Little Mouse in Kitchen *~~*: UPSIDE-DOWN APPLE CAKE

Hubby loves apple turnovers, and suddenly he had this craving for an apple dessert. He asked me how to make an upside-down cake and which recipe is good. Knowing his dislike for dense cakes, we decided that French style might be the one he was looking for. And for the first time in his life, my husband attempted to bake his maiden cake! Yeah! I got to eat without doing much. I obediently retreated to the bedroom in case I nagged at him. Oh he did a wonderful job! Impressive!

my hubby's first masterpiece

(By the way, my adorable hubby cooks better than me. He is a kitchen natural ♥ When we first got married, he was the one cooking our meals when my mother-in-law was not at home; but now life is a bit different.)

This cake has a very soft sponge that is really delicious. First cook the apples (any kind but we chose Royal Gala), cool the fruit while cake batter is being prepared. Authentic French does not add cinnamon and cranberries, but this is really our personal preference. You can omit cinnamon, cranberries and liquor if you like (or not like for the matter). I feel that this cake is best done using a hand whisk, not with an electric mixer. Not sure if it is because of my mixer, but using the electrical appliance somehow does not turn out as smooth.

UPSIDEDOWN APPLE CAKE - FRENCH STYLE

Ingredients

4 Royal Gala apples, or any type of apples

90g unsalted butter

100g fine sugar

1 tsp rum (optional)

2 tsp cinnamon powder (optional)

2 tbsp dried cranberries (optional)

150g unsalted butter, softened

150g superfine sugar

3 large eggs

22ml or 1.5 tbsp milk

150g low-protein flour

7g baking powder

pinch of salt

Method

1. Peel, core apples and cut into wedges.

2. Over low heat, stir in butter and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Let syrup bubble for a few minutes. Stir in rum.

3. Gently stir in apples, cinnamon powder and cranberries. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples become tender (when a toothpick pokes into a wedge easily). Set aside to cool.

4. Grease a 7 inch round pan, preheat oven at 210C (my oven was 190C)

5. Using a hand whisk, cream butter and add sugar gradually until butter turns pale in colour. (good arm exercise!)

6. Beat eggs lightly in a bowl. Very gradually add eggs into butter mixture and continue to whisk till the batter is emulsified (no separation)

add little egg at a time

7. Add in milk and mix well again.

8. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Sift directly into the batter. Use a spatula to gently fold until smooth.

9. Arrange cooled apples onto the base of pan in a single layer. Pour in all syrup evenly.

oops, that's my feet! LOL

10. Pour or pipe batter on top of apples, level batter top and bake at 210C for 15-20min. Lower temperature to 180C for the next 20-30 min or until skewer comes out clean when poked in centre. (My oven was 190C then reduced to 170C). You can tell it is ready when the cake pulls its side away from the pan.