Apple & Honey Upside Down Cake: A Sweet Start to the Sweet New Year!

My heart is very full right now. It's my favorite time of year, and I feel so incredibly grateful. We had such a great weekend. Rosh Hashana and belated birthday celebrations for me Friday with family. A trip out to the Beaches neighbourhood on Saturday with the girls and a relaxed Sunday. Adam took the girls swimming at the JCC after their Hebrew School and then we had a girls evening while Adam went to his book club.

The weather is gorgeous and just makes you want to be outside!

For dinner Friday night I made the crumble and this cake. For the apple lovers, this was a smashing hit. I am going to be making it again for sure! Rich, moist apple-y cake covered in spiced apple and honey caramel topping...delish. But I still managed to make it pretty healthy. No oil in the cake and the topping is a lot healthier than most frostings!

The picture doesn't do it justice. It actually looked beautiful but the camera on my phone totally sucks...on top of me being a crappy photographer.

Apple and Honey Upside Down Cake

1/3 cup coconut oil, butter or Earth Balance
1/3 cup honey (or agave syrup or maple syrup)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 lbs apples, peeled and sliced

2 eggs (or flax eggs)
1 cup unsweetened vanilla or plain non-dairy milk + 1 tbls lemon juice
1 cup xylitol or other granular sweetener
1 cup unsweetened apple butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 apple, grated

2 cups spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Bring oil/butter, honey and cinnamon to a boil in a small pot over medium heat. Remove from heat. Pour into the bottom of a springform pan, lined with parchment paper. Arrange apple slices evenly.

Grate (grind) apple in food processor or blender, or by hand if necessary. Add remaining wet ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. Add dry ingredients and pulse until completely mixed. Pour over apples and bake at 350F for at least 1 hour until toothpick comes out clean and centre is set. Cover top with foil if it begins to brown too quickly. Let cool.

To serve, place on a large plate. Release sides of pan and remove. Place another plate on top of cake and flip over. Remove bottom of springform pan and parchment to reveal apple and honey topping.

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