Are you drooling yet?

How about now?

 Anyway you look at it, this cake lives up to every expectation. 

Ready to get excited about fall?  This cake will do it!  Yummy apple cake with ooey-gooey caramel dripping down it- what are you waiting for?  Get your mixing bowl out so you can treat yourself tonight!   Eat it warm out of the oven with a scoop of ice cream.  Then if there is any left over you can have it for breakfast (after you go to the gym of course.)

Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake

Topping:

2 medium apples (I use Granny Smith)

4 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

2 tablespoon thawed apple juice concentrate

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup light corn syrup

Cake

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

2 tablespoons thawed apple juice concentrate

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups flour

1  large apple, peeled and finely chopped

3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9″ round cake pan at least 2″ deep. Line the bottom with parchment, and grease the parchment.

2) Slice the top, including the stem, off one of the apples and set it aside before slicing the rest of the apples into 1/4″ thick wedges. (I like to leave the skin on, but you can peel them if you want)

3) Place the apple top, stem side down, in the middle of the pan, and overlap the rest of the apple wedges in a ring around it.  (I like to over lap them closely so there are lots of apples on top)

4) Prepare the topping by heating the butter, sugar, apple juice, cinnamon, and corn syrup together over low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.   You can use a sauce pan on the stove, or heat in the microwave.

5) Pour 1/2 cup of the syrup mixture into the prepared pan, and set the rest aside.

 6 ) To make the cake: Beat the oil, brown sugar, apple juice, eggs, spices, and salt together for 2 minutes at medium speed.

7 ) Mix the flour with the baking soda, and stir it into the batter.

8 ) Add the chopped apple and nuts, and mix until just blended.

9) Spoon the batter over the top of the apples and gently spread it over the pan.

10 ) Bake the cake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted near the center comes out clean. (My oven only takes 45 minutes – check it  – you don’t want it over cooked)

11) Remove the cake from the oven, and run a thin spatula around the edge to loosen.

12) Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a serving plate, bottom side up. Scrape out any sauce that remains in the pan, and spread it over the cake.

13) Reheat the reserved topping. If butter starts to separate as you reheat, add water by the teaspoon and stir until the butter rejoins the rest of the sauce.

14) Pour the sauce over the cake.  Be sure to let it run over the sides.

We like it best warm out of the oven, but it is still yummy at room temperature.  You can top it with whipped cream or ice cream; however, it is really good all on its own!

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour