Apple Upside-Down Cake

This Apple Upside-Down Cake is everything I want from an autumn dessert. Sticky toffee sauce, tart apple chunks, a deliciously moist sponge – and completely gluten free! This Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake is the kind of dessert you want to smother in custard and eat while hiding under a big blanket. It’s PURE comfort food!

I first published this Toffee Apple Upside-Down Cake recipe back in 2018 and honestly, it’s still one of my favourite Fall dessert recipes.

There’s something really fun about making an upside down cake. Because let’s face it, the most exciting part is, well, turning it upside down!

What you’re left with is the most amazing gluten free apple cake topped with caramelised apple chunks and a sticky, delicious toffee sauce.

This gluten free apple upside-down cake, with a caramel apple topping, is really easy to make and honestly, your guests will never even know it’s gluten free.

Using ground almonds and Greek yoghurt in the gluten free cake makes it super moist and the caramel sauce seeps through the sponge as it cooks.

Need some more apple recipes after you’ve tried this? Give my gluten free apple crumble, easy gluten free apple muffins or gluten free Dorset apple cake a go next!

Ingredients

There’s a printable recipe card for this gluten free apple upside-down cake below. But for the shopping list you will need…

• Apple: I use one large Bramley apple in this recipe. You could also use 2 smaller Braeburn apples or Granny Smith apples. One large Bramley is approximately 350-400g (before peeling and coring).
• Light Brown Sugar: This is used in both the cake and the toffee sauce for a lovely caramel-like taste.
• Butter: Again this is used in both the toffee sauce and cake batter.
• Golden Syrup: I use this in the toffee sauce and it’s readily available in the UK. In the US you’ll need a light corn syrup as the closest alternative.
• Greek Yoghurt: I recommend using a full-fat Greek yoghurt for this cake.
• Eggs: I use large UK eggs, which is the same as XL in the States.
• Milk: This helps to loosen the cake batter, making it easier to spread over the apples and toffee sauce without moving them.
• Plain Gluten Free Flour: You will need a plain gluten free flour blend for this recipe – I use the FREEE Gluten Free Plain Flour. An all purpose gluten free flour would work.
• Baking Powder: Make sure you use a gluten free baking powder as some contain wheat flour or have ‘may contain’ warnings.
• Xanthan Gum: This helps replicate the texture of gluten. If your flour contains xanthan gum (or if it contains guar gum) then you don’t need to add this.
• Ground Almonds: I love the texture this gives the gluten free sponge in this recipe. Just check for ‘may contain’ warnings as some ground almonds have these.
• Double Cream: For the toffee sauce. In the US you’ll need heavy cream. Don’t use single cream as it will likely curdle when the sauce boils.

How to make apple upside-down cake:

There’s a printable recipe card below with the method, but here are some step-by-step photos to show you how easy this caramel apple upside-down cake is to make:

Preheat the oven to 180’C/Gas 4. Grease and line (with parchment paper) a fixed-bottom, 20cm cake tin. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: A loose bottom or springform tin won’t work as the caramel will just seep out. Trust me, I found this out the hard way!

Peel, quarter and core the apple/s. Cut each quarter into four wedges and then arrange the apple slices on the bottom of the baking tin.

To make the caramel sauce:

Add the sugar, butter and golden syrup to a large saucepan and place on a low heat. Stir until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.

When it starts bubbling, add the double cream, stir and bring to the boil. Boil for 20-30 seconds, then remove from the heat and allow to cool while you make the cake mixture.

Next make the gluten free cake batter:

Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric whisk, beat for 1-2 minutes until creamed together.

Add the Greek yoghurt, eggs and milk and beat again until you have a loose, wet batter.

In a separate bowl, mix the gluten free flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and ground almonds together.

Pour into the cake batter and mix again with an electric whisk until you have a thick batter.

Pour around three-quarters of the toffee sauce over the apples, making sure it is spread evenly. Reserve the remaining sauce for serving.

Gently spoon the cake mixture over the apple slices. You want to make sure all the apple and toffee is covered – but try not to mix it up too much.

I find the best way to do this, is spooning small ‘dollops’ of cake mixture into the tin, filling the gaps until the apples are all covered, then smooth the top.

Bake in the middle of the oven for approx 1 hour. Test the cake by seeing if a skewer in the centre comes out clean. If not cooked, put back in the oven for 10 minutes more.

Remove and cool on a wire rack for at least 30-45 minutes before turning out the cake pan. To do this, place a plate on top, flip, and then carefully remove the tin from the cake.

Serve warm with the extra toffee sauce warmed up and poured over the top of each slice!

Storing and Freezing

Once you’ve turned out your upside-down cake, you can either serve it warm or leave it to cool and enjoy it cold.

Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days. I tend to keep mine in the fridge so that the apple pieces last a bit longer.

You can reheat the slices in the microwave and then serve hot with toffee sauce, vanilla ice-cream or custard on top.

To freeze, I recommend slicing the cake up and freezing the slices between sheets of baking paper so they don’t stick together. Defrost at room temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some FAQs about this easy bagel recipe – if you can’t find the answer to your question here or in the post above, please comment and I’ll try answer!

If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. You can also share your creations in my Facebook group! And please do leave a 5* review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me and really helps support my website.