Brown Sugar Apple Upside Down Cake with Cider Caramel and Spiced Walnuts

 

What's the long way to say Fall?  Brown Sugar Apple Upside Down Cake with Cider Caramel and Spiced Walnuts.

Holy heck does this blow-your-mind recipe scream fall.  It's all fall all the time.  Fall fall fall.

And what's the best part about fall?  Apples.  No not that other fruit.  Apples. 

Apples apples apples.

See?  Apples.  I know I'm right.

As we all know, if you've hung around these parts, I am big on apples.  It's the only part of fall I like because for me, fall means sneering winter is lurking in the shadows and I am not big into winter. 

Which is comical for a person who lives in Chicago.

Well anyway. 

What we have here today is Brown Sugar Apple Upside Down Cake with Cider Caramel and Spiced Walnuts and it's a mouthful of a title.  It does lean baking project, meaning it'll take a spot of your time but your efforts are fully rewarded with this cake.

Ok, don't fret, it's not like a monster time investment or screwball complicated.  Just a couple of hours and a few steps, all of which are easy.

This is that Instagram-worthy cake you need to bring to a swanky, or not even swanky, just casual, or any dinner party.  Or no party at all, I mean c'mon, this thing...

The first time I made this was for a Thanksgiving eons ago and it was a showstopper.  Jaws dropped.  We all couldn't believe it.  Me, because I nailed it and everyone else because, yeah, wow, it's a showstopper.

It's a stunning cake. 

Sliced apples all caramelized and gooey on top with a luscious, bright cider caramel.  Pretty walnuts with that fall spiced scent wafting through the air.  Ugh, I had to put my head between my knees to get my bearings just now.

Since it does lean baking project, let's get to it.  Ready, set, Brown Sugar Apple Upside Down Cake with Cider Caramel and Spiced Walnuts time.  Allot yourself plenty of time so as not to be rushed.  I've probably over-explained in the recipe card itself but it's only because I want you to succeed.

First, the apple cider caramel because this takes some time.  You'll be boiling four cups of it down to about a half a' cup.  And, it's the first thing you need in order to move forward.

This is not scary; it's pretty well a hands-off, albeit lengthy step.  I usually set it on the stove, walk away, do other things, and check back often so I can't predict how long it might take to happen for you. 

Once it gets thick, sticky, and a deep deep brown color, you'll then drop in some butter and salt then pour half in your greased cake pan.*

 

Since the pan is greased, it might not stay spread-out put.  Don't stress, it's fine.

And while I haven't tried it, for added release-security since this is a caramel-y upside down cake, you could try a parchment round* or a round silicone mat* too.

Next, slice up and lay those apples in.  Slice them very thin, about an eighth of an inch thick.  Overlap them slightly as you go around but you're looking for one single layer.  This is your cake top so make it resplendent.
 

For me, that can be in the neighborhood of an apple and a half to two of a larger size or three small apples.  Mix and match the apples for best flavor and texture or, use all the same type, whatever you'd like.

This was about two and a half small apples.

Cake batter time!  Super simple and nothing atypical or unusual about the cake portion process other than you're using packed-with-flavor dark brown sugar.

Cream up said sweetener with the butter with a mixer* until fluffy like a cookie batter.  In the meantime, toss those dry ingredients into a bowl and get them mingling together.

Drop in your eggs into the mixer bowl one at a time then the vanilla.  Though the recipe does call for a full tablespoon, I do dash in a smidge extra just to beef up all the flavors and because I have a vanilla problem.

All righty!

With that mixed up, time to add the dry and rest of the wet which you'll do in thirds of dry, halves of wet, starting with the dry so dry, wet, dry, wet, dry.  Just eyeball it, very easy.

Only mix the batter very briefly, shut off the mixer, and while scraping the bowl, give everything a few turns by hand with a spatula.*  See a few specks of flour remaining?  No worries, that's perfect.

Scrape and give a few spatula twirls now.

Ok, go grab your cake pan and gently scoop the on-the-thicker-side batter over the apples.  Aggressive spreading is not welcome; just sort of pat and squoosh the batter with the spatula to get it where it needs to go without disturbing the apple design.

Then off to the oven we go!  The original recipe has a varying bake time but I find right around forty minutes is the sweet spot.

Meanwhile, toast up the chopped walnuts in a saute pan* over medium heat for a couple of minutes, tossing in those spices.

When the cake is ready, it'll be a deep golden brown with slightly darker edges so pop it out of the oven, let it cool briefly.  Seriously, only maybe five minutes as you don't want the caramelized apple top to set up. 

Set a plate over the pan, flip.  You might want to go around the pan with a knife first, flip, and do a bunch of jiggling wiggling to get it to release.  Be gentle!
 

And whoooooo doggie, look at that!  Omg, right?!

To finish this bad boy up, pour the rest of the cider caramel over this beaut and sprinkle with the walnuts however you want.  I try to make sure each slice gets walnuts rather than doing anything decorative but you do you.

Brown Sugar Apple Upside Down Cake with Cider Caramel and Spiced Walnuts, my friends.

What did Mike say getting to eat this again?  "Yeah, that was terrible.  Do not ever make this ever again."  It was Opposite with a Side of Sarcasm Day, obviously.

And now I'll let the pictures do the talking.....

Happy happy baking!

*The 9" cake pans, parchment rounds, round silicone mats, mixers, baking spatulas, and saute pans are Amazon affiliate links.  Happy baking, thanks!  Please see the "info" tab for more, well, info.