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.

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.

Apple Upside Down Cake with Honey (gluten-free, whole grain options and dairy-free)

Ingredients

For the honey sauce:

For the cake:

For the apples:

Instructions

For the honey sauce:

For the cake:

For the apples:

Notes

Nutrition