Apple Pecan Raisin Upside Down Cake Food

APPLE PECAN UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Peel, core and slice apples about 1/4 inch thick. Place in a mixture of water and lemon juice to prevent browning. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Toast pecans on ungreased baking sheet in oven until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Check frequently to prevent burning.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
• Melt butter in small, heavy saucepan. Add brown sugar and cook, stirring, just until melted, 3 to 5 minutes. Watch closely because sugar burns easily.
• Pour butter-sugar mixture into 9 inch round nonstick cake pan and spread to coat bottom. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top butter-sugar mixture. Drain and pat dry apples and place in circles, slightly overlapping, over pecans.
• Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add sugar and continue beating until creamy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and continue beating until completely incorporated.
• Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture and milk, alternating, in 3 additions. Continue to mix only until dry ingredients are completely mixed in, stopping to scrape sides if necessary.
• Spoon batter over topping and spread carefully so batter is even.
• Bake 55 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully run spatula around edge of pan and let stand another 10 to 15 minutes.
• Invert pan over large plate and let stand 3 minutes. Carefully remove pan.
• Serve warm with fresh whipped cream.

FRESH APPLE SPICE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan.
• Place the pecans on a sheet pan and toast them for 5 to 10 minutes, until lightly toasted. Set aside. Combine the rum and raisins in a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 60 seconds. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla, and orange zest on medium speed for 3 minutes. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves into a medium bowl. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture, just until combined. Drain the raisins, discarding the liquid. With a rubber spatula, fold the raisins, pecans, and apples into the batter. Spread into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool, cut into squares, and serve warm or at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of warm caramel sauce.

APPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Pour butter into an ungreased 9-in. round baking pan; sprinkle with 1/2 cup brown sugar. Arrange apples in a single layer over brown sugar; layer with walnuts and remaining brown sugar., In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk and sour cream, beating well after each addition. Beat in brandy if desired., Spoon batter over brown sugar layer. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Serve warm.

UPSIDE-DOWN CARAMELIZED APPLE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Lightly butter the sides of a 9-inch cake pan (not a springform pan).
• Combine the butter, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small saucepan and boil 30 seconds. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the apples all over and press them down slightly to level them.
• To make the cake, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until very smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Sprinkle in the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt, and beat 10 seconds. Pour in the milk and beat just until the batter is evenly moistened, about 1 minute. Spoon the batter over the apples and smooth the top.
• Bake 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out dry. Run a knife along the outer edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Place a plate over the cake, then flip it over to invert the cake onto the plate. Let the cake cool completely before serving.

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Melt butter in oven in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet.
• Stir brown sugar and 1 tablespoon reserved pineapple syrup into melted butter; spread evenly in pan.
• Arrange pineapple slices in bottom of pan.
• Place a cherry in center of each pineapple ring.
• Arrange pecans, rounded sides down, in and around pineapple; set aside.
• Pour remaining reserved pineapple syrup into measuring cup; add enought water to make 1/2 cup; pour into large mixing bowl.
• Add flour, sugar, oil, egg and vanilla.
• Beat with electric mixer on low speed for 2 minutes, or until well blended.
• Spoon batter over pineapple and pecans.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool in pan for 5 minutes.
• Turn out onto large serving plate.
• Serve warm topped with whipped cream, if desired.
• ***If you need more servings, you can double the recipe and bake in a 9 X 13 baking pan for 12 servings.
• Just adjust the baking time accordingly.

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE WITH PECANS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Make the topping: In an oven-safe 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, lemon juice and salt, and whisk until the brown sugar melts, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Let cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture starts to smell like caramel and darkens slightly, about 1 minute longer. (Don't walk away or the mixture may burn.) The mixture will clump and separate, but that's OK.
• Add fruit and nuts, gently tossing to coat with the caramel. Remove from heat and arrange fruit into an even layer on bottom of skillet. Ignore any sugar clumps; they will dissolve during baking.
• Make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest until thoroughly combined. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Add sour cream and whisk until well mixed. Sprinkle in baking powder, baking soda and salt into the batter, one at a time, and whisking vigorously after each addition. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in flour until just incorporated. The mixture will be lumpy, but that's OK. Don't overmix. Scrape batter into the skillet over the fruit and spread evenly.
• Bake until surface is deeply browned all over (with darker brown edges) and the fruit is lightly bubbling along the sides of the skillet, about 35 to 45 minutes, rotating halfway through. A toothpick inserted into cake will come out clean.
• Once the cake is out of the oven, immediately run a butter knife or offset spatula along the edge of the skillet. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes to cool slightly. Carefully invert cake into serving platter. If some fruit or nuts stick to bottom of the skillet, gently remove them using offset spatula or knife and place back onto cake. Let cake cool until the fruit topping sets, at least 30 minutes to 1 hour, before serving. Cake is best served on the day it is baked.

UPSIDE-DOWN APPLE PECAN PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• In a 9 inch deep-dish pie pan, combine pecans, brown sugar and margarine; spread into a single layer. Roll out dough, and place bottom crust over pecan mixture.
• In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour into crust in pan. Top with second crust. Fold edges of crust over, and flute to seal edges. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
• Place pan on foil or cookie sheet during baking to guard against spillage. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and apples are tender.
• Cool pie in pan for 5 minutes. Place serving plate over pie, and flip to invert, being careful not to come in contact with molten sugar. If some of the nuts stick to the pan, remove them with a knife, and place on pie. Allow to cool for 1 hour.