It’s windfall season, and this simple, vegan toffee apple upside-down cake is a good way to use any small apples that have fallen from the tree before they’re fully ripe and sweet.
The sweetness of the toffee sauce more than compensates for any tartness, and even the crunchiest apple will soften after being baked in the oven for thirty minutes and then grilled for another five.
Toasting the top under the grill once the cake has been turned out transforms the soft gooey sauce into a sticky caramel with a dark, rich colour.
Alongside the apples, dates and wholemeal flour add plenty of dietary fibre, and cinnamon gives this cake a warm autumnal flavour.
Toffee apple upside-down cake…
Ingredients
- 100 g plain white/unbleached flour
- 100 g plain wholemeal flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 100 g stoned dates, chopped fairly small
- 100 g light muscovado sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 80 ml light olive (or other mild flavoured) oil
- 180 ml oat (or other non-dairy) milk
for the toffee apple layer
- around 250 g apples (any kind that will hold their shape)
- 25 g coconut oil
- 50 g maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp light muscovado sugar
method
- Set the oven to 180°C/360°F. Lightly oil and line the base of a 10″ or similar-sized round flan dish (the disk of baking paper on the base will make it easy to turn the cake out).
- Begin with the toffee apple layer. Place the coconut oil, syrup and vanilla extract in a small jug or bowl and heat gently in the microwave just until the coconut oil has melted.
- Core and slice the apples into crescents, not too thin. There’s no need to remove the skin.
- Sprinkle the base of the flan dish with the brown sugar, then arrange the apples in circles (or any other pattern).
- Whisk the oil and syrup mixture before pouring this evenly over the apples. Put this in the fridge to allow the sauce to set a little bit while you prepare the rest of the cake.
- Sift the flours, baking powder and cinnamon into a large bowl.
- Add the sugar and chopped dates and stir through, making sure the dates are not too clumped together.
- In a measuring jug, whisk together the olive oil, milk and vanilla extract.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture, stirring lightly as you go, until everything’s well combined.
- Spoon the mixture over the apples and gently even it out (so as not to disturb the apple and sauce), before baking for thirty-five minutes. The cake should be firm and a deep golden brown colour.
- Once it is cool, loosen the edges with a knife. Place another large heatproof dish or plate face down on top, then turn the dishes upside down. The cake should fall easily into the second dish, apple side up.
- Either straight away or just before serving, place the cake under the grill for a few minutes, until the toffee has darkened (see pictures).
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