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    Home » Recipes » Cakes & Cupcakes

    Brandied Apple Upside Down Cake

    Published: Sep 8, 2022

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    This Brandied Apple Upside Down Cake recipe is elegant, tasty, and super easy to make. Non-alcoholic variations are also an option, see the post for more details.

    A close up view of a whole uncut apple upside down cake.

    Originally published November 3, 2010, Updated on 9/8/2022

    Cake is always welcome, but sometimes the effort of torting and frosting a cake seems a bit... much.

    Enter: The Upside Down Cake!

    Upside Down Cakes taste great, look classy... and take very little effort. You may be used to them in their traditional form - as a vanilla cake with pineapple slices and cherries on top.

    While Pineapple Upside Down Cake is a classic, I like to veer off from tradition and have a bit more fun with it - flavouring the cake batter, varying the fruit used, even incorporating drizzles before serving.

    You may have heard of my Mango Mojito Upside Down Cake - the cake that got me onto Wolfgang Puck’s Preferred Vendor List (Back when I had a cake business) AND MasterChef.

    Then, there’s my French Martini Upside Down Cake - my only cake that has a talking pineapple and Jann Arden as part of its origin story.. Shockingly enough.

    Another fun example is my Bananas Foster Upside Down Cake, which has a cinnamon rum cake base, Bananas Foster on top, and is just amazing.

    An apple upside down cake, with caramel dripping down from the top edge. It's against a burgundy fabric background.

    The best part is that upside down cakes can look and taste impressive, without a lot of effort!

    Apple Upside-Down Cake

    Apple season us upon us, and I’ve recently posted a bunch of recipes for Apple Desserts - I figure it’s time to update this brandied apple cake.

    It is, after all, the perfect dessert for fall and winter - my favorite season!

    The aroma of this spiced caramel apple upside-down cake - even while still in the oven - evokes warm images of Thanksgiving, Christmas eve, seasonal get togethers, etc.

    Yum!

    I like to make these around apple harvest time, as a beautiful - and tasty - way to use up that bounty.

    It’s also a great addition to Thanksgiving spreads, especially here in Canada. (Thanksgiving falls in early October here, which is *peak* apple season!)

    Whether you make it as part of a holiday offering, as a way to end an afternoon of apple picking, or just for the hell of it, I hope you enjoy this delicious apple upside down cake!

    A close up view of a whole uncut apple upside down cake.

    Ingredients

    This is a super simple recipe, both in the use of simple ingredients, and the fact that it doesn’t take any special skills to make.

    Fresh Apples

    Thin apple wedges form the design on the top of the cake, so it’s a good idea to use a hearty apple that won’t break down much in cooking.

    When I’m in the mood for it, I’ll use a tart apple variety for that apple topping, like Granny Smith Apples.

    Usually, I go for Mutsus or Honeycrisp, though. I generally peel the apples for this recipe, so the skin colour doesn’t matter.

    Apple Brandy

    I started out making this original recipe with Apple Brandy as the flavour base, but I’ve also made it with other liqueurs and spirits - just pick something that works well with the apple/cinnamon profile.

    Jack Daniel’s works well, as does Crown Royal - especially the apple and maple varieties.

    That said, you can make this without alcohol at all - more on that in a bit.

    Flours

    This recipe calls for both all purpose flour (in the caramel), and cake flour, in the batter.

    Cake flour makes for a slightly more tender cake, but don’t stress if you don’t have any - all purpose flour works as well!

    Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix

    Speaking of tender cake, I do not recommend swapping out the pudding mix, as it’s a key ingredient for the texture of this cake.

    Just be sure you’re using instant pudding mix, NOT a cook and serve variety.

    A hand holds a box of pudding mix over a bowl of dry ingredients.

    Everything Else

    Rounding out this recipe, you’ll need:

    Granulated sugar
    Unsalted butter
    Brown sugar
    Large eggs
    Cinnamon
    Baking powder
    Salt

    ... no real notes for any of those ingredients, though!

    Non-Alcoholic Apple Upside Down Cake

    Want to skip the booze?

    Use apple cider or apple juice in place of the apple brandy in both the topping and the batter.

    When not using brandy, I’ll usually add ½ teaspoon of Vanilla extract to the caramel after taking it off the heat, and 1-2 teaspoon of Vanilla extract to the batter, as well.

    A slice of brandied apple upside down cake in front of the rest of the cake.

    How to make Apple Upside Down Cake

    The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, this is a visual walk through of the process.

    Pre heat oven to 325°F (160°F). Liberally grease a 10″ round pan with vegetable shortening or pan spray..

    Cut out a 10″ round of parchment paper, using bottom of the pan as a template.

    Place inside the greased cake pan, smoothing it out to cling securely to the shortening.

    A 2 part image showing parchment being used to line the bottom of a pan.

    Make the Topping

    Combine melted butter, flour, brown sugar, apple brandy, and cinnamon in a small saucepan.

    Heat brown sugar mixture on medium heat, stirring until well combined. Pour into prepared cake pan, spreading evenly. Set aside.

    A 4 part image showing the caramel being made and poured into the prepared pan.

