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Upside Down Apple Caramel Cake, made in two ways

Upside Down Apple Caramel Cake, made in two ways

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These upside down apple Caramel cakes have been made in two different ways. One is made with Greek yoghurt and the other with cream cheese.

The addition of butter and sugar on the apples caramelize during baking, which adds the caramel flavour to the cake. 

Apple upside down cake image

Continuing my older posts with apples,  I have two upside down cakes, the first one made with Greek yoghurt and the second one which is more recent was made using cream cheese.

The method making the caramel for each cake is different but both are equally tasty.

Every bite of these awesome desserts is moist and flavorful and the caramel adds an amazing taste to the apples.

Apple Caramel Cake with yoghurt photo

As you may see, the one using Muscovado sugar, has a darker  effect on the apples.
When making the first one, I wasn’t sure if the lemon zest would match with cinnamon but I loved it.

The only correction I would make to this recipe the next time is to add less flour, as it came out more dense than I wanted it to be. 

What is an Upside Down Cake?

An upside-down cake is a cake that is baked “upside-down” in a single pan, with its toppings at the bottom of the pan. When removed from the oven, the finished upside-down preparation is flipped over and de-panned onto a serving plate, thus “righting” it, and serving it right-side up.

Usually chopped or sliced fruits — such as apples, cherries, peaches, or pineapples — butter, and sugar are placed on the bottom of the pan before the batter is poured in, so that they form a baked-on topping after the cake is inverted. A simple cottage pudding cake batter may be used. Source: Wikipedia

Upside down Apple pie with yoghurt or cream cheese image

Upside Down Apple Pie with Greek Yoghurt and Muscovado Sugar

Ingredients needed to make the cake:

Apples and Caramel:

  • Granny smith or other apples
  • Muscovado sugar
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Melted butter
  • Lemon juice

To make the Batter:

  • All-purpose flour
  • Salt
  • Baking powder
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Butter
  • Muscovado sugar
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla extract
  • Lemon zest
  • Greek Yoghurt

Let’s make the Apple cake

  1. Preheat oven to 180° C / 350o F.
  2. Fill a bowl with water and lemon juice and core the apples.
  3. Peel and cut into thin wedges, about 1 cm. Set aside.Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon in a bowl.
  4. Beat the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until incorporated.
  5. Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest and yoghurt and mix for a few minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary.
  6. Lower mixer speed to medium and add the flour gradually, until blended.
  7. Grease a 26 – 28 cm baking tin with butter and set aside.
  8. Drain the apples and mix with the melted butter, sugar and cinnamon.
  9. Arrange the apples on the baking tin and pour on top of them any leftover juices from the bowl.
  10. Spoon the batter evenly over the apples and spread evenly on top.
  11. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  12. With a sharp knife loosen the edges of the cakes.
  13. Place a platter on top and invert the cake carefully as some juices may fall from the baking tin.
  14. Remove the pan and if any pieces of apple have stuck to the pan, carefully arrange them over the cake.
  15. Serve as it is or with a scoop of ice cream on top!

Note:

Greek lemons are very juicy 1 lemon usually yields around 1/4 cup lemon juice.

Both cakes should be warm when inverting as otherwise the caramel may become firm and the apples will stick to the baking pan.

If you are using a hand mixer or if your stand mixer is not very powerful, it is preferable to beat the egg whites separately until stiff and add them at the end alternating with the flour.

Below you will find the second recipe for Upside Down Apple Pie, which I made with different ingredients.

Upside down Apple pie with yoghurt or cream cheese image

Upside Down Apple Cake with Greek Yoghurt and Muscovado Sugar

Yield: 10
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 large red delicious apples
  • ½ cup brown Muscovado sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp melted butter
  • 4 tbsp lemon juice with water

Batter:

  • 270 grams all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 113 grams butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup Muscovado sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 200 grams Greek Yoghurt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 180° C / 350o F.
  2. Fill a bowl with water and lemon juice and core the apples. Peel and cut into thin wedges, about 1 cm. Set aside.
  3. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon in a bowl. Beat the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until incorporated.
  4. Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest and yoghurt and mix for a few minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary.
  5. Lower mixer speed to medium and add the flour gradually, until blended.
  6. Grease a 26 - 28 cm baking tin with butter and set aside.
  7. Drain the apples and mix with the melted butter, sugar and cinnamon.
  8. Arrange the apples on the baking tin and pour on top of them any leftover juices from the bowl.
  9. Spoon the batter evenly over the apples and spread evenly on top.
  10. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  11. With a sharp knife loosen the edges of the cakes.
  12. Place a platter on top and invert the cake carefully as some juices may fall from the baking tin.
  13. Remove the pan and if any pieces of apple have stuck to the pan, carefully arrange them over the cake.
  14. Serve as it is or with a scoop of ice cream!
Nutrition Information
Yield 10 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 454Total Fat 16gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 107mgSodium 331mgCarbohydrates 71gFiber 4gSugar 43gProtein 8g

"These values are automatically calculated and offered for guidance only. Their accuracy is not guaranteed."

