Upside Down Apple Cake

Emma Whitley
Emma fearlessly explores bold flavors and perfects her baking craft, sharing her delicious experiments with joy.
Updated: 9/9/2020

A bit of cornmeal in the batter adds great texture to this luscious apple cake.

Serves: 10 Save

Ingredients (14)

Apples

  • ½ Butter Stick
  • ¾ cup Sugar
  • ¼ cup Sorghum (optional)
  • 4 cup Diced Tart Apple
  • or 4 cup Chopped Pear

Cake

  • 1 Butter Stick
  • ⅔ cup Sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1½ cup All Purpose Flour
  • ½ cup Cornmeal
  • 1½ tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 cup Buttermilk
  • or 1 cup Plain Yogurt

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. To prepare apples, melt butter in a 10- to 12-inch cast iron skillet over low heat. Add sugar and sorghum to pan and stir. Place apple slices, wedge side down, in the pan. Don’t pack them too tightly, but try not to leave large gaps. Cook over medium-low heat while you make the cake batter, about 15 minutes.
  3. To prepare cake, beat butter and sugar using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla and eggs. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (flour through cinnamon). Add buttermilk and flour mixture alternately to butter mixture and mix until well blended.
  4. Remove skillet from heat. Spoon batter over the top, and spread. Place in oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until cake is golden brown and bubbly. Let cake cool in skillet 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate, arranging any apple slices that have fallen off the cake.