Upside-down Apple Cake

Upside-Down Apple Cake
Cooking Time: 60 minutes or less Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Ingredients
1/3cup (75 mL) butter, divided (i used margerine)
½cup (125 mL) light brown sugar
1tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
2cups (500 mL) peeled, cored and thinly sliced apples (this was 2 large apples for me)
½cup (125 mL) sugar
1 egg
1tsp (5 mL) vanilla
1cup (250 mL) flour
1½tsp (7 mL) baking powder
½cup (125 mL) milk (i used skim)


Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9 in. (23 cm) round cake pan.
2. Measure 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the butter into the cake pan. Place the pan on the stove over low heat just until the butter is melted. Remove from heat. Stir in the brown sugar and lemon juice. Arrange the apple slices on the bottom of the pan in whatever decorative or haphazard manner you wish. This is a good job for a kid who wants to be artistic. But the cake will taste just as good if you simply spread the apples out randomly.
3. In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the remaining (approximately 3 tbsp/45 mL) butter and the sugar until well mixed. Add the egg and vanilla, and continue beating until fluffy. In another bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder.
4. Add the flour mixture by large spoonfuls alternately with the milk, beating after each addition. Next, spread the batter over the apples in the pan and place in the oven. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until cake is lightly browned.
5. Remove cake from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen it. Hold a plate over the pan and, all at once, flip the thing over.
6. The upside-down cake should now be properly upside down, and your apple arrangement should be clearly visible – if somewhat transformed. If any stubborn apple pieces remain clinging to the pan, just scrape them off and rearrange them on the cake.
7. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream, ice cream or vanilla yogurt.

MY REVIEW: I was pumped when I found this on a website that featured recipes for kids. Embarrassing, yes, but they tend to be foolproof and have more creativity involved. This one was no different - I enjoyed arranging those apples and it tasted pretty good too. I only have spring form round pans and although lined with wax paper, it still leaked into my oven. Once it cools down, we are going to steam clean it for the first time. So if you do have an actual round pan, use that! The cake was pretty flat when it came out but I'm not sure if it was supposed to rise anymore than it did.


JASON'S REVIEW: Very good with ice cream and beer.