Sourdough Apple Cider Upside-Down Cake

Boiled apple cider caramelizes the top of this Sourdough Apple Cider Upside-Down Cake to create a decadent, spice cake dripping in gooey caramel apple goodness.

I love upside-down cakes because they’re so easy to make yet dramatic! Suspense builds as you turn the cake upside-down for the ultimate reveal- a geometric fruit design dripping in hot, caramelized sugar.

Boiled apple cider in the topping accentuates the brightness of apples in this sourdough apple cake. A bit of optional red miso in the topping transforms the sweet topping, making it reminiscent of salted caramel apples. The miso contributes some umami, or savoriness, to the acidic apple cider topping.

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Tips for Making Sourdough Apple Cider Upside-Down Cake

1. Use Cake Flour

• Cake flour has a low protein content, resulting in less gluten development. Less gluten development leads to a more tender and soft cake.
• If you don’t have cake flour, you can substitute it with an equal amount of all-purpose flour and add two tablespoons of cornstarch for each cup of flour (120 grams).

2. Don’t Overmix the Cake Batter

• A tender cake is made by not overmixing the batter. Overmixing results in gluten development, which is suitable for bread, but not for pastries, cakes, or muffins. For another tender cake, I use the reverse-creaming method in this Sourdough Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake.
• Therefore, only mix the cake batter until the wet and dry ingredients are just incorporated.

3. Let the Topping Set in the Refrigerator Before Baking

• Allow the boiled apple cider caramel topping and sliced apples to set in the refrigerator while you preheat the oven and make the cake batter.
• A set topping will keep the geometric shape of your apples when you pour in your cake batter. Otherwise, the apples can shift and you will not get as nice of a design.

4. Use Neutral Oil

• Buttermilk and sourdough discard add moisture to the cake batter, but neutral oil is the key to a soft and moist upside-down cake like in these Sourdough Zucchini Muffins.
• Upside-down cakes have a tendency to be denser than typical cakes because the hot topping weighs down the crumb structure.
• Additionally, neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil keeps an upside-down cake moist for days and helps the cake rise higher than one made with butter.

5. Use Baking Apples

• Red Delicious apples don’t have much flavor, can be mealy, and get mushy when baked. In contrast, use tart, hard-fleshed baking apples for the best muffins or other baked goods. They will still keep some of their texture and tartness when baked.
• For instance, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Braeburn, or Honeycrisp are solid options for this topping. I also like using these apples to make homemade apple butter for canning as well!

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What is Boiled Apple Cider?

Boiled apple cider, or apple cider syrup, is concentrated apple cider that has a thick honey or caramel consistency.

In this apple cider cake, boiled apple cider creates a caramel topping. The apple cider topping is intensely apple-y and highlights the natural sweetness and acidity in apples with no added sugar. The resulting sourdough apple cake tastes like a caramel apple!

How to Make Boiled Apple Cider

You can purchase boiled apple cider, but making it couldn’t be easier.

It takes a few hours to make, so I suggest making the boiled apple cider ahead of time (it stores indefinitely).

Boiled Apple Cider Instructions

1. Pour a half gallon of apple cider into a large pot.
2. Boil and simmer the cider for about 3 hours or more until the cider is reduced to one cup. The cider will get darker as it reduces like caramel.
3. Stir the cider regularly to prevent burning, especially as it nears the end.
4. When done, pour the hot cider into a glass jar and cool. The cider will thicken as it cools.
5. Refrigerate the boiled apple cider. It will keep indefinitely in the refrigerator.

Yield: Boil apple cider to ⅛ of the starting amount. For example, one gallon of apple cider will make about 2 cups of boiled apple cider.

How to Use Boiled Apple Cider

Boiled apple cider has become a new favorite pantry staple for me. It’s a simple addition that intensifies apple flavor in any dessert.

Here are a few ways to use boiled apple cider:

• Add a couple of tablespoons of boiled apple cider to apple pie filling for extra flavor.
• Pour the cider as a syrup onto sourdough buckwheat pancakes or sourdough pumpkin pancakes, sourdough cottage cheese protein pancakes, or these Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles.
• Substitute simple syrup in a cocktail recipe with boiled apple cider. It’s excellent in Old Fashioned’s or other bourbon drinks.

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🛠 Tools Needed

Click on the toggles below for more information, recommendations, and possible substitutes.

• 9″ Cake Pan
  • This sourdough apple cider upside-down cake is made for a 9″ cake pan. If making in a smaller pan, you should only fill the batter up ¾ of the way so it doesn’t overflow.
  • You could also use a 9″ springform pan.
• Baking Scale
  • Measure your ingredients by weight instead of volume for the most accurate and consistent results.
• Handheld mixer or stand mixer
  • Whisk and mix by hand if you don’t have.

