So, a couple of weeks ago, I spotted a recipe on the social media for an apple upside down cake. It looked fabulous, which prompted me to quickly convert it to a low carb version. Like all baking recipes, the challenges come in with the flour, the sweetener, and the higher carbs of the fruit used. Luckily, I have a low carb flour that I really like for making cakes, Dixie Carb Counters All Purpose Flour. It’s a finely milled flour and mixes into the recipe easily. While it’s not readily available at your grocery store, it can be ordered. I get my supply from Netrition.com, but you can also order from DCC.

If you want to try this with more available flour options, try almond flour mixed with either coconut flour or soy flour. If you use this option, use 1/2 cup almond flour and 3 tablespoons coconut flour and add an extra egg white.

For the brown sugar, the lowest carb option is Swerve Brown Sugar, and it happens to be the one most like brown sugar. You can get a Splenda Brown Sugar mix, but it has a higher carb count.

I cut the recipe in half, so it makes four servings, or six if you prefer a smaller piece. Since I am only cooking for two people, I tend to cut most recipes to half-size. You can easily double the amount and make a larger cake.

Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake

FOR THE APPLES
1/4 cup lightly packed Swerve Brown Sugar
2 tablespoons Butter
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
Pinch Kosher Salt
1 apple, cored, and sliced 1/2″ thick

FOR THE CAKE
Cooking spray
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Low Carb Flour
3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/4 cup Butter, softened
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 cup lightly packed Swerve Brown Sugar
1 large Egg
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Unsweetened Almond Milk

Preheat oven to 350° (F). Spray a small loaf pan or 6″ square pan with cooking spray.

Core, peel, and slice apples. (If the apples are thin skinned, you can leave them on.)

Over medium heat, add brown sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt and melt, stirring. Continue to cook and stir about two minutes until the mixture begins to thicken. Pour the sauce into the bottom of the prepared pan, spreading it around evenly. Layer the apples over the top of the sauce.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Add the egg and vanilla and mix together. Spoon half the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, beating until combined. Pour in almond milk and mix until it’s blended in, then add remaining dry ingredients and hand stir to mix completely.

Spread the batter over the apples. Bake for about 40 minutes and test with a toothpick in the middle. If it comes out clean, remove from the oven. If the toothpick is sticky, cook another 5 to 10 minutes until it is clean. Let the cake cool about 15 minutes then invert onto a serving plate and let cool completely before slicing. Serve with a bit of whipped cream if you wish.

Makes 4 servings.