Pumpkin Apple Upside Down Cake

WITH! Maple Caramel and much coziness

Look deep into the caramel. Feel yourself sinking in. Deep breaths.

We are supposed to be kinder to ourselves this week. Gentler. Have fewer expectations for ourselves. All to give ourselves time to realize that while our feelings may persist, we will grasp back control of our emotions and move forward.

I read that somewhere. A lot of places, actually, so I am going to make myself try to believe it.

(Please help our friend the algorithm, me, and maple caramel fans everywhere, and click the heart-shaped ‘like’ button. Thank you.)

However, today I am going to talk about cake. In particular: pumpkin upside-down cake with apples bathed in a maple caramel.

I teach my students it’s better to write succinctly, and not pile on unnecessary sentences. I share the quote attributed to just about everyone, including Twain, Cicero, Nietzche and Pascal, which goes something like: “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a longer one instead.”

Well, today I shall follow my own advice and keep this substack short, so you can focus on yourself, and baking this cake. I’m proud of this cake, in case you can’t tell. The cake itself is lush, soft and comforting. The caramel and apple juices soak into the cake while it bakes.

I made a few cakes, cut them into quarters and shared them with my neighbors who all were in need of some cozy cake.

Indeed, the cake was described as “the best cake she’s ever eaten” by my 7-year-old neighbor. And while maybe a 7-year-old hasn’t eaten enough cake to judge whether this is the best, let me reassure you we live in a v. sophisticated suburb and this kid is smart, savvy and going places, obviously.

Please enjoy. Please take deep breaths. Please take care of yourselves and others, if you are able.

Notes:

1. Because I have access to a great farm stand, I used a tart apple called a Gravenstein, and each was about 300 grams. A Granny Smith will also do nicely. You should end up with about 1 ½ cups of sliced apples.

2. This cake uses half a can of pumpkin purée, which I realize is annoying. You can double the recipe to make two cakes, and give one away or freeze, well-wrapped for another use. Or give the leftover to your dog or cat, if you have one. Or stir it into tomato sauce and serve over pasta.

3. I added chopped pecans to some versions of the cake. You can sprinkle them on top of the apples before spreading the cake batter on top, or mix them into the cake batter.

4. I make my own pumpkin spice. You are under no obligation to. Penzey’s or McCormick’s will do nicely.

5. This is cake is mildly spicy. Usually I like to go full-bore with the cloves and allspice and ginger, but I wanted this cake to be a little quieter to let the caramel shine.

   

Pumpkin Apple Upside Down Cake With Maple Caramel

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Pumpkin Apple Upside Down Cake with Maple Caramel

Makes 1 9-inch cake

Serves 8

What You’ll Need:

For the Caramel Topping:

1 to 2 large tart apples (see note)

Juice and zest of half a lemon

5 tablespoons (71 grams) butter

1/3 cup packed (70 grams) light brown sugar

¼ cup (60 ml) real maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cake:

1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

½ cup (120 ml or 110 grams) vegetable oil

2 large eggs

½ cup packed (107 grams) light brown sugar

¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar

7.5 ounces (1 cup or 213 grams) canned pumpkin purée

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

What You’ll Do:

1.     Heat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Butter a 9 x 3-inch cake pan. Place the pan on a cookie sheet, to catch any possible caramel that could run over the sides during baking.

2.     Peel, core and slice the apple(s) into ½-inch thick slices. You should have about 1 ½ cups. Toss the apples with the lemon juice and zest.

3.     In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. When the butter is melted, stir in the brown sugar, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Continue to cook until the mixture has melted. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Arrange the apple slices close to each other on top of the caramel.

4.     In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and pumpkin pie spice.

5.     In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, brown and white sugars, pumpkin purée and vanilla extract until smooth and uniform. Pour the mixture over the flour mixture until the lumps just disappear and the mixture is smooth. Do not overbeat. Pour the batter evenly over the caramel.

6.     Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and/or if you gently touch the center of the cake with your finger the cake springs back. Let the cake cool for ten minutes, then invert the cake: Place a plate larger than the cake pan over the top of the cake. Carefully turn them over. Give the bottom of the cake pan a few taps. It will sound hollow if the cake has successfully dropped from the pan. Remove the cake pan. Replace any errant apples that have not obeyed orders and stuck to the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate for longer keeping.

Are you thinking ahead to Thanksgiving? Is there interest in this community to have a live chat to discuss Thanksgiving desserts? The finer points of pie-making? How to make a feast for a few? Please let me know in the comments.

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