Apple Upside Down Cake with Honey (gluten-free, whole grain options and dairy-free)
Amazingly moist and flavorful apple upside-down cake with honey! Can be made gluten-free, whole grain and dairy-free.
Today’s upside-down apple honey cake isn’t exactly international, but it is maybe a little multicultural! I’ve seen a few recipes for Jewish apple cakes and was intrigued. They seem to be traditionally made in a tube pan, which I don’t have, and I just made an apple bundt cake, so I thought I’d go with something smaller.
Jewish apple cakes also typically don’t involve honey, so I added a delicious honey sauce and transformed my cake into an apple upside-down cake. The original was made with all-purpose flour, but I used a mix of gluten-free flours and made another version with white whole wheat flour.
These whole wheat apple muffins also have honey in them and are a bit easier to make than this apple cake!
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, and dipping apple slices into honey is one of the food customs associated with it (you can read more about that here). I thought it’d be nice to make an apple and honey cake for Rosh Hashanah, but I got the date wrong and thought about keeping this recipe for next year.
Then, some lovely people on Instagram informed me that Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jewish people, involves fasting for nearly 26 hours, which is this week, and that this cake would be great for breaking the fast.
Thanks so much to those people! I was bummed about missing Rosh Hashanah by a few days.
This idea I had of making an apple cake every Monday (like this French apple cake or this Swedish apple pie) was a little birdbrained on my part.
Rarely do cakes ever work out on the first or second try for me. I’m rocking an average of four attempts per cake before nailing the recipe. :D But this apple upside-down cake was totally worth it! It absolutely doesn’t taste gluten-free (at least it doesn’t with the mix of flours I used) and is honestly one of the best cakes I’ve ever eaten.
By the way, if you’re gluten-free, be sure to read my post on Is Honey Gluten-free?
I found the cake recipe on Smitten Kitchen, but the source is unknown. Several commenters said their mom made the exact same recip,e and one commenter thinks it came from The New York Times Heritage Cookbook. Wherever it came from, it’s magical.
Let’s see where I went wrong.
Attempt 1: Delicious but a little too dense. I looked at my calculations again (I only made a fourth of the recipe), and I used 10x (seriously) the amount of tapioca starch I should have. Whoops.
Attempt 2: Perfect! Time for a full-sized cake.
Attempt 3: I wanted to make the cake in a 9″ pan, but I only had a springform pan of that size. Who knew that the honey sauce would leak and create a huge mess in the oven? I guess most people? ;) I sure didn’t. I took that cake and flipped it into a 10″ pan. I swirled it all together, and it was delicious.
Attempt 4: This is the version you see here. I used a 10″ closed cake pan, and I lined just the bottom with a piece of parchment paper. Everything was going well until I checked it after it had cooled for about 20 minutes. The toothpick test doesn’t work with this cake! It was still not cooked through. So back to the oven it went.
When I flipped it out, the nuts around the edges stuck to the pan. They were easy to put back on the cake, and I don’t think you could tell. However, I still recommend placing a piece of parchment paper in the pan. Not just lining the bottom, but having a full sheet that goes over the bottom and up the sides. That’s how I did the first two and fifth cakes, and it worked beautifully! That way, nothing will leak, and there won’t be any issues with nuts sticking.
Attempt 5: One last time (with peanuts instead of walnuts!) to get the correct baking time, and feeling very relieved that it’s over. :)
To my Jewish readers, have an easy fast. To everyone else – you HAVE to make this apple upside-down cake! Either that or these apple brownies with caramel frosting. Because they, too, are super delicious. :)
Not really into apples? Try this strawberry rhubarb upside down cake or this easy blueberry upside down cake!
This Gluten-free Pineapple Upside Down Cake from Noshtastic also looks awesome!
Apple Upside Down Cake with Honey (gluten-free, whole grain options and dairy-free)
Ingredients
For the honey sauce:
- 1/2 cup (160 grams) honey
- 5 tablespoons (70 grams) refined coconut oil room temperature
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
- 1 1/2 cups (165 grams) walnuts chopped, roasted
For the cake:
- 1 cup + 6 tablespoons (172 grams) flour see notes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) refined coconut oil melted
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar or raw sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs 50 grams each out of shell, room temp
For the apples:
- 4 small baking apples about 630 grams of apples, or 400 grams / 3.25 cups of chopped apples
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
For the honey sauce:
- Position the oven rack to the middle position of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C) and place a piece of parchment paper over a 10″ (25.4cm) cake pan (dark and glass pans aren’t recommended). Do not line just the bottom of the pan! Place a full piece of paper over the pan so that the entire thing is lined.
- Mix together the honey, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Stir in the walnuts.1/2 cup (160 grams) honey, 5 tablespoons (70 grams) refined coconut oil, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, pinch salt, 1 1/2 cups (165 grams) walnuts
- Spread the honey sauce over the bottom of the parchment-lined pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the cake. This makes it easier to spread the cake batter on top.
