Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake

I will be honest: I am not 100% sure that I am sharing the right recipe today.  I've explained before that I have a wonky, disorganized way of keeping track of the recipes I have to blog.  I take pictures on my phone of everything, and that's how I know what is next.  I keep the recipes open on my iPad or laptop, pinning things when I can, so I don't lose them.  But then there are the times when someone closes all my websites down to open Craigslist (ahem NICK) or fantasy football (ahem MARK).

To be fair, neither of them are to blame today.  I made this recipe one night at my mom's house and used her iPad to find it.  They had gone apple picking and had an overabundance of them.  Somehow I stumbled upon a caramel apple upside down cake, and I was intrigued.

Unfortunately, the next time I peeked at Mom's iPad, the recipe was gone, so I have spent way too much time this morning trying to search it out.  I'm about 75% sure that this is the one, but the good news is, most of the recipes I have found seem pretty similar, so even if this isn't it, you should be fairly safe trying it out!

Now to the cake itself: my family loved it!  Mom said it was one of my best cakes.  I actually ended up taking it out of the oven and then heading home - can't remember why, but I was somehow in a rush and didn't have time to eat it.  But my mom, sisters, and Cathleen were there and ate it quite happily.  The cake is moist and fluffy and topped with homemade caramel and sliced apples.  The scary part is that, being an upside down cake, you pour the caramel and layer the apples on the bottom of the pan (I also added a few chopped walnuts for Mom's benefit), and then pour the batter on top and bake it.  Then you have to flip it upside down when it comes out of the oven.  I was petrified that something bad would happen - it would spread out everywhere, or stick in the pan, or something... but it came out perfectly.  Not only is it tasty, it's beautiful and impressive.

And now I'm off to be on good wife duty.  There are few things as panic-inducing as a vomiting husband 2 hours before you're supposed to head to a wedding.  Ugh.

Recipe:

caramel apple upside down cake
from The Recipe Critic (I think!)
serves 8

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, divided
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
2 medium apples, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Spray a 9-inch round pan with cooking spray.  Set aside.

2) In a medium saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat until melted.  Add the brown sugar.  Bring it to a boil and remove from heat.  Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.  Pour into the bottom of the greased pan.  Arrange the apples over the brown sugar.

3) In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt.  Set aside.

4) In a large bowl or mixer, beat together 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup butter on medium speed until fluffy.  Add in eggs and vanilla.

5) beat in flour mixture alternating with the milk until smooth.  Pour batter over the apples and spread evenly.

6) Bake 55 - 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

7) Run knife along the edges of the cake and flip upside down on a pan.  Serve warm with whipped cream on top.

Pre-flip!