Did you make this recipe?

Tried this recipe? Tag me @ivyliac and use the hashtag #kopiaste!

Collage Apple caramel cream cheese image

Upside down Apple Caramel Cream Cheese Cake

Ingredients:

Cake Batter:

  • Unsalted butter
  • 250 grams cream cheese
  • Cane sugar
  • Eggs
  • Self raising flour
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Lemon zest
  • Vanilla essence

For the  Apples:

  • Water plus juice of half lemon
  • Granny Smith Apples
  • Cinnamon

For the Caramel:

  • Cane sugar
  • Butter
  • Lemon juice
  • Water

Directions:

  1. Take the zest of the lemon and then fill a bowl with water and add half of the lemon juice.
  2. Peel, core and slice the apples into thin and even slices.  Keep them in the water with the lemon juice until ready to use them. This will prevent them from changing colour.   Set them aside until cake batter is ready.
  3. Sift the flour and add the salt and baking powder and mix.
  4. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and beat well on high speed until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.   At this stage the mixture may look as curdled. Add the vanilla and lemon zest and beat until incorporated.
  5. Add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated.
  6. In a non-stick frying pan add the sugar, butter and lemon juice and on low heat mix until the sugar melts.  If needed add a tbsp water.   Increase the heat to medium-high and keep mixing until it caramelizes.
  7. Butter your spring form baking tin and arrange the apples.
  8. Pour the caramel on top and then pour the batter into the prepared apples and smooth the top.
  9. Preheat the oven to 180o C / 350o F.    Bake for about an hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  10. Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes.  Pass a knife around the edges of the baking tin and remove the spring form.
  11. Place a platter on top and invert the cake.
Apple caramel cream cheese upside down cake image
Apple upside down cake image

Upside down Apple Caramel Cream Cheese Cake

Yield: 10
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 125 grams unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
  • 250 grams cream cheese
  • 1 cup (about 210 grams) cane sugar
  • 6 medium eggs

Dry ingredients:

  • 400 grams about 3 cups self raising flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence

For the Apples:

  • Water plus juice of half lemon
  • 3 large apples (about 750 grams)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

For the Caramel:

  • 1 cup (210 grams) cane sugar
  • 1 heaped tbsp butter
  • 4 - 5 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp water

Instructions

  1. Take the zest of the lemon and then fill a bowl with water and the lemon juice.
  2. Peel, core and slice the apples into thin and even slices. Keep them in water with the lemon juice until ready to use them. This will prevent them from changing colour. Set them aside until cake batter is ready.
  3. Sift the flour and add the salt and baking powder and mix.
  4. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
  5. Add the sugar and beat well on high speed until light and fluffy.
  6. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. At this stage the mixture may look as curdled.
  7. Add the vanilla and lemon zest and beat until incorporated.
  8. Add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated.
  9. In a non-stick frying pan add the sugar, butter and lemon juice and on low heat mix until the sugar melts and begins to caramelize. If needed add a tbsp water.
  10. Butter your spring form baking tin and arrange the apples.
  11. Pour the caramel on top and then pour the batter into the prepared apples and smooth the top.
  12. Preheat the oven to 180o C / 350o F.
  13. Bake for about an hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  14. Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Pass a knife around the edges of the baking tin and remove the spring form.
  15. Place a platter on top and invert the cake.

Notes

The cake should be warm when inverting as otherwise the caramel may become firm and the apples will stick to the baking pan.

Nutrition Information
Yield 10 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 417Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 13gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 153mgSodium 728mgCarbohydrates 45gFiber 3gSugar 12gProtein 9g

"These values are automatically calculated and offered for guidance only. Their accuracy is not guaranteed."

Did you make this recipe?

Tried this recipe? Tag me @ivyliac and use the hashtag #kopiaste!

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi,

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Becky

Saturday 25th of July 2015

Greaaat. I have baked lots of cakes and cookies but these are still one of my favorites. Thank you

Jan

Thursday 18th of April 2013

Dear Ivy, I finally obtained your book "Mint, Cinnamon & Blossom Water" Flavours of Cyprus and just loved it. It's the only book so far in which I can find recipes of Cyprus in excellent detail. The best thing about these recipes is the fact that they are the original recipes of Cypriot Cuisine. Thank you for publishing such a treasure. The lovely cake above looks great too. I would have it while it's warm with plenty of vanilla ice cream. So good!!!! Thanks again :)

Ivy

Thursday 18th of April 2013

Thank you so much Jan. It means a lot to me to get such wonderful feedback. Hope you enjoy lots of recipes from it. Ivy

Juliana

Thursday 18th of April 2013

Ivy, I would love to have one slice of each one...they would be perfect with my tea or coffee...yum! Hope you are having a fabulous week :)

Nadji

Tuesday 16th of April 2013

J'adore les desserts aux pommes. Tes 2 versions sont délicieuses. A bientôt

Banana Wonder

Monday 15th of April 2013

Mmmmm I can actually smell this all the way in Philadelphia! Looks so delicious.

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