    Peel and core the apples, slice into even ¼-inch-thick slices.

    Arrange apple slices on top of caramel mixture. I like to do concentric circles - the circular pattern shown.

    Set aside.

    A 5 part image showing the apples being sliced and arranged in the pan.

    Make the Batter

    In a large bowl (if whisking by hand or using an electric mixer) or in the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment:

    Combine flour, white sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and pudding mix in a large mixing bowl.

    Add eggs and water to the flour mixture, beating until smooth.

    Carefully add apple brandy and melted butter to the mix, mixing on medium speed until smooth.

    Note: Alternately, you can whisk together all of the wet ingredients in a medium bowl, and add it to the dry ingredients all at once. It’s all good.

    A 5 part image showing the batter being made.

    Gently pour cake batter into the prepared pan.

    I like to gently spoon bits of the batter over the apples, careful to make sure the batter isn’t making the apples slide around.

    A 2 part image showing the batter being poured over the apple slices.

    Bake and Serve!

    Bake until golden and knife inserted into center of batter comes out clean and cake springs back – about 50-60 minutes.

    With the hot cake still in the pan, carefully level the top by cutting off the “dome” top of the cake, over the edge of the pan.

    A 2 part image showing the mound being cut off the top of the baked cake, still in the pan.

    Allow cake to cool - on a wire rack, if you have one - for about 20 minutes before proceeding.

    If it looks like the sides of the cake are stuck to the pan, run a butter knife around the inside edge of the pan.

    Place your serving plate upside down on the cut top of the cake, and flip it over. Gently remove the pan, peel off the parchment if it came out with the cake.

    Note: Use a large plate for this - ideally with a bit of a rim/lip around it.

    A 2 part image showing a glass plate being inverted over the cake pan, and the cake turned out onto the plate.

    Serve immediately (with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!), or allow it to cool to room temperature before covering the whole cake in plastic wrap.

    Leftovers

    Leftovers can be kept covered in the fridge for around 5 days, just let it warm up to room temp before serving. Cold cake is DRY cake!

    A close up view of a whole uncut apple upside down cake.

    More Holiday Recipes

    Looking for more inspiration for your holiday spread? Whether Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or any of the other holidays, here's a few ideas for you!

    Bacon Roasted Brussels Sprouts
    Chicken Based Potato Sausage Recipe - Potatiskorv
    Cranberry Wine
    Egg Nog Sticky Buns
    Gouda Mashed Potatoes
    Maple Bourbon Glazed Carrots
    Mushroom Brie Turnovers
    Noelles
    Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce
    Pumpkin Mead
    Pumpkin Spice Nanaimo Bars
    Savoury Mushroom Chestnut Stuffing
    Southern Comfort Glazed Ham
    Southern Comfort Pecan Pie
    Traditional Cranberry Mousse
    Traditional Pumpkin Mousse

    A slice of brandied apple upside down cake in front of the rest of the cake.

    Share the Love!

    Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @CelebrationGenerationCA - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!

    Also, be sure to subscribe to my free monthly email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense. Well, the published nonsense, anyway!

    Finally, if you love this recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and/or a comment below, and maybe even sharing this post on social media!

    A close up view of a whole uncut apple upside down cake.

    An apple upside down cake, with caramel dripping down from the top edge. It's against a burgundy fabric background.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    4.72 from 7 votes

    Brandied Apple Upside Down Cake

    This Brandied Apple Upside Down Cake recipe is from my book, “the Spirited Baker”. Apple Brandy is such an easy way to elevate any apple dessert, and this is pretty, too!
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time1 hr
    Cooling Time10 mins
    Total Time1 hr 25 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American, Holiday
    Servings: 12 People
    Calories: 425kcal
    Author: Marie Porter

    Equipment

    10 inch round pan

    Ingredients

    • ⅓ cup Butter melted
    • 1 ½ teaspoon All-Purpose Flour
    • ½ cup Brown Sugar
    • 3 tablespoon Apple Brandy
    • ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
    • 2-3 Large Apples peeled & sliced
    • 2 cup Cake Flour
    • 1 ½ cups Granulated Sugar
    • 4 teaspoon Baking Powder
    • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • 1 Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix 3 ½ oz
    • 4 Large Eggs
    • ½ cup Water
    • ½ cup Apple Brandy
    • ¾ cup Butter melted

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 325°F (160°F). Liberally grease a 10″ round pan with vegetable shortening. Cut out a 10″ round of parchment paper, using bottom of pan as a template. Place inside pan, smoothing it out to cling securely to the shortening.
    • Combine melted butter, flour, brown sugar, apple brandy, and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Heat on low, stirring until well combined. Pour into prepared cake pan, spreading evenly.
    • Arrange fruit slices on top of caramel mixture, set aside.
    • Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and pudding mix in a large mixing bowl.
    • Add in eggs and water, beating until smooth. Carefully add apple brandy and melted butter to the mix, mixing on medium speed until smooth.
    • Gently pour batter into prepared pan.
    • Bake until golden and knife inserted into center of batter comes out clean and cake springs back – about 50-60 minutes.
    • With the hot cake still in the pan, carefully level the top by cutting off the “dome” over the edge of the pan
    • Allow cake to cool for about 20 minutes before turning cake out directly onto serving plate.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 425kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 528mg | Potassium: 89mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 608IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 1mg

    More Cake Recipes!

