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.
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Cuisine: American
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.
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.
12 cherries, pitted optional
2 1/2 cups cake flour or all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
1 cup butter (2 sticks), divided 3/4 cup for the cake; 1/4 cup for the caramel
3 eggs, separated - save the egg whites in a medium bowl to whip up and add at the end of the recipe
1 1/2 cups white or brown sugar
1/2 cup sour cream - non-fat or low-fat products will work; you can also use a mixture of sour cream & yogurt.
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, scraped and seeded
Juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
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 over medium-high 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, baking powder, ginger, and 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, then add the egg yolks. Take a moment to scrape the bottom of the bowl after adding the yolks and as needed to keep the batter smooth and consistent, then add the lemon juice and zest. In a medium bowl, mix the sour cream and yogurt. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low until smooth, then add half of the sour cream mixture and mix until smooth. Add the remaining flour mixture, then the remaining sour cream mixture and the vanilla extract, and mix until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites by hand or with a mixer until they form medium peaks (about 3–5 minutes by hand), then 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, accenting them with cherries if using. Pour the batter over the fruit and caramel, place the pan into the oven, and bake at 350°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 so the caramel sauce pools around the bottom; remove the parchment paper to reveal the caramelized apples on top. Slice and serve with vanilla bean ice cream or the sauce of your choice.