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🛒 Ingredients Needed

Click on the toggles below for more information, recommendations, and possible substitutes.

• Boiled apple cider
  • For the best flavor, I highly recommend finding apple cider from a local orchard or farmer’s market. It’s unbeatable!
  • To clarify, this is non-alcoholic apple cider, as opposed to hard or alcoholic cider.
  • Follow my instructions above to make your own boiled apple cider! You can also purchase it here.
  • Furthermore, be sure not to accidentally use apple cider vinegar.
• Red miso (optional)
  • Red miso is fermented soybeans and other grains typically found in savory Japanese recipes.
  • The red miso here adds a bit of savoriness, or umami, to the cake and is reminiscent of salted caramel in this upside-down topping.
• Apples
  • Use tart, hard-fleshed baking apples in this recipe. Granny Smith, Braeburn, Pink Lady, and Honeycrisp are good easily found options.
• Unsalted butter
• Cake flour
  • Substitute with all-purpose flour
• Sourdough Starter or Discard
  • Learn How to Make a Sourdough Starter and make a stronger sourdough starter with my top sourdough starter tips. View other sourdough discard recipes here.
• Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves
  • The cake includes spices like Sourdough Gingerbread Cake, Sourdough Zucchini Bread, or Sourdough Banana Bread, but feel free to substitute with any warming spices you enjoy.
• Neutral oil
  • The oil helps keep the sourdough apple cake moist and tender. Use vegetable oil, grapeseed, canola, avocado, or coconut oil.
• Vanilla Extract
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda
• Salt
• Dark Brown Sugar
• Eggs
• Buttermilk
  • Adds tang to the cake and helps keep it light and rise tall like my Flaky Sourdough Biscuits.

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👨‍🍳 How to Make Sourdough Apple Cider Upside-Down Cake

Follow this visual and detailed guide to help you make the best Sourdough Apple Cake.

1. Prepare Cake Pan

Butter or spray a 9″ cake pan with non-stick spray.

Trace and cut out a circle of parchment paper and place it in the bottom of the pan.

2. Slice Apples and Make Apple Cider Caramel Topping

Slice 2 medium apples about ¼ inch thick and arrange the slices in a geometric design in your cake pan.

It’s okay if some of the slices overlap, but I typically try to fit them all in one layer.

Snack on any extra slices!

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the following ingredients:

• ½ cup (150 grams) of boiled apple cider
• 3 TBS (43 grams) of unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons of red miso (optional)
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Stir the topping until the butter melts, the red miso is dissolved, and the cider starts to bubble rapidly- about 5 minutes.

Slowly drizzle all of the hot apple cider caramel directly onto the apples in the cake pan.

Place the pan in the refrigerator while you preheat the oven and make the cake batter so the topping will set.

3. Preheat Oven and Mix Dry Ingredients

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC).

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.

Set aside.

4. Mix Wet Ingredients

In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, mix the sourdough discard, oil, buttermilk, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.

5. Mix Cake Batter

Dump all of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient bowl.

Mix the batter until you see no more dry spots of flour remaining. It’s okay if some lumps remain and the batter will be quite wet.

6. Bake

Remove the cake pan with the set apple topping from the refrigerator.

Slowly pour the cake batter evenly on top of the apples in the pan.

If your topping is not fully set, use a measuring cup to scoop out the batter into the pan so the apples don’t move.

Bake the cake at 350ºF (177ºC) for 40-45 minutes until the top is light brown and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Note that the bottom of the toothpick will be wet from the gooey topping.

Cool the cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges of the cake with a butter knife or offset spatula.

Place a large serving plate on top of the pan. Wearing gloves or using kitchen towels, quickly turn the pan and platter upside-down.

Gently lift up the hot cake pan and remove the parchment paper if necessary to reveal your sourdough apple cider upside-down cake!

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How to Serve

This apple upside-down cake is best served warm or at room temperature.

It’s excellent served with something creamy like whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or a dollop of mascarpone, to offset the tartness of the apples.

This cake serves 8-10 people.

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How to Store

This apple cider cake stays moist for days! In addition, the neutral oil and sourdough discard help to preserve it longer than many cakes.

Cover the cake with a cake dome or wrapped in aluminum foil for up to 3 days at room temperature. The cake will stay moist this way, as the topping will start to soak into the cake itself.

Keeping the apple cake in the refrigerator will extend its storage time by another day or two.

Unfortunately, this upside-down cake isn’t the best cake for freezing as the apples will turn brown quickly and the cake will lose some of its texture.

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❓ FAQs

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