For the cake:
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.1 cup + 6 tablespoons (172 grams) flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the melted coconut oil, sugar, orange juice, vanilla and eggs. Set aside.1/2 cup (113 grams) refined coconut oil, 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons orange juice, 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 large eggs
For the apples:
- Peel, core and cut the apples into small pieces, about 1/4″ in size. You can make larger pieces if you like, but it’ll make the cake more difficult to cut.4 small baking apples
- Place them in a bowl and stir in the cinnamon and sugar.1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Add the dry cake mixture to the wet and stir just until combined.
- Remove the cake pan from the refrigerator and pour half of the cake batter over the honey sauce. It will be a very thin layer. Sprinkle half of the apples (about 1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons) over the batter. Add the remaining cake batter (again, a very thin layer). It’s okay if the apple layer and cake layer blend together a little. Then add the remaining apples. Once it’s all done, it won’t look like much but it will rise a lot. The reason why I didn’t just add the apples to the batter is so that they retain their cinnamon sugar coating. I’d also be worried about the apple pieces interfering with the honey sauce layer.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until very lightly browned. The toothpick test does not work here! Once it’s lightly browned, you’ll have to dig in just a little with a fork or knife to see if it’s really done.
- Let the cake cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before inverting onto the serving plate. The cake will be quite fluffy and therefore a little difficult to get a clean piece when cutting. It’ll be easier after about 6-8 hours. After sitting overnight, the cake is a little denser and almost like a coffee cake and much easier to cut.
- Cover and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Notes
- For the flour you can use gluten-free 1:1 baking flour, white whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour. I made my own, which was:
- 129 grams white rice flour
- 47 grams potato starch
- 18 grams tapioca flour / starch
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- I used refined coconut oil, which doesn’t have any coconut taste. If you use unrefined coconut oil in this cake, it will likely have some coconut taste to it.
- I chopped my walnuts quite small so that the cake would be easier to cut and toasted them at 350 °F (175 °C) for 5-7 minutes.
- The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator.
- Adapted from Mom’s Apple Cake, which likely came from The New York Times Heritage Cookbook.
I’m looking forward to trying your recipe! I noticed that you said dark and glass pans aren’t recommended but I only have a glass pan or a spring form pan. What would I expect to happen if I use a glass pan (a pie dish to be exact)?
Hello Erin, thanks for sharing this recipe with all its details. I am gonna be making it this weekend, for a gathering of some friends. I was wondering, in case I wanted to bake a bigger cake if doubling all the ingredients would work well? Thanks! Myriam
Hello! You can definitely double it, but I think you’d need to use 2 pans. The area of a 9″x13″ pan is 117. The area of two 10″ pans (that the recipe calls for) is 157. You need something with a similar area, or else it won’t bake it properly. I hope that everyone will enjoy it! :)
Thanks for the recipe! My family loved it. I did find I had to add a little water to the cake batter to make it spreadable though. I think next time I would either add more salt to the honey sauce to heighten the flavour a little more, but the rest of the family didn’t think it needed anything.
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the cake! I can imagine a little more salt being a good thing. ;) Thanks for your comment.
Erin, Other than it turning the cake darker, What would subbing coconut sugar do to this cake recipe? Do you think it would alter the texture or anything? We just can’t do refined sugars.. I could also use maple sugar if you think that would be better. thanks!
Hey there! :) I don’t think it’d change the texture. I just think it’d make it taste darker (the way coconut sugar tends to do). Now I haven’t tried it so I could be wrong but I think it would work! I’d love to hear how it comes out if you try it. :)
Hello,
I did the gluten free version and it was amazing. We all liked it, especially the caramelised apples. The mixture of flavours is a real success. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
You’re welcome and I’m sorry for just now seeing your comment! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake. :) Thanks for your feedback!
Do you think this recipe would work with a Paleo baking flour mix, like Bob’s Red Mill?
I haven’t tried it but I don’t think it would. Sorry about that!
Hello Erin! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and for not giving up on it (I know I surely would have!). I litterly just flipped this cake out onto a serving plate and it smells sooooo good! It’s for a family gathering tomorrow, wish I didn’t have to wait. But some of the gooey goodness stuck to the parchment so I get to enjoy that! Haha!
I substituted vegetable margarine for the coconut oil in the base nut mixture. Also used pecans instead since it’s what was on hand. And then used sunflour oil, again instead of coconut oil, in the liquid mix.
Can’t wait to cut in to it tomorrow!!
Haha. Thank goodness for the gooey bits that stick to the pan, right?! I hope that you and your family enjoyed the cake. :) Thanks for letting me know that the other oils work just as well. Thanks a bunch for your feedback! :)
Wow! What I cake. I made this yesterday and I think it might have been the best apple cake I’ve ever had! I served it with generous amounts of crème anglaise (vanilla cream sauce).
