Scootch over pumpkin and make way for this fabulous Fall/Winter dessert! This perfectly sweet Gluten Free Upside Down Apple Spice Cake will be on your holiday menu.
What is it about being upside-down that children enjoy so much???
Is it the lingering headache, the feeling of your head about to explode, viewing the world from an altered angle, your eyes bulging out of their sockets…what is it??? I just can’t pinpoint which of these feelings is so exhilarating.
I’m constantly nagging my girls to get their feet off of our walls. It seems as though every time I turn around they are kicking their feet up to do handstands against the walls. Living in Hawaii, where children refuse to wear shoes, you can only imagine the trail of grimy marks this leaves on my walls. I’m a neat freak so I don’t handle it very well. And neither do my kiddos when I force them to scrub off the smudges.
Braelyn even created a workout circuit routine the other day that included 25 handstand push-ups as one of the rotating movements. After attempting one round, she crossed off the 2 and left the 5. Haha! Regardless, Ben was touched that his daughter was following in his Crossfit footsteps.
Speaking of upside-down, we went zip lining up at the North Shore today with our visitors from Arizona. First of all, let me confess to our little white lie. We really wanted to take Braelyn and her buddy Drew, so we exaggerated their age a bit. We told them they were 7 even though they are a few months shy for legal passage on the zip-line tour. Oops.
But if anyone was trying to punish me for forcing my kid to lie, it was Braelyn’s bladder. Even though she peed right before strapping on her equipment, she had to pee 2 more times on the tour. Like not just, “I kinda have to potty” but instead a dancing around, crying, and holding her crotch, “I gotta GOOOOOO!!!!” kind of needing to pee. It was annoying…and sad…and funny all at the same time. We literally had to unharness her and have her squat in the woods in between rides.
Anyway, on the last ride we had the opportunity to flip upside-down. On any other day I think Braelyn would have been all for it, but since her bladder was about to explode and I don’t think she would have been too fond of pee dripping down her face, she chose to stay upright.
I, on the other hand, let my hands go, shot my legs up in the air, and enjoyed the view…head down, butt up. And then once all the blood rushed to my noggin, I remembered why being upside-down is never a good idea.
Unless…
…your upside-down is in the form of cake. You won’t have any lingering headaches eating this Gluten Free Upside-Down Apple Spice Cake…as long as you are eating it right side up.
This cake is a fancy twist on a traditional apple spice cake. Instead of topping the spice cake with a crumb mixture (which is equally delicious), I figured why not spread the batter on top of some gooey, caramely, buttery apple slices that I can flip out of the pan and top with cinnamon spiced whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream.
YES!!!
This dessert is perfect for those looking for a treat that’s not too sweet. The cake itself isn’t sickeningly sweet and instead of being slathered in frosting, you get an extra hint of sweetness from the baked apples coated in a light caramel sauce.
Oh that caramel sauce! The edges are the best. As the cake bakes, they get a little chewy/crispy. Those pieces are mine. Back off!
The actual cake is comparable to a spiced crumb cake. It’s light in texture and has a slight crumble to it when cut, but not too much that the pieces don’t stay intact. It’s perfectly easy to cut into squares and pass out to guests.
I served this cake to some of Ben’t friends that were making a pit stop in Hawaii while working on a cruise ship. They both thoroughly enjoyed the cake and were surprised it was gluten free. I dished up the cake at room temperature with some freshly whipped cream, but next time I’m going to try serving the cake slightly warm with vanilla bean ice cream on top. Mmmm…I can taste it now.
So happy holidays as we enter into the home stretch of feasting and family gatherings. I hope you all survive the next month or so and keep your head up…not down…unless you’re leaning over to eat cake.
What upside-down cakes have you made?
- For the sauce and apple layer:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 apple, thinly sliced
- For the cake:
- 1 stick butter, room temperature (8 tablespoons)
- 1 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ⅓ cup brown rice flour
- ⅓ cup fine white rice flour
- ⅓ cup gluten free oat flour
- ¼ cup potato starch
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- Toppings:
- whipped cream
- cinnamon
- chopped pecans or walnuts
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8X8 pan generously with cooking spray. Lightly flour just the sides (not the bottom) with brown rice flour. Set aside.
- In a small microwavable bowl, combine 3 tablespoons butter, brown sugar, and pure maple syrup. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove and stir until liquidy. Microwave an additional 30 seconds if mixture does not liquify. Pour mixture into pan and spread evenly across the bottom.
- Thinly slice an apple and arrange slices over the sauce, overlapping halfway over each slice until entire bottom of pan is covered. Make sure to place apples all the way to the edges. There should be no visible sauce underneath, otherwise your batter will seep to the bottom and stick.
- To make the cake, cream together butter and sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix until pale and smooth.
- Add cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt, nutmeg, and allspice and mix until evenly incorporated.
- Add brown rice flour, white rice flour, oat flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch and mix until combined. Add in applesauce and mix on low until smooth. Scrape down sides of the bowl and mix for an additional 30 seconds until well incorporated.
- Spoon batter evenly over top of sliced apples. Gently spread batter and smooth the top, being careful not to move the apples underneath.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until center is set and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean or with very few moist crumbs.
- Remove cake from oven and cool on cooling rack for 20 minutes. Carefully place serving platter over baking pan and quickly invert cake onto platter.
- Top cake with cinnamon and serve with whipped cream and chopped pecans or walnuts.
