If Autumn could be a cake, it would be this one! This delicious, moist, and zesty olive oil cake with a caramel apple topping is the perfect way to celebrate the season. The sponge is quick and easy to make and results in a rich and moist cake that you’ll be dreaming of for days.
If you have never had an olive oil cake sponge before, I know what you’re thinking. Olive oil in a cake? That sounds whack. Yes, yes it does sound whack. But it tastes absolutely delicious, believe me.
Olive oil, along with acting as the “fat” element that gives the cake its moistness, also adds flavor to the batter. Olive