    Looking for more ridiculously delicious cake recipes? As the "Evil Cake Overlord", I've got you covered! (Ps: Check out my instructions for making Marshmallow Fondant, as well!)

    Tortes:
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    Citrus Splendor Torte
    Cookies N Cream Cake
    Raspberry Tiramisu Torte
    Schmoo Torte
    Spumoni Cake
    Tiger Tail Cake

    Bundt, Sheet, & Upside Down Cakes
    Bananas Foster Upside Down Cake
    Brandied Apple Upside Down Cake
    Deep N Delicious Cake
    French Martini Bundt Cake
    French Martini Upside Down Cake
    Mango Mojito Upside Down Cake
    Pina Colada Bundt Cake
    Strawberry Mango Marble Cake

    Cupcakes:
    3D Monarch Butterfly Cupcakes
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    Fillings & Frostings
    American Buttercream
    Milk Chocolate Whipped Ganache
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    Also: I have Cake Decorating Tutorials, and posts about previous Decorated Cakes that I've made.

    A slice of brandied apple upside down cake in front of the rest of the cake.

    A close up view of a whole uncut apple upside down cake.

    A close up view of a brandied apple upside down cake.

    An apple upside down cake, with caramel dripping down from the top edge. It's against a burgundy fabric background.

    An apple upside down cake, with caramel dripping down from the top edge. It's against a burgundy fabric background.

    Related posts:

    A tray of pink grapefruit daiquiri cupcakes - in silver liners, topped with pink frosting. There is a pink grapefruit daiquiri next to the cupcakes. Pink Grapefruit Daiquiri Cupcakes A mango mojito upside down cake: a large round single layer mango upside down cake, on a glass plate. It has a white icing drizzled over it, and has a sprig of fresh mint on the side of the plate. Mango Mojito Upside Down Cake Recipe French Martini Upside Down Cake - A round pineapple upside down cake, with a VERY purple top! A slice has been cut out and is on a plate next to the main cake. French Martini Upside-Down Cake A plate of festive fruit cake cookies. Fruitcake Cookies
    « Lembas Bread
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Shelley

      November 04, 2010 at 1:10 am

      5 stars
      This sounds wonderful! I can't wait to try it. 🙂

      Reply
    2. Ashley

      May 16, 2014 at 5:26 pm

      Has anyone made this? I want to try and make an apple upside down cake for a friend of mine but i want to make the best one i can find. Feedback would be great from anyone! Thanks 🙂

      Reply
    3. Erin

      November 30, 2014 at 6:13 pm

      I made this recipe for a silent auction at my work with proceeds going toward Combat Hunger (the cake sold for $25). I haven't been able to actually try the cake as a whole but there was a LOT of leftover batter. I got 12 cupcakes out of the remaining batter and cut them up for samples.

      The batter was very runny and I was afraid that it wouldn't cook properly. I was also afraid of runoff in the oven. The cake came out looking fantastic and people actually thought the cake was professionally made. The cake tasted delicious and I can't WAIT to taste it as a whole. We bought enough apples for two cakes so tomorrow I will make it again - for us. I think I will tweak some things in the recipe so the batter isn't as runny. We did taste one of the apples (stuck to the pan after I flipped it out) and we dragged some bits of cake through the remaining topping left in the pan and it was VERY good, although I think there was a little too much of a brandy flavor in the cake itself.

      The only apple brandy we were able to find was a bottle for $40 and another for $30. We ended up going with a peach brandy for $9.99.

      Reply
    4. Laurie

      January 09, 2015 at 4:12 pm

      5 stars
      I have made this twice. It is absolutely delicious. Making it again for a party this weekend...

      Reply
    5. malafrena007

      June 20, 2021 at 11:51 am

      I got to the vanilla pudding mix and barf.... sorry sounds too gooey. My instincts say never trust a cake recipe with no photo of a cut piece... 😛

      Reply
      • Marie Porter

        June 21, 2021 at 6:47 am

        Hi, I deleted your 1 star rating, as it's ridiculous to rate a recipe you've only read. (And it sounds like only partially read, at that).

        Do you habitually leave such rude comments on blogs? That's... Sad. I'm sorry that you seem to be hurting, that's no way to live.

        Also, I'm sorry that you choose to miss out on good things, like this cake. Your choice, obviously... But it's a bizarre one.

        Hope you can find some joy in life 😉

        Reply
    6. Marilyn

      October 26, 2021 at 11:02 am

      For those of you who have made this cake, what kind of apples did you used? I was thinking about using gala but wasn’t sure.

      Reply
      • Marie Porter

        October 27, 2021 at 9:48 am

        Gala would work well!

        I usually end up using whatever I have on hand.

        Reply

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    Marie Porter


    Evil Cake Overlord, All -Around Kitchen Badass!

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