If you eat upside down while you are upside down, then is it right side up cake?
Why am I posting an apple cinnamon recipe in July? Because I got a special request for one. And when you ask (and it’s something I can actually do), I deliver.
This cake is proof, delicious sweet proof, of why I LOVE receiving recipe requests from you guys. It would not have occurred to me to make an apple cake. Heck, I don’t think I’ve ever had apple cake! If I hadn’t received this special request, then I would probably still be going along with my strawberry this and mango that, and we all would’ve missed out on this scrumptious Fuji-topped phenomenon.
The same day I got the request I popped into the kitchen and the brain juices (and apple juices!) started flowing. This cake went from apple cake to apple upside down cake to apple upside down cake with a sweet simple apple glaze. And it stopped there because I don’t think it can get any better! (Unless there were sprinkles involved. Sprinkles can always make things better, but they didn’t feel right in this recipe.) And all that happened without a bit of sugar or gluten or oil! So that makes it a member of my Everything-Free recipe collection.
The concept of this cake is just like pineapple upside down cake, but minus the ‘pine’. No evergreen trees required. There is apple arranging and batter baking and that exhilarating moment of truth when you flip it over and cross your fingers that it comes out in one piece. Or if you can’t handle the suspense, just use parchment paper in the bottom of the pan.
Here’s a video so you can see the cake-flipping moment (and all the other cake-making moments) for yourself…
Apple Upside Down Cake (Everything-Free)
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 9 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups oat flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tbsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
- 1 cup pitted medjool dates (about 12)
- 3/4 cup apple juice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 apple sliced into thin wedges
- GLAZE
- 2/3 cup apple juice
- 4–5 pitted medjool dates
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of your cake pan. Lightly oil the sides of the pan with coconut oil.
- Arrange your apple slices in the bottom of the pan. Set it aside.
- In a blender, combine the apple juice, non-dairy milk, dates, cinnamon, and vanilla. Blend till smooth.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the wet mixture and stir until it is lump free.
- Pour the batter on top of the apple slices and gently spread it out.
- Bake for 25 minutes at 350F. Check on it. If it is getting too brown but the center isn’t quite done (it should bounce back when touched), then lower the temp to 300F for an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- FOR THE GLAZE: Blend the dates and apple juice on high until smooth.
- Once the cake is cool, flip it out onto a plate. Top with the glaze, slice, and devour!
- Store leftovers in the fridge (it’s really yummy cold too!)
This cake looks AMAZING! I loved the video too!!!! Upside down cakes are my favourite, but I’m yet to try an apple version. I definitely need to make this! Love that it’s everything free too!!!
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Thanks Harriet! I didn’t really realize how fun upside down cakes were until now, but I can see why they’re your fave. The surprise factor of flipping it over is way more exciting than a right side up cake 🙂
I’ve never had any of the classic upside down cakes…but now this would be perfect 😉 And of course apples!!! God, right now (non-apple season) the grocery only stock tiny little crappy apples that they had from the season. Apparently they are kept somehow in like a fridge type thing…idk…but it sucks…apples are one of my top 3 favorite foods!
I’ve only had the pineapple kind like once and it was a crappy box mix one so yeah, this is a million times better! I knew you’d like the apple part 😉 I HATE the little apples! Even if they taste good the size just drives me bonkers! When I apple shop, I go for the biggest ones I see! It has been hard finding them lately, but I have one store here that keeps a good stock year round…probably imported but oh well 🙂
YOU ARE BRILLIANT!!
You are the sweetest! ♡♡♡
Wow this cake looks so delicious! I guess I’m not the only one craving Fall 😛 I went out and bought a pumpkin spice scented candle the other day!
Hahahahahaha 😀 I can’t believe you already went pumpkin spice in July! That’s hilarious! But I must confess: I made a pumpkin pie a couple of weeks ago! So yeah, I can kind of relate. Well this cake will certainly satisfy your fall cravings, but it was pretty yummy as a summer dessert too even if it seems out of season 🙂
Oh wow! You also make video! And the quality is brilliant as well 😀
And finally I know what cake flipping means. Learned sth new today, cool!
Cake flipping sounds more fun than it actually is…throwing cakes in the air and watching them do multiple backflips before landing perfectly on a plate would be a much more fun definition! And I learned that you make awesome videos about all sorts of great topics, not just recipes! So glad we found this out about one another 🙂 haha
Wow, this cake sounds amazing! I’m quite happy about summer right now, but I wouldn’t say no to a slice of this 🙂 I’ve actually got a wish as well. Could you work on a recipe for a high carb vegan classic tiramisu? I”m craving this so much and all these raw (high fat) options really don’t taste like the original.
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Ooh that’s a tough one, but I’ll get my brain working on it! I’ve never actually had one tbh 😀 haha but I’ll do some research and get back to you! Thanks for the request Lena!
I love apples and I love cinnamon so much! I’ve never actually made an upside down cake simply because I’m not a huge fan of fruit in my cakes, but I’d make an exception for apples. It looks so delicious and I loved your video!!
So I’m guessing fruit cake is not your thing? 😀 haha To be honest I think apples are better cooked into a cake than the traditional pineapple! Cooked apples with cinnamon are hard to beat! Thanks for your sweet comment Brandi 🙂
This cake looks amazing!! And you cracked me up with your “everything free!!” 😀 Nobody would EVER guess this cake is everything free with how moist and delicious it looks!! Loving that apple flower on top too 🙂 YUMM!!
Love watching your videos too!! They are the best!!
Thank you Ceara <3 Well I got tired of typing out "-free" so I was just trying to simplify with everything-free 🙂 haha
Oh, my!!! I thought the photo on your IG page was amazing…then I watched the video. Whoa. I’ve never made or had an upside down cake before – so it was great to see it done from start to finish. I could totally picture enjoying a slice with a scoop of vanilla cashew milk ice cream. Definitely making this over the fall when the weather cools ❤️ P.S. – we’ve got dull knife problems here, too!!