We were five grownups and we finished the whole cake, including almost 8 cups of crème anglaise as dessert after a big taco dinner :D It was just so good, everyone kept coming back for more!
I did make some minor changes to the recipe. I used butter instead of coconut oil in the honey sauce, I used rapeseed oil instead of coconut oil in the cake batter. I used half walnuts, half almonds for the nuts and 1½ tbsp lemon juice + ½ tbsp water instead of 2 tbsp orange juice.
Ohh, and I also went with 200 g of all purpose flour for the batter.
Hejsan! (just assuming that with that name, you’re Swedish :)) I’m so happy that you and the others liked the cake! 1 2/3 cups of vaniljsås per person seems totally reasonable. :D That’s great that your changes worked out well! It’s good to know that it comes out well with butter. Tusen tack for your comment! Signed a 2x utbytesstudent in Sweden (Hudiksvall + Uppsala)
Yes, I’m indeed Swedish! And since you’ve been to Sweden it must come as no surprise that I chose to serve the apple cake with vanilla sauce :) Normally I would just reach for the vanilla sauce powder and mix it with some milk (“Ekströms snabb-marsanpulver”). But a cake this good deserves so much better. That’s why I made a proper Crème Anglaise with two whole vanilla bean pods, and both milk and heavy cream.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Nothing wrong with Ekströms. :) But I agree, sometimes homemade is needed! You’re welcome for the recipe and thanks again for your comments. :)
Oh man. I wanted to eat this thing all in one sitting it was so darn good. My only sub was using chopped pecans instead of walnuts since my walnuts apparently went rancid (yegh)! I was a little nervous about not having enough batter for it to be cakey, but there was no reason for that. Definitely bookmarked to make so many more times in the future. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Right?! That’s how I feel about this cake. I’m so happy that it came out well! I was also nervous about how thin a layer it was. Thanks a ton for your feedback!
I am an avid baker and brought this to a GF friend’s house for erev Rosh Hashannah. It was declared the “best dessert” I have ever made by friends and family, alike! They couldn’t believe it was gluten free and pareve. Thanks for an amazing recipe — it was well worth the effort. I made it in a 9 inch, parchment-lined pan. Took longer to cook, perhaps by about 15 minutes or so.
That’s awesome! So happy that your friends and family enjoyed it. :) And that’s good to know about the baking time in a 9″ pan. Thanks for your feedback and sorry I just now saw your comment!
Just made your wonderful cake. I ended up using my 9″ spring form and by putting the parchment completely inside as you said, it came outt beautifully! I baked for 65 minutes and it was so easy to remove the cake from the pan.
It promises to be a hit! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
That’s great! I’m so happy that it came out well and that it was easy to remove. :) Thanks for your feedback!
Can the cake be frozen?
I’ve never tried it so I can’t say for sure but I think it’d be okay frozen!
Hi there, I am going to make your wonderful recipe for this Rosh Hashonah. I am not a baker, but have been asked to bring dessert so am going to give it a go. I am also Celiac and am ecstatic I can do it with your flour blend.
If I understand correctly, I can use a 9″ springform and completely line it with parchment. ( your original intent was to do it in the 9″ but you switched to a 10″) Can’t wait to make it!
Hello! I’m guessing the 9″ is okay but since mine leaked when I tried that out, I have no idea of the baking time (which is kind of difficult to figure out with this cake). The cake isn’t very thick in the 10″ so I don’t think it’d be too much batter for a 9″ pan but I can’t guarantee it. I hope you’ll enjoy the cake!
Found that it took 2 hours to cook. Gluten-free cakes are done when the internal temp is at 205 degrees. I think less apples would have made it cook faster. I also don’t have a convection oven
I also didn’t use a convection oven (and people shouldn’t use the fan unless called for or they know how to reduce the temp / time). This cake has had nothing but positive reviews so I’m thinking something must have gone wrong for it to take 2 hours to cook. Is your oven maybe running low? Or did you make any subs? So sorry I just now saw your comment!
Made this cake twice now and WOW it’s a hit. Two things I did differently, I popped the walnut mixture in the freezer while making the cake and I used a silicone square dish with no paper and it came out whole both times.
That’s great that it came out well in the silicone dish! Thanks for the tip. :) I’m so happy that the cake came out well for you!
That recipe looks amazing! I only have glass cake pans. If I made this as a non-upside down cake (just put the honey walnut topping on top) do you think this would work fine with the pans I have?
Thanks! If you pour the honey walnut topping over the uncooked batter, I really don’t think that’d work. I think it’d sink and be a mess. If you pour it over the cooked cake, that won’t, either, because it won’t have the caramelization thing going on. I’d recommend using your glass pan, following the recipe, but lowering the temperature 25F and keeping a close eye on it. :) I’d love to hear how it comes out! Good luck. :)
Great thanks I’ll give it a try!