Print

Sticky Upside Down Apple Gingerbread is a rich and very moist cake with beautifully balanced spicing. Serve on its own – no frosting or ice cream necessary.

My mom has been baking this Upside Down Apple Gingerbread for years.  It’s a recipe she clipped out of a magazine sometime in the late 1960’s. The recipe was so popular that it made its way into her giant handwritten cookbook.

Sometimes old recipes are the best.

I rediscovered the recipe the other day when I was flipping through an old stack of handwritten recipe cards from my university days. The cake caught my eye because I have been buying bushels of apples at our local farmers market and all things apple were top of mind.

Sticky Upside Down Apple Gingerbread is a rich and very moist cake that needs no accompaniment. If you can’t resist serving something alongside, choose whipped cream or crème fraiche.  (Anything sweeter might be over the top.)

It is especially good served warm.

I lined my pan with parchment paper because I was paranoid about the cake sticking. It worked but the apples didn’t caramelize like they would have against the bottom of a metal pan so next time I’ll skip the parchment paper like I did with this recipe for Rhubarb Upside Down Cake.

Sticky Upside Down Apple Gingerbread Recipe

Ingredients:

For the topping (which begins as the bottom):

• 4 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 8 wedges each
• 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. butter
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar

For the cake:

• 2 1/3 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ tsp ginger
• 1 ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• ¾ cup Crosby’s Fancy Molasses
• ¾ cup melted butter
• 1 cup boiling water

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F
2. Put the 1 Tbsp. and 1 tsp. of butter in a high-sided  9” pan and place it in the oven for a few minutes, until the butter melts. Remove it from the oven and use a pastry brush to coat the sides of the pan with the butter. Sprinkle the 2/3 cup of brown sugar over the melted butter in the bottom of the pan. Place the sliced apples on the sugar in a circular pattern.
3. In a medium bowl whisk the flour with the baking soda, baking powder and spices.
4. In a large bowl whisk the eggs with the ½ cup brown sugar. Whisk in the molasses and ¾ cup melted butter. Stir in the flour mixture. Add boiling water last and beat well.
5. Pour into prepared pan.
6. Bake at 325 F for 60-75 minutes, until the middle is set. (The variety and freshness of your apples will affect cooking time.)

Make this recipe delicious with Crosby's Molasses.

One more thing…

If you’re in search of family-friendly food that’s easy to prepare, healthy and tastes good, then sign up to receive blog posts by email. .