Categories: Cakes - Frosting - Icing
Ingredients
- Apple-bourbon Topping:
- 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided use
- 2 medium tart, ripe apples, peeled, cored and sliced in thin rings (Rome Beauty, Granny Smith, etc.)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. bourbon
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup medium chopped, toasted hazelnuts
- Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Whipping cream flavored with sugar and bourbon, optional
Directions
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Prepare Apple-Bourbon Topping and set aside.
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Position baking rack in center of oven and heat oven to 350 degrees.
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In a small bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Reserve.
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In a 2 to 3 quart mixing bowl, with electric mixer, beat sugar and butter together until smooth. Add eggs; beat until well mixed. Alternately mix in buttermilk and reserved dry ingredients and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Mix in vanilla.
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Pour batter evenly over Apple Bourbon Topping.
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Bake for 35 minutes or until top is golden and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Remove from oven, let stand for several minutes and loosen edges with a knife. Invert onto a serving plate and let stand for about 1 minute before removing skillet so that all the topping is loosened. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired.
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For topping:
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Melt 1 Tbsp. of the butter in a 10-inch skillet. Saute half the apple rings for several minutes, just until they begin to color. Carefully remove to a large plate; reserve. Repeat with another tablespoon of butter and saute the remaining apples.
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Melt remaining butter in skillet. Mix in brown sugar and cook over high heat for 1 minute, or until sugar dissolves. Add bourbon and cook another minute. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature and arrange apple slices in the sauce, overlapping one another in a ring about 1 inch from the edge of pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Spoon hazelnuts in the center of the ring and around the edges. use as directed in Upside-down cake.