Upside Down Apple Cake

Upside Down Apple Cake is a fun twist on a classic baked apple. Best served warm, this is a perfect Fall favorite dessert to be enjoyed on a cool day. Traditional flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, and apples are baked in a 13 x 9″ dish, perfect for feeding that hungry group. Flip the baked cake over and dessert is served.

Is it just me, or do we all think about baked apples in the Fall?

I came home from elementary school one day and Mom had baked my brother and I each a baked apple. Best thing I ever ate. Seriously!

Maybe it was the surprise of it all, but I’ve never forgotten how wonderful it tasted or how it just made my day. Decades later I remember it like yesterday.

Fast forward, baked apples are still one of my favorites, only I like to share. What I mean by that is, reconstructing a baked apple into a 13 x 9″ dish is a great way to share this delicious dessert with lots of people.

More Fall favorite recipes: Pumpkin Pecan Coffee Cake, Dried Cranberry Banana Bread, Deep Dish Cobbler Pie, and don’t miss out on this Apple Pecan Snack Cake.

Making Upside Down Apple Cake

Start by warming up that kitchen with a preheated oven set at 350°.

We’re going to layer this cake from the bottom up, then flip the cake over after it’s been baked.

So first, mix the following together in a small bowl: melted butter, brown sugar, and chopped walnuts. Spread this evenly on the bottom of your baking dish.

Next, spread the diced apples evenly over the walnuts.

Prepare the cake batter according to the instructions on the cake mix box. In other words, add the eggs, water, and oil however the box tells you.

I used a Duncan Hines Perfectly Moist Spice Cake mix for this recipe, which was delicious.

Pour the cake batter over the apple layer in the baking dish and bake it for about 40 minutes.

Here’s where you don’t follow the directions on the cake mix box. The box might say to bake a 13 x 9″ for 28 minutes, but that’s for just the cake.

We’re not baking just a cake, though. The apples underneath add a lot of moisture and that increases your baking time.

Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. When it comes out clean, your cake is done. Well, almost.

Flipping the cake upside down.

The last step is to let the cake cool for about 5 minutes, run a knife along the sides, then flip it over.

The serving dish needs to be flat and bigger than 13 x 9″. I used a cookie sheet, but a 15 x 10″ jelly roll pan would also work.

A layer of parchment paper helped to pretty it up.

So, turn the serving plate upside down and place it directly on the baked cake. Very carefully, grab both dishes with hot pads, then flip it over.

Please be careful as the baking dish is still very hot.

Lift the hot baking dish straight up, and ring that dessert bell.

Upside Down Apple Cake

Serve this dessert warm or cold, with or without ice cream.

Follow me on Pinterest and show us your Upside Down Apple Cake. We’d all love to see it and your pretty serving plates.

Also, you can rate the recipe and leave a comment below.

Happy baking and have a blessed day.

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