Apple Upside Down Loaf
This caramel apple upside down cake is baked in a 9×5 loaf pan, with sliced apples in brown sugar and cider caramel under a tender cinnamon cake. Flip it out, spoon over a warm drizzle, and you have an easy apple loaf cake with a cozy fall feel!
Ingredients
Cider reduction
- 2½ cups 600 ml apple cider, simmered 25 to 40 minutes (depending on your pot) until reduced to about ⅔ cup (160 ml) Use: 2 tablespoons for the topping and ¼ cup for the drizzle. You'll have some to spare
Topping
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 28 g
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar 50 g
- 2 tablespoons cider reduction
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 apples, medium peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick. I used honeycrisp
Cake
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled a few minutes 113 g
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar 67 g
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar 100 g
- 2 eggs large, room temperature
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon extract
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour 180 g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup milk, room temperature 120 mL
Cider caramel drizzle
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 57 g
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar 50 g
- ¼ cup cider reduction 60 ml
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Make the cider reduction
- Make the reduction first. Simmer the cider until it coats the back of a spoon like thin syrup. Pull it a little early, since it thickens as it cools. Set it aside, or make it a day or two ahead and refrigerate. Rewarm gently before using if it has firmed up.
Prep the pan and apple topping
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the loaf pan with a parchment sling, with the paper hanging over the two long sides, and grease the parchment and the ends.
- Melt the topping: add melted butter and brown sugar into a bowl and stir until smooth. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the reduction and the salt.
- Pour it into the pan
- Place the the apple slices in a row down the length of the pan to cover the pan.
Prep the cake batter
- In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter and both sugars until they look like wet sand. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until glossy.
- Add in the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Fold the batter until no streaks of flour remain
- Pour in the milk and stir until combined.
Assemble and bake
- Spoon the batter gently over the apples and smooth the top. It should fill the pan about two-thirds.
- Bake 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Tent with foil at about 35 minutes if the top is darkening.
Flip and drizzle
- Cool 10 to 15 minutes. Run a knife around the two short ends (the sling holds the long sides), then flip onto a board or plate and peel off the parchment.
- Make the drizzle while the cake cools: melt the butter and sugar, stir in ¼ cup of the reduction and the salt, and bubble gently for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Spoon it over the warm cake, rewarming it briefly if it has thickened.
Notes
Reduction tips
Spoon test: Dip a spoon in and pull it out. When the cider coats the back in a thin, even layer and a finger-swipe leaves a clean line that holds for a second, it’s done. It should look like warm maple syrup, not water.
In the pot: The bubbles get bigger and slower, and the surface looks glossy. The color deepens from pale golden to a rich amber.
Volume check: Pour it into a liquid measuring cup. From 2½ cups, you’re aiming for about ⅔ cup. To track it as you go, stick a wooden spoon handle in the pot before you start and note the depth. When the cider is down to about a quarter of that level, you’re close. This works best in a straight-sided pot.