This time of year, I find myself craving everything apple! But I also want zucchini bread, carrot cake, anything with cranberries … so I decided to make a harvest gluten free apple cake with all this yumminess, and turn it on its head. Voilà! Gluten Free Apple Upside Down Cake!
I baked this upside-down cake in individual ramekins to highlight the apple rings on top, and because with fruit cakes like this, it can sometimes be hard to get the middles of larger cakes to bake all the way through.
Plus, they’re so darned cute as little cakes! Ok, ok, plus portion control.
Loads of veggies and fruit packed all in one cake makes the crumb on this cake totally unique and bursting with flavor. But just looking at it, no one would ever know you snuck veggies into these treats!
Embrace the harvest! And bake an upside-down cake all at the same time!
Happy Harvest!
Gluten Free Apple Upside-Down Cake
This delectable gluten free apple upside down cake takes all the best of the harvest and bakes them into a cake!
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup brown or coconut palm sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable or coconut oil
- 1/2 cup apple butter or apple sauce
- 3 eggs or substitute
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups gfJules™ All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 cups grated carrots
- 1 cup grated zucchini squash
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup chopped cranberries
- 1/2 cup finely chopped, peeled apple
Topping
- 8 thinly sliced apple rings
- 1/4 cup whole cranberries
- 1/2 cup gfJules™ All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
- 1/4 cup brown or coconut palm sugar
- 3 Tbs. melted butter or non-dairy alternative
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Whip together sugar, oil and apple butter. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until fully integrated. Stir in gfJules™ Flour and baking soda.
Grate carrots and zucchini using a fine shredding disc in a food processor. Chop pecans and cranberries, then peel and dice the apple. Stir those ingredients into the batter until evenly distributed.
Oil 8 four-inch ramekins. Place one apple ring in the bottom of the ramekin and 1 or 2 whole cranberries in the center.
In a small bowl, stir together gfJules Flour, pecans, sugar and melted butter with a fork. Sprinkle topping onto the apple rings, then spoon batter into ramekins, filling 2/3 full.
Bake for 30 minutes, more or less, depending on the size of your ramekins. Test with a toothpick inserted into the center of each ramekin — when it comes out clean, the cakes are done.
Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, then invert to remove from ramekins before serving.
Pin for later!
Can I make this without the cranberries (or raisins)?
Hi Nancy- absolutely! Feel free to leave them out.
~jules
Can you bake this in a round or square cake pan instead of individual ramekins?
Hi Barbara, yes you can. You’ll have to adjust the bake time for the larger pan, probably more like 25 minutes, but it all depends on the pan size.
~jules
This sounds amazing and a great recipe for the upcoming fall season. I don’t have ramekins so is it possible to adjust for baking in a stem or Bundt pan, or maybe an iron skillet?
Is there a way to search the recipe database by ingredients? I have the graham cracker mix and I want to know what I can make with it, etc. Thank you.
Hi Michelle – what are you looking for, exactly? You can search using the search tab at the top of every page and put in graham cracker mix and see recipes made with it like gingerbread men, gingersnaps, gingerbread, graham crackers, etc. Does that help?
How would this do in a muffin pan or loaf pan? I don’t have ramekins. Looks awesome:)
Hi Gayle, I would think a muffin pan would be a great solution! Just test them earlier since they are smaller than ramekins and will bake more quickly. Enjoy!
These will be on my Thanksgiving menu! Thanks for all the wonderful ideas and recipes.
I’m so glad that you’ll be using my recipes at Thanksgiving, Susan!