A Warm Spiced Dessert
The combination of tart apples and deep molasses creates a dessert that feels inherently tied to the colder months. This cake flips the traditional gingerbread on its head by baking it over a bed of bourbon kissed apples. The rich batter, spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves bakes into a tender crumb that absorbs the sweet juices of the fruit below.
Preparing the molasses and water mixture first allows it to cool and interact properly with the baking soda, creating a light and airy texture in the final bake. Serving this cake warm with a dollop of whipped cream offers a comforting end to any meal, filling the kitchen with the scent of baked apples and warm spices.
Yield: 12 servings | Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 51 minutes | Temperature: 350°F
- 1 Cup dark molasses
- 1 Cup water
- 1 Teaspoon baking soda
- 1 Cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 Cup butter
- 2 Large eggs
- 2 Cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 2 Teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 Teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/4 Teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 Tablespoons butter or margarine
- 6 Cups peeled and sliced tart apples (about 2 lb.)
- 1/4 Cup sugar
- 1/4 Cup bourbon or apple juice
- Whipped cream (optional)
Instructions
- Boil the dark molasses and water in a 2-quart pan.
- Stir in the baking soda and let the mixture cool.
- Beat the brown sugar and 1/2 cup of butter in a large bowl until smoothly mixed.
- Blend in the eggs and beat until well combined.
- Mix the all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground cloves together.
- Stir the flour mixture and the cooled molasses mixture alternately into the sugar and butter, adding half at a time, until everything is well mixed.
- Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Saute the sliced apples in the butter, turning often with a spatula until they are just tender when pierced, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the sugar and bourbon, then cook until the liquid evaporates and the apples begin to brown, about 6 minutes.
- Spoon the cooked apples into a well-buttered 9 by 13-inch baking pan.
- Pour the gingerbread batter evenly over the top of the apples.
- Bake in a 350°F oven until the cake starts to pull away from the pan sides and the center springs back when lightly pressed, about 40 minutes.
- Run a knife around the edges of the pan and carefully invert the cake onto a platter.
- Serve warm or cold with a dollop of whipped cream.
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Apple & Bourbon Gingerbread Upside-Down Cake
A comforting 9x13 upside-down cake featuring tender apples cooked in bourbon and brown sugar, topped with a deeply spiced molasses gingerbread batter. A rich, warming dessert perfect for the autumn and winter months.
Ingredients
Instructions
-
Boil the dark molasses and water in a 2-quart pan.
-
Stir in the baking soda and let the mixture cool.
-
Beat the brown sugar and 1/2 cup of butter in a large bowl until smoothly mixed.
-
Blend in the eggs and beat until well combined.
-
Mix the all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground cloves together.
-
Stir the flour mixture and the cooled molasses mixture alternately into the sugar and butter, adding half at a time, until everything is well mixed.
-
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat.
-
Saute the sliced apples in the butter, turning often with a spatula until they are just tender when pierced, about 5 minutes.
-
Stir in the sugar and bourbon, then cook until the liquid evaporates and the apples begin to brown, about 6 minutes.
-
Spoon the cooked apples into a well-buttered 9 by 13-inch baking pan.
-
Pour the gingerbread batter evenly over the top of the apples.
-
Bake in a 350°F oven until the cake starts to pull away from the pan sides and the center springs back when lightly pressed, about 40 minutes.
-
Run a knife around the edges of the pan and carefully invert the cake onto a platter.
-
Serve warm or cold with a dollop of whipped cream.
