Apple Walnut Upside Down Cake With Calvados Caramel Sauce Food

APPLE-WALNUT UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°F. Spread out walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing once, until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, heat a 10" ovenproof skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium. Add 2 Tbsp. butter and swirl to coat; arrange apple halves cut sides down in a single layer in skillet. Cook apples, undisturbed, rotating skillet on burner as needed for even browning, until cut sides are golden brown, 5-10 minutes (the timing depends on the juiciness of the apples; juicier apples will take longer). Turn apples over and cook on rounded sides just until they start to release their juices and the tip of a knife slides through with slight resistance, about 5 minutes. Transfer apples to a plate, arrange cut sides up, and let cool.
• Add ¼ cup brown sugar and 1 Tbsp. water to skillet and set over medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon or heatproof rubber spatula until sugar is dissolved, then cook, swirling skillet occasionally (do not stir at this point), until thick and bubbling in a thin layer, about 1 minute. Let caramel cool in skillet.
• Meanwhile, pulse toasted walnuts, flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and 1½ tsp. cinnamon in a food processor until combined and nuts are finely ground. Transfer walnut mixture to a medium bowl.
• Combine granulated sugar, remaining ¼ cup brown sugar, and remaining 8 Tbsp. butter in food processor (no need to wash it) and process in long pulses until mixture is light and smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and process in long pulses, scraping down sides of processor once, until mixture is smooth. Add half of walnut mixture and pulse to combine, then add yogurt and pulse just until incorporated. Add remaining walnut mixture and pulse just to combine.
• Arrange apple halves cut sides down over cooled caramel in skillet, spacing evenly. Fold batter a few times with spatula, scraping sides to make sure everything is well mixed. Scrape batter over apples and work into spaces around apples. Smooth surface (it's okay if there's only a thin layer of batter in places; it will rise in the oven).
• Bake cake until it is browned across the entire surface and the center springs back when gently pressed, 30-40 minutes. Let cake cool in skillet 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula or a small knife around the sides of the pan to loosen. Set a wire rack upside down on skillet and flip over to release cake; carefully remove skillet. If any apples or cake stick to skillet, scrape them off and press back onto the top of the cake.
• Serve cake warm or room temperature. Slice into wedges and top with dollops of whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon.
• Do Ahead: Cake can be baked 2 days ahead. Let cool completely. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

APPLE WALNUT UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE WITH CALVADOS CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Make topping:
• Peel, core, and quarter apples.
• In a well-seasoned 10 1/4 by 2-inch cast-iron skillet or a 10- by 2-inch non-stick skillet melt butter over moderately low heat just until melted (butter should not separate). Stir in sugar until combined well. Arrange apple quarters decoratively, cut sides up, in skillet and sprinkle walnuts evenly in between apples. Cook mixture, undisturbed, 25 to 35 minutes, or until apples are tender in centers and sugar is a golden caramel.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Make cake batter while topping is cooking:
• Peel apple and chop fine.
• In a bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
• In another bowl with an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and ginger and add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in sour cream and with mixer on low speed beat in flour mixture gradually until just combined. Fold chopped apple into batter.
• Remove skillet from heat and spoon batter evenly over topping. With a metal spatula spread batter (being careful not to disturb topping), leaving a 1/4-inch border of cooked apples uncovered. If using a non-stick skillet with a plastic handle, wrap handle in a double thickness of foil. Put skillet in a shallow baking pan and bake cake in middle of oven 25 to 35 minutes, or until a tester comes out with crumbs adhering and cake is golden brown. Cool cake in skillet on a rack 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge of skillet and carefully invert cake onto a plate.
• Serve cake warm or at room temperature with caramel sauce and whipped cream.
• To make Calvados caramel sauce:
• In a dry heavy saucepan (about 2 quarts) cook sugar over moderate heat, stirring with a fork, until melted and cook without stirring, swirling pan, until a golden caramel. Remove pan from heat and carefully add water and brandy down side of pan (caramel will bubble and steam). Return pan to heat and simmer, stirring, until caramel is dissolved. Stir in butter. Sauce may be made 3 days ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat sauce to warm before serving.
• Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

UPSIDE-DOWN CARAMEL APPLE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180C (170C fan-forced).
• Generously grease a 24cm (9 1/2") round cake tin, approx 4.5cm (1 1/2") deep, with butter - a non-stick tin is best.
• Peel core and dice one or two apples - enough to give you once cup of diced apple.
• Place diced apple and 1 tablespoon of water into a microwave safe dish. Cover and microwave on HIGH for 4-5 minutes or until apple is cooked and very soft.
• Stir sour cream into stewed apple and mash very well or puree with a stick mixer or small blender. Set aside until needed.
• For the caramel topping, melt 60g butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat.
• Add brown sugar and golden syrup.
• Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Pour caramel sauce into the prepared cake tin, tilting it to ensure it covers the base evenly.
• Now, sift the flour and spices together in a bowl, add a pinch of salt ONLY if you are using unsalted butter.
• Now, place the 90g butter and the caster sugar into a medium to large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
• Add the vanilla extract and then the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Reducing the speed of your mixer to low, add the flour to the butter mixture and beat until just combined.
• Add the apple/sour cream mixture and beat briefly to combine.
• Now, peel, core, and quarter 2 or 3 apples and then cut each quarter into four slices.
• Place the lemon juice into a large bowl, add the sliced apple and stir gently to coat each slice with lemon juice.
• Starting at the outside edge of the cake tin, arrange the apple slices, overlapping each other, in a circle on top of the sauce.
• Now, arrange another circle of apple slices inside, but slightly overlapping, the first, and so on until you reach the middle of the tin.
• Reserve some smaller slices for the centre and arrange them, overlapping, as best you can.
• Now, carefully spoon the cake batter as evenly as possible into the tin, being sure not to disturb the apples.
• Warm a bread knife under the tap, shake off excess moisture, and use the knife to gently smooth the batter until it is spread evenly.
• Place the cake onto the centre shelf of a preheated 180C (170C fan-forced) oven and bake for 45-50 minutes (approximately 40 minutes in a fan-forced oven).
• The cake is cooked when it looks golden brown and the springs back when you touch it - if unsure, insert a skewer into the cake and, if it comes out clean, the cake is cooked.
• Remove the cake from the oven and let it sit for 3 minutes before running a knife around the rim to loosen the sides.
• Now, place a large plate upside down over the top of the cake tin and, being careful not to burn yourself, quickly invert the plate and the tin.
• Leave the cake tin to stand on top of the plate for 20 seconds before removing it.
• If any apple sticks to the top of the tin, simply remove them and press back into the cake.
• Serve warm, drizzled with extra golden syrup and serve with thick cream or ice-cream.
• If you have to make the cake in advance, it can be reheated for a couple of minutes in the microwave.
• If you wish to be really decadent and serve this cake as a dessert, consider making up a batch of the Caramel Sauce that goes with my Little Icky Sticky Puddings, recipe #88565, and serve it with vanilla ice-cream.

APPLE-WALNUT UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• For the topping, melt 1 teaspoon of the butter in a medium-size cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples and saute until caramelized, about 10 minutes. Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and the brown sugar in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until melted and well blended. Butter a 10-inch pan with 3-inch sides and spread the brown- sugar mixture in the bottom. Arrange the apple slices in the pan in concentric circles. Set aside.
• For the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until light. Mix in the vanilla. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and walnuts. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just to combine. Spread the batter evenly over the apples. Bake until the cake springs back when touched in the center, about 1 hour. Let stand for 10 minutes and invert onto a cake plate. Let cool. Serve slightly warm.

CARAMEL-WALNUT UPSIDE-DOWN BANANA CAKE

Steps:

• Topping.
• Spray 8 inch round cake pan with 2 inch high sides with nonstick spray.
• Bring butter,sugar and corn syrup to boil in medium saucepan, stirring constantly until butter melts:boil for 1 minute.
• Stir in nuts;spread topping in prepared pan and let cool completely.
• Cake.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Sift first four ingredients into medium bowl.
• Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in large bowl until blended.
• Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then mashed bananas,sour cream,rum and vanilla.
• Beat in dry ingredients just until combined.
• Spoon batter into pan.
• Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes.
• Cool 15 minutes.
• Cut around cake and place platter over pan. Holding pan and platter together, turn over.
• Let stand 5 minutes then gently lift off pan.
• Cool at least 15 minutes for topping to set.
• Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

CARAMEL-APPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line the bottom of a 9-inch nonstick cake pan with parchment paper.
• Place brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon for topping in a pan over medium heat. Watch closely and stir everly 30 seconds until the mixture boils.
• Meanwhile, place apple slices on top of the parchment paper in the cake pan. As soon as the topping boils, remove it from the heat, pour over the apple slices, and spread it out evenly.
• Mix sugar and butter for cake in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Mix in eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract until completely combined. Mix in baking powder, baking soda, and 1/3 of the milk. Add remaining ingredients as follows, mixing briefly after each addition: 1/2 of the flour, 1/2 of the remaining milk, remaining flour, and remaining milk. Pour batter into the pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Run a butter knife along the sides of the cake to separate it from the cake pan. Cut off the top of the cake with a serrated knife to flatten it. Invert on a cake plate and release cake. Serve hot or cold.