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    See More:   Comfort Food Desserts Raising Foodie Kids

    Last Modified: Mar 12, 2025 by Tara Gerner Leave a Comment

    The Best Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake

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    How to make the best easy caramel apple upside down cake. This simple recipe uses a box cake mix with apples, cinnamon, butter, and brown sugar to make a gooey, rich, moist dessert.

    a caramel apple upside down cake with one slice missing and a scoop of vanilla ice creamPin

    Recently, I was hungry for a pineapple upside down cake and bought the ingredients to make one. Allie, always my little baker, said to me after we put it in the oven, "You know, I don't like pineapple."

    It was like she punched me. I couldn't believe she didn't like pineapple, and I was sorry that she went to all the work to make the cake and wouldn't get any of the reward of eating it.

    Fortunately for both of us, she tried a piece when it came out of the oven, and she said, "Can we put pineapple on every cake we make? I love it!"

    I was thinking of this exchange, and this cake, when I made the one below.

    Pineapple upside down cake is still my personal favorite, but Joe loves any dessert with apples, especially our favorite apple crisp and apple pie. His mother passed away very recently, and I was wanting to do something extra nice for him, so I came up with this apple pie upside down cake.

    I used Granny Smith apples for this cake because I think they're the best to bake with. They are firm apples and tart which makes them cook up sweet and juicy. I don't know why, but anytime you bake a tart fruit, it comes out sweet and nice. Sweeter apples don't cook up as well. Don't ask me questions about this. It's just the way it is.

    one slice of a caramel apple upside down cake with melted ice creamPin

    If you're at the farmer's market and looking at apples, feel free to use any that are labeled for baking. Farmers know more than I do about apples.

    How to make the best caramel apple upside down cake

    1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
      caramel upside down cake ingredients
    2. Peel, core, and slice the apples into ½" slices or rings.
    3. Melt the butter in a 12" oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add brown sugar and cinnamon and stir until a thick paste is formed.
      brown sugar and butter in the skillet melted brown sugar in the skillet
    4. Add the apple slices and stir frequently for about 10 minutes, until the apples have started to soften and caramelize. Sprinkle with chopped pecans (if using) and remove from heat. Set aside.
      add apples to the brown sugar in the skillet
      fried apples in the skillet nuts on top of fried apples
    5. In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix, apple juice, eggs, and oil until well blended. Pour over apples in skillet.
      cake mix with ingredients cake mix in a bowl pour cake mix on top of fried apples
    6. Place the entire skillet in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.
    7. Allow to cool in the skillet for 5 to 10 minutes on a cooling rack or on the stovetop. Holding a large platter or plate tightly over the skillet, turn the cake over. Slight jiggling may be required, but the cake should fall out of the skillet pretty easily.
      caramel apple upside down cake turned out on a platterPin caramel apple upside down cake with whipped cream on a platePin two slices of upside down cake with whipped cream and caramelPin one bit of upside down cake with apples in the backgroundPin

    Try these other delectable dessert recipes:

    • The Best Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe
    • Not Quite Homemade Chocolate Caramel Cake from a Box Mix
    • Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies (AKA PB Cream Cheese Brownie Bars)
    • Chocolate Cherry Cake - Easy Black Forest Cake
    • The Best Cherry Almond Cake

    Try these other delicious apple recipes:

    • Super Stuffed Baked Apples
    • Apple Ring Pancakes
    • Baked Apple Pecan Pancakes
    • The Best Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake
    • Nana's Best Classic Apple Cake Recipe
    • Baked Apple Pecan Pancakes
    • Pampered Chef Apple Crisp with Cake Mix - This is my favorite apple crisp, but the others below are also tasty.
    • Easy Apple Crisp
    • Crunchy Apple Crisp
    • Apple Crisp with Oats
    • Wormy Apple Snack - These are super cute snacks that kids LOVE!
    • Copycat Cracker Barrel Fried Apples
    • How to Make Applesauce in the CrockPot
    • Homemade Apple Butter on the Stove or in the CrockPot
    • Apple Taste Test Activity: An Elementary Math & Science Lesson

    Recipe

    caramel apple upside down cake on a white plate with a scoop of whipped cream on top

    The Best Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake

    How to make the best easy caramel apple upside down cake. This simple recipe uses a box cake mix with apples, cinnamon, butter, and brown sugar to make a gooey, rich, moist dessert.
    4.80 from 10 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Add to Collection Go to Collections
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 40 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 10 slices
    Calories 650 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • ¾ cups butter
    • 1 ¼ cups brown sugar packed
    • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
    • 10 Granny Smith apples
    • ¾ cups chopped pecans optional
    • 1 box yellow cake mix
    • 1 ⅓ cups apple juice
    • 3 eggs
    • ¼ cups vegetable oil

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 350º.
    • Peel, core, and slice the apples into ½" slices.
    • Melt the butter in a 12" inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add brown sugar and cinnamon, stir until a thick paste is formed. Add apple slices. Stir frequently for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped pecans if using. Remove from heat and set aside.
    • In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix, apple juice, eggs, and oil until smooth and well blended. Pour over the apples in the skillet.
    • Place entire skillet in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
    • Allow to cool on a cooling rack or the stove top for 5-10 minutes. Hold a large platter or plate over the skillet. Holding the platter tightly against the skillet, turn the cake over. Slight jiggling may be required, but the cake will fall out onto the platter.

    Notes

    This cake is baked in a large skillet. You'll need one that is oven-safe up to at least 350. I like to use my 12" stainless steel skillet, but you could also use a 12" cast iron skillet.
    I slice the apples for this recipe, but if you wanted it to look more like a pineapple upside down cake, you could cut the apples into rings.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 650kcal | Carbohydrates: 100g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 528mg | Potassium: 345mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 72g | Vitamin A: 595IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 167mg | Iron: 2mg
    Keyword apple
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