Apple-picking! We spent a week picking our bumper crop here in the Berkshires and another week to process them. Fujis, crabapples, pears. So many apples! So many pears! This is the first year we had so many. I learned about canning, freezing, and pressing mega-batches of cider through a seive. Cider is the beginning, followed by poached pears in cinnamon cider, applesauce, apple pie filling, Tarte Tatin, Pear and Apple Spice Cake. And, mostly, no dawdling!! All those batches need to happen quickly as the crop is ripening the minute it is off the trees. And it is quick to over-ripen. The recipe for Caramel Apple Cake below uses the upside-down technique to create caramelized apples over a soft butter cake.
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Caramel Apple Cake
This rich coffee cake uses the same technique as Pineapple Upsidedown Cake and Tarte Tatin to achieve a soft, caramelized fruit top. It relies on layers - first, the caramel, then sliced apples and cherries, then the cake batter. Once baked and cooled, flip the cake out on a cake plate and the caramel soaks the cake and the soft, sweet apples will be on top.
Equipment
- 1 9" cake pan
- 1 9" parchment
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar for the caramel topping
- 1/2 cup water
- lemon juice from 1/2 for the caramel; save the juice of the other half of the lemon to use in cake batter.
- 12 cherries, pitted optional
- 1 1/2 cup cake flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
- 1 cup butter, divided 3/4 cup for the cake; 1/4 cup for the caramel
- 1 cup brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 eggs, separated Save the egg whites in a medium bowl to whip up and add at the end of the recipe
- 1/2 cup milk whole or 2%
- 1/2 cup sour cream or greek yogurt Non-fat or low fat products will work; you can also use a mixture of sour cream & yogurt.
- 1/2 cup apple cider Apple juice will work here, too.
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Juice and zest of 1/2 an orange
- Juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
- 2-3 apples, cored and peeled Varieties such as Fuji, Granny Smith, or Honey Crisp work well, or a mix. Make sure to keep apple slices on ice or sprinkled with lemon juice to keep from browning.
Instructions
- FOR THE CARAMEL TOP:Place a piece of parchment paper in the 9" cake pan and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place 1 cup of sugar, the juice of 1/2 lemon, and water in a medium skillet or saucepan. Heat on medium high heat until a light brown/honey-colored caramel forms (about 5 minutes). Remove from the heat, add butter and mix lightly with a wooden spoon. Pour the caramel into the prepared pan and set it aside.. FOR THE CAKE: Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt onto a piece of parchment paper and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend the butter until soft. Add the sugar and mix for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks. Add the orange and lemon juice and zest. In a medium bowl, mix the sour cream/yogurt and milk. Add 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix on low until smooth. Add 1/2 of the sour cream mixture and mix until smooth. Add the remaining flour mixture, then the remaining sour cream mixture, the cider, vanilla extract and juices and mix until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites by hand or with a mixer until they form a medium peak (about 3-5 minutes by hand). Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the cake batter until incorporated.Once the batter is complete, peel and slice the apples and place 1/2" slices in a neat ring over the caramel in the pan and accent them with the cherries (if using). Next, pour the batter over the fruit and caramel. Place the pan into the oven and bake at 350 degrees F until the cake is light brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean - about 40 minutes. Allow to cool enough to handle, then flip the cake onto a plate. The caramel sauce will pool around the bottom. Remove the parchment paper to reveal the caramelized apples on top. Slice and serve with vanilla bean ice cream or sauce of your choice.
Notes
- Take a moment to scrape the bottom of the bowl after adding the yolks and/or as needed to keep the batter smooth and consistent.
