. It was a hit. My caramel had a slightly grainy texture. Any ideas of what went wrong? I’d love to get the smooth texture as in Sally’s photos.
Thankyou!
Hi Diana! Try cooking the butter and sugar together in step 2 for a little longer to allow the brown sugar to melt. That should help for next time! So glad it was a hit.
Absolutely delicious!!! I took it to a family gathering and everyone loved it, some even had a second slice . I followed the recipe exactly apart from using an 8×3 cake tin. I didn’t change the timings, they were spot on. The cake wasn’t as dense as I was expecting it was moist and fluffy. Definitely making this again. Thank you for sharing
Wonderful flavor!! This will definitely go into my dessert rotation. The only change I made was to add 1/4 t of maple extract to the caramel and 1 t of maple extract to the
cake as well. I love maple/apple pairing.
Delicious! Turned out perfect. My husband is wondering can I double the caramel sauce?
Hi Diane, we wouldn’t recommend doubling the caramel sauce in the cake, but it would be delicious served with caramel sauce drizzled on the baked slices.
The pie dish that you recommend by clicking is not what you think. It is 9 1/2″ round but only 1″ deep. I found one that is 10″ diameter & 2.3″ deep. This one is pretty & looks fancy has no handles. I love your recipes. Have a couple of your baking books.
I made this cake for a small family gathering. It was was a huge hit! Everyone loved it. Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes…
Can this be doubled successfully?
Hi Kim! We would make separate batches for best results.
Can I make this cake in 9×13 pan by doubling the recipe and baking longer.
Hi Sylvia, We have not tested this cake as a sheet cake, but you can try doubling it and baking in a 9×13 inch pan. We are unsure of the bake time needed but let us know if you give it a try!
Delicious! I made it with king Arthur’s’s one for one gluten free flour for my GF mother in law and it turned out great without any other modifications. I checked it at 40min and it was still very wet so I removed the foil and let it go for 8 minutes more. I had no problem releasing from the pan after 15 min of cooling on a wire rack.
Best thing I’ve baked this fall!
Hi Sally, can I half the recipe and make it in a regular pie dish
Hi Elaine, You can certainly halve this recipe by halving all of the ingredients. We recommend trying it in a 9×5 inch loaf pan. We’ve never tested it, but that’s what we would try first. We’re unsure of the best bake time.
Took longer in the oven that estimated, about an hour (probably due to the altitude of my city) but it was sooooo good. Had a few problems with the toffee but got it to work with a little of heavy cream.
I made this for a company bake-off and tied for 2nd place! I ended up having to bake it for closer to 55 minutes in my oven. I think next time I will serve it with some whipped cream or ice cream on the side!
Can I use bundt pan instead ?
Hi Cici, a Bundt pan could work, but arranging the apples may be tricky. We’re unsure of the best bake time. Let us know if you try anything!
This was so easy! I love that it only used 2 apples but made such an impressive dessert and really infused the cake with their flavor. A hit for my family 🙂
I have not made this cake yet but will be hopefully soon.
My question is: Is it possible to cook this apple cake in a Micro-oven or, a toaster oven?
Hi DD! We haven’t tested baking this cake in those smaller ovens, but let us know if you do!
I’m trying this o so tempting recipe for the first time, making the topping the day before the batter and baking. My question is this: If the topping’s in the fridge for 24 hours or so, should I take it out of the fridge before making the batter so it can come to room temperature, or should I leave it in the fridge til the batter’s ready to pour over it and bake?
Hi Toni, we’d bring it out of the refrigerator to come back to room temperature just a bit before adding the batter.
Thank you for this fabulous recipe! I have been making Pineapple Upside Cakes forever. I am wondering if I could make the butter/sugar mixture in a cast iron pan on the stove top and then use it to bake the cake in too? For being awesome I thank you!!
Hi Susan, A cast iron skillet should be great. We recommend at least a 10 inch size.
Hello! Can I substitute heavy cream for the milk? Thanks!
Hi Pamela, heavy cream would be too thick for this cake batter. Best to stick with whole milk here!