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This is the best caramel apple upside-down cake recipe! The buttery, cinnamon-spiced caramel perfectly complements the tartness of the apples, creating a luxurious, gooey layer that soaks into the cake. Enjoy it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert, or serve it with tea or coffee as a special treat for breakfast or brunch.
You will also love my simple cinnamon-baked apples and Italian apple cake.
Why you’ll love this recipe…
A marriage of spiced caramelized apple and fluffy spiced cake creates the most exquisite apple dessert!
- Moist and Tender Cake: The use of Greek yogurt and brown sugar ensures the cake is incredibly moist, with a soft, tender crumb that melts in your mouth.
- Beautiful Presentation: The caramelized apple topping not only tastes amazing but also creates a stunning visual effect when you flip the cake, making it a show-stopper for any occasion.
- Seasonal Appeal: With its warm spices and apple topping, this cake is the perfect dessert for fall and holiday gatherings, bringing cozy, nostalgic flavors to the table.
Table of Contents
Simple Ingredients
Made with pantry staples and fresh apples, this cake is easy to whip up with ingredients you likely already have.
Caramel Topping
- Butter: Adds richness and creaminess to the caramel.
- Brown Sugar (light or dark): Provides deep, caramelized sweetness.
- Ground Cinnamon: Enhances the caramel with warm, spicy notes.
- Salt: Balances sweetness and intensifies flavors.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Adds sweet, aromatic flavor.
- Apples (Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Pink Lady): Provide tartness and texture, holding shape well.
Cake
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the structure of the cake.
- Baking Powder: Helps the cake rise, making it fluffy.
- Ground Cinnamon: Infuses the cake with warm spice.
- Ground Nutmeg: Adds subtle, nutty sweetness.
- Cardamom: Introduces a floral, citrusy note.
- Salt: Balances sweetness and enhances flavors.
- Unsalted Butter: Provides moisture and richness.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens and tenderizes the cake.
- Brown Sugar (light or dark): Adds deeper, more complex sweetness.
- Large Eggs: Bind ingredients and add structure.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Enhances overall flavor with sweetness.
- Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt: Adds moisture and slight tanginess.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Caramel Upside Down Cake
This impressive cake is surprisingly easy to make! See the recipe card for complete instructions.
Add the sugar and butter to a saucepan.
Cook butter and sugar until thick.
Add the vanilla, spices, and a pinch of salt.
Pour the caramel sauce into the bottom of the pan.
Arrange the apples in a circular pattern in the pan or baking dish.
Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl.
Beat the butter and sugars until creamy.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir to combine.
Add the batter on top of the caramel and apple layer.
Scrape the sides of the pan with a knife and carefully invert the cake onto a cake plate.
This cake shines in any setting—whether as a comforting dessert, a special breakfast treat, or a centerpiece for festive occasions, it always delivers a memorable experience.
Substitutions and Variations
Substitutions:
- Apples: Pears, peaches, or even pineapple can be used instead of apples for a different fruit topping. I know that pineapple upside-down cake is trendy!
- All-Purpose Flour: Swap with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend to make the cake gluten-free.
- Greek Yogurt: Sour cream, buttermilk, or dairy-free yogurt can be used instead of Greek yogurt.
- Spices: If you don’t have cardamom or nutmeg, you can simply increase the amount of cinnamon or use pumpkin pie spice for a different flavor profile.
Variations:
- Spiced Rum Caramel: Add a tablespoon of spiced rum to the caramel for a richer, more complex flavor.
- Nutty Apple Cake: Sprinkle chopped walnuts or pecans over the caramel before adding the apple slices for a crunchy, nutty layer.
Equipment
Storage
Store the Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake at room temperature, covered, for up to 2 days. For longer storage, refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the cake tightly wrapped for up to 3 months—just thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
My Pro Tip
Recipe Tips
- Use Firm Apples: Choose firm apples like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith to ensure they hold their shape during baking.
