Gluten Free Apple Upside-Down Cake

This pretty upside-down apple cake is so sweet and light! Here, in-season apples fan across a tender vanilla cake that's easily gluten-free (I tweaked my gluten free butter cake recipe for the cake base). The apple topping is laced with maple syrup and a pinch of ginger (a sprinkling of ground cardamom or cinnamon would be nice, too). It's such a lovely cake for fall gatherings, and it's equally lovely during the colder winter months.

Something that makes this cake stand out in the world of upside-down cakes is that there's no need to cook the apples first. Unlike in my gluten-free rhubarb upside down cake recipe, in which I saute the stalks of rhubarb before adding them to a cake round, in this recipe, I first rub the bottom of the pan with softened butter, then add the apples. There are 3 tablespoons of butter at work here, and the apples cook down beautifully without needing any additional cooking time - which saves ME time, too!

Why I Love This Delicious Apple Cake

I really love this cake for several reasons: 1. It's beautiful! 2. My homemade gluten free flour blend is just right here (I originally wrote this recipe to incorporate millet, buckwheat, and sweet white rice flours, but in subsequent tests, I swapped in my blend because it works so well and makes things so much easier!). And as a bonus, it makes the house smell amazing, like caramel apples, while it's baking. Here's why I think you should make this recipe:

• Seasonally delicious. Still wondering what to do with all those apples? This cake is a wonderful way to showcase them!
• Easy. No need to cook down the apples first, just add them to the pan, top with batter, and bake.
• So soft. There's not a hint of the grittiness that can sometimes be found in gluten-free bakes. The cake is fork-tender and almost melt-in-your-mouth good.

Ingredients Needed

Here's a look at the easy ingredients needed in this cake. Make sure to scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions.

• Apples - A good baking apple is best here, but you can use any apple you have on hand.
• Butter - You will need unsalted butter for the cake and the topping.
• Maple syrup - Or try honey or brown sugar.
• Spice - I used ginger, but any ground spice, including cinnamon or cardamom, also works.
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs - Large eggs at room temperature are best.
• Vanilla - Use pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
• Gluten-free flour - Use your preferred 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose blend, or use mine!
• Baking powder
• Salt - I always use fine sea salt, and table salt works, too.
• Yogurt - I used full-fat plain yogurt, and a low-fat yogurt will work, too. If you want more than a hint of vanilla flavor, try vanilla yogurt.

Tips & Substitution Suggestions

• What size pan? This depends on your preferred cake-to-fruit ratio. I like a nice, thick cake, so I tend to always use an 8-inch cake round. However, for a slightly less-thick cake, a 9-inch cake round will result in a bit of a thinner cake (and, more servings!).
• Apple type: Yes, again I used apples from my tree (Gravensteins, like in my gluten free apple cake), and I will always advocate for using what you have growing on your tree or what you can find at your local farmers' market. But in general, some of the best apples for baking include Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Braeburn.
• Add almond flour - I find this cake to be plenty moist as the recipe is written, but to stretch it even further, add ½ cup of almond flour for ½ cup of the gluten-free flour for extra protein and moisture.
• Dairy-free - Make this cake dairy-free by subbing non-dairy butter for the butter and a non-dairy yogurt for the yogurt.
• Swap milk - If you don't have yogurt in the fridge, go ahead and swap whole or 2% milk (or non-dairy milk) for the yogurt.
• Spices - I've made this cake using ground ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom, and I heartily endorse any of these spices! You could also do a blend. The ground spice adds a subtle bit of warmth to the apples. Conversely, you could leave off the spice if you wish for a plainer cake.

Serving Options

• Ice cream - But of course, vanilla ice cream is so good here! You could also try caramel ice cream or 1-ingredient banana ice cream for a different flavor pairing.
• Whipped cream - A big spoonful of homemade whipped cream is a lovely finish to a slice of apple cake.
• Caramel sauce - Make my homemade salted caramel sauce to turn this into a caramel apple upside-down cake!

Proper Storage

• Counter - Keep cake, covered, on the counter at room temperature for up to 2 days.
• Fridge - To help the cake stay fresher longer, place it, covered, or in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezer - Make sure the cake is completely cooled, then wrap it in plastic, place it in a freezer-safe bag, and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost the cake in the fridge before serving.