Thanks for watching Mandy, you are the best! Hahahaha 😀 There is a dull knife epidemic in my house! The funny thing is my mom even asked “do you want me to sharpen that real fast before recording” and I was like “Nah!” lol! And the flipping part isn’t as scary as it seems, unless you try to just grab the pan and flip it really fast without the plate on top. That usually leads to smushed sideways cake…or cake on the floor, so my dog is happy when that happens 🙂 And I totally had it with the vanilla cashew milk ice cream too! That stuff is my jam right now, I’m on my third pint!
Oh this looks sooo yummy, Natalie! I haven’t had upside down cake in like ever!! Totally forgot about it.. I used to make pineapple upside down cake all the time when I went to school in Canada in 2006. 🙂 But it definitely wasn’t as healthy as yours!
I had forgotten about it too, but once I got this request it luckily popped back into my mind! I’ve only had pineapple upside down cake from a box mix so if yours was at least homemade then it was probably a little healthier at least 😀 haha But recreating healthier versions of those sorts of tasty memories is one of the best parts of blogging! Thank you Sina for your sweet comment 🙂
I love apple cake and your upside-down one sounds amazing! I would probably just omit the glaze because I’m not a glaze person 😉 I’ve never tried making an upside-down cake though, but it looks like a lot of fun 😀 When fall rolls around I have to try and make my Mum’s “Apfelschlankel” into a slightly healthier version (although she already uses spelt flour for it) – and I have to find a way to translate the name, because “Schlankel” is a dialect word and I have no idea what it would be even called in standard German 😀
Thanks Kat! I can’t wait to see your healthy version of Apfelschlankel (can’t pronounce it, but I can type it 😀 hahaha) mostly because I have no idea what that is! But I’m assuming there’s apple involved so I’m all for it! Maybe you should just make it, leave it unnamed, and let us all help you name it based on what it reminds us of 🙂 Like a “Help me name this dessert” in the comments post!
Yeayyy! New video – you know how much I like those! Upside down cakes are so pretty and I want to dive right into this glaze -yumm! You’re the most awesome person for making every-free desserts!! I couldn’t do that but you make it look so easy 🙂
Thanks Bianca! I always have to talk myself into making videos because the editing takes forever, but I’m always glad I did after the fact 🙂 And you’re actually the most awesome for making up your own yeasted bread recipes, something I couldn’t do even if my life depended on it! Heck I have trouble even following bread recipes successfully 😀 haha
Aw, I love reader requests. They always inspire me to do some of my best work. There’s just something to it — gets those {apple?} juices going, that’s for sure 🙂
This cake is really beautiful btw. Fuji apples are the best — just their color gets me giddy 🙂 + that glaze is just ♥
Fuji’s are my favorite <3 Well they can be terrible and mushy, but when they're good they're SO good! You have some awesome reader request recipes, making dessert things happen that I didn't even think was possible! They just give you a sense of purpose or something...idk but it's fun 🙂
Natalie, do you remember the diameter of the tray?
It’s a 9 inch cake pan.
Hi .. Can we replace the dates with ripe banana? If so, could you give us the measurements ?
Bananas contain a lot more moisture than dates, so they will not work as a straight sub, but you could try taking out the nondairy milk as well and using 2-3 mashed bananas instead. I cannot guarantee it will work though as I haven’t tried it myself. Good luck!
Thank you, it was such a great cake! I brought it to vegan picnic, everybody was impressed, and found it hard to resist eating second piece 😀 recipe saved, gonna make it again!
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Woohoo!!! I love hearing this kind of awesome feedback–so happy it was a success all around 🙂 Thanks Gaby!
This looks so good! What size is the pan? Also, I made your chocolate cupcakes (the ones that are free of everything) and the bottoms didn’t bake. They tasted amazing though! The only thing I changed about the recipe was adding some espresso. Any idea why they weren’t cooked through?
I love your recipes!! <3
/Lucia
Hi Lucia! So this was a 9 inch pan, but 8 inch would be okay too. Just a standard cake pan size😊 And that’s so weird about the cupcakes. The espresso wasn’t the issue. Just the bottoms didn’t cook through was the middle okay? I’d recommend baking them longer next time, oven temps can vary and be inconsistent. Hope that helps!
What can I use as a substitute for the oat flour that is gluten free?
You can buy certified gluten free oat flour or grind your own from gf oats. But if you wanted to try quinoa or buckwheat flour instead either should work too!
Best ever!!! Try this if you haven’t. You will not be disappointed. I didn’t have apple juice so I took pineapple with some of the juice and a bit of water. Next time I will try with apple sauce I think.
Natalie I love your older recipes that’s free from everything and sweetened with dates. They work so good on a gluten free wfpb diet! Thanks for making the best baking time with my son possible.
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What wonderful feedback! I am so happy you loved it Jennifer🤗 And good to know, I will try to bring back some of this style of recipes too!
I tried this cake but I didn’t really like it. The apples had a strange texture and it tasted like it didn’t entirely cook although I kept it in the oven for 30 minutes. Also it tasted a bit bland.
So sorry to hear that! This is one of my older recipes, I have many more moist/rich cakes since then you might prefer 🙂
hi do you know if this recipe freezes well?
thank you
I haven’t tried it, but I think it will work. As with any oil-free/low fat recipe it will dry out pretty quick with time and possibly even more so with freezing, so it will be yummier fresh!
Thank you. How long does it stay fresh?
It can easily last 3-4 days, I reccommend storing it in the fridge in an airtight container to keep it fresh as long as possible 🙂