- Chill the Caramel: Let the caramel layer cool in the fridge before adding the batter to prevent it from mixing with the cake.
- Don’t Overmix: Mix the batter until just combined to keep the cake light and fluffy.
- Invert Carefully: Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before inverting to ensure the caramel sets slightly and doesn’t run off.
- Serve Warm: For the best flavor, serve the cake warm, ideally with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
Do you prefer it with or without the ice cream? We love both!
FAQs
Yes, you can make the cake a day ahead. Store it at room temperature or in the refrigerator, and reheat slightly before serving to refresh the caramel.
The butter in the caramel should prevent sticking, but you can lightly grease the sides of the pan if you’re concerned. Also, make sure to run a knife around the edges before inverting.
Firm, tart apples like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Pink Lady work best as they hold their shape and balance the sweetness of the caramel.
More Apple Recipes
Serving Suggestions
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Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake Recipe
- Total Time: about 60 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
The buttery, cinnamon-spiced caramel perfectly complements the tartness of the apples, creating a luxurious, gooey layer that soaks into the cake. Enjoy it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert, or serve it with tea or coffee as a special treat for breakfast or brunch.
Ingredients
Caramel Topping
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 medium apples (Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Pink Lady work well), peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch slices (about 2 cups of apple slices)
Cake Batter
- 2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt at room temperature
EQUIPMENT:
My favorite round cake pan.
Instructions
- Prepare the Caramel Topping:
- Combine the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Whisk occasionally until the butter has melted. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute as the mixture thickens. Do not over cook.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the ground cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract.
- Pour the caramel mixture into an ungreased 9×2 inch pie dish or round cake pan (ensure the pan is at least 2 inches deep).
- Arrange the apple slices on top of the caramel in a single layer, slightly overlapping if necessary. Refrigerate the pan while you prepare the cake batter.
- Prepare the Cake Batter:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar to the butter, beating on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix to combine.
- Stir the yogurt into the batter.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients. Stir with a spatula or dough hook. Mix until combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Assemble and Bake:
- Remove the prepared pan with caramel and apples from the fridge.
- Carefully pour the cake batter over the apple slices, spreading it evenly with a spatula.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. If baking a metal pan, the cooking time will be slightly less (30-35 minutes).
- Cool and Serve:
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it, then carefully invert the cake onto a serving plate. The top of the cake is the bottom of the cake- so pretty!
- Optional: Serve the cake warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream for a decadent treat!
Notes
Tips
Use Firm Apples: Choose firm apples like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith to ensure they hold their shape during baking.
Chill the Caramel: Let the caramel layer cool in the fridge before adding the batter to prevent it from mixing with the cake.
Don’t Overmix: Mix the batter until just combined to keep the cake light and fluffy.
Invert Carefully: Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before inverting to ensure the caramel sets slightly and doesn’t run off.
Serve Warm: For the best flavor, serve the cake warm, ideally with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 40-45 minutes
- Category: Sweet
- Method: French
- Cuisine: Italian
This cake tasted great, but I had a problem with the flour measurement. I usually weigh all my ingredients and the 188 grams on US and the 250 grams on metric. The 250 grams is comparable to 2 cups of flour. I unfortunately used 188 grams so my cake with the wonderful flavor was soggy, but we ate it anyway. Will make again because the flavor was so good. Also, could you verify the 1/4 c of yogurt is correct at 71grams? I looked at my ingredients chart from KA and it said yogurt was about 57 grams for 1/4 c.
Big hit in my house! Substituted Allspice for the cardamom. The batter seemed WAY too thick so I added some whole milk. Cake was a bit heavy (though delicious) so maybe I added too much milk? Great recipe though…will make it again.
Hi! I’m happy everyone loved it. The batter is a bit thick as it is a traditional upside-down. You spread over the apples as it is a bit thicker, but the end result is super moist. Enjoy
This cake is SO PRETTY, but the best part is how AMAZING it tastes. The spice cake and baked caramel apples really take it over the top! Enjoy.