Caramel Apple Upside Down Cornmeal Cake Food

CARAMEL-APPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Spray bottom and sides of 8- or 9-inch square pan with cooking spray.
• In 1-quart saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in brown sugar. Heat to boiling; remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Pour into pan; spread evenly. Arrange apple wedges over brown sugar mixture, overlapping tightly and making 2 layers if necessary.
• In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and the salt; set aside. In large bowl, beat 1 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup butter with electric mixer on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until smooth. Add vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternately with milk, beating after each addition until smooth. Spread batter over apple wedges in brown sugar mixture.
• Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on cooling rack 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, beat whipping cream on high speed until it begins to thicken. Gradually add 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, beating until soft peaks form.
• Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Place heatproof serving plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over. Remove pan. Serve warm cake with whipped cream. Store cake loosely covered.

UPSIDE-DOWN CORNBREAD CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, mix together flour, cornmeal, heavy cream, eggs, butter, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.
• In the cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, add sugar and butter and let melt. When melted, remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Be sure to place maraschino cherries evenly throughout. Pour in batter and smooth top with a spatula. Bake 25 minutes, until cornbread is golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
• To serve: place a platter over skillet and invert cake. It should slide out easily. Slice into wedges and serve warm with whipped cream.

WARM APPLE-CORNMEAL UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 1 1/2-inch-high sides; line pan with 10-inch-diameter parchment paper round (parchment will come 1/2 inch up sides of pan). Butter parchment. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in 10-inch-diameter nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup sugar and cook until sugar dissolves and mixture turns deep golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add apple wedges and gently shake skillet to distribute caramel evenly. Cover and cook until apples release their juices, about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until apples are tender and caramel thickens and coats apples, stirring occasionally, about 13 minutes. Transfer apples and caramel syrup to prepared cake pan, spreading evenly.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl to blend. Place cornmeal in large bowl; pour 1/2 cup boiling water over and stir to blend. Add 6 tablespoons butter and 3/4 cup sugar to cornmeal mixture. Using electric mixer, beat until well blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture alternately with milk in 2 additions each. Pour batter over apples in pan.
• Bake cake until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool cake in pan 5 minutes. Run small knife between cake and pan sides to loosen cake. Carefully invert cake onto ovenproof or microwavable platter and peel off parchment. Cool 15 minutes. (Cake can be made up to 6 hours ahead. Rewarm in 350°F oven about 10 minutes or microwave on medium just until slightly warm, about 2 minutes.)
• Cut cake into wedges, place on plates, and serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

CARAMEL APPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
• Combine butter and brown sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk occasionally until butter has melted. Cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute as mixture thickens. Remove from heat and whisk in the cinnamon and vanilla extract. Pour into an ungreased 9×2 inch pie dish or round cake pan. (Make sure the pan is 2 inches deep. I recommend this pie dish, which is 1.8 inches deep but I never have an overflow issue.) Arrange the apple slices neatly on top, overlapping where necessary. See photo above. Place pan in the refrigerator for a few minutes as you prepare the cake batter. This helps solidify or "set" the topping's arrangement.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together. Set aside.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add both sugars and beat on high speed until creamed together, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. On high speed, beat in the eggs and vanilla extract until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer onto low speed and as the mixer runs, slowly pour in the milk. Beat on low speed just until all of the ingredients are combined. Do not over-mix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
• Remove topping from the refrigerator. Pour and spread cake batter evenly over topping.
• Bake for 40-46 minutes, tenting foil on top of the cake halfway through bake time to prevent the top from over-browning before the center has a chance to fully cook. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean- a couple moist crumbs are OK. Don't be alarmed if your cake takes longer or if the cake rises up and sticks to the foil. (We serve the cake upside down anyway!)
• Remove cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack for just 15 minutes. Invert the slightly cooled cake onto a cake stand or serving plate. Some of the juices from the topping will seep over the sides- that's ok. You can slice and serve the cake warm, but the slices will be messy. I find it's best to cool the cake completely at room temperature before slicing and serving. Do not refrigerate the cake to speed up the cooling process because it could end up tasting overly dense.
• Cover leftover slices and store for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature. I don't recommend freezing the cake as a whole because the topping arrangement doesn't thaw very nicely. See make ahead instructions below.

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.

CARAMEL APPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CORNMEAL CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a 10 inch oven-proof skillet. Add apples and stir 5 minutes until tender. Remove from skillet.
• In same skillet, combine remaining butter and brown sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until butter melts. Bring to boiling.
• Remove from heat. Stir in milk.
• Sprinkle with pecans and cranberries. Arrange apple slices on top.
• In bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, combine cornmeal, water, and 1/4 cup melted butter. Stir in eggs and vanilla.
• Combine with flour mixture just until mixed. Pour over apples.
• Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert, and serve warm.

CARAMEL APPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Spray an 8- or 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick spray.
• Combine butter and brown sugar for topping in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until butter has melted and mixture begins to simmer gently, 3 to 4 minutes. Don't let the caramel mixture come to a boil; just allow it to bubble gently for a couple of minutes so it can thicken slightly.
• Pour into the prepared cake pan, then arrange apple slices all around the pan as desired. Place in the refrigerator so the topping can set while you prepare the cake.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Whisk flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
• Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar in a separate bowl with an electric mixer until light in color and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the bottom and sides as needed. Blend in eggs, incorporating slowly and scraping down the sides again, as needed. Mix in vanilla. Add in dry ingredients on low speed, blending just until combined; batter will be thick.
• Remove the cake pan from the refrigerator. Gently spread the thick batter over the topping, trying not to disturb the apples too much.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack for 15 minutes.
• Place a plate over the top of the pan, then carefully invert it, allowing the cake to release from the pan onto the plate. Let cake cool completely to room temperature, 45 minutes to an hour; the top can be fairly soft and may not cut cleanly while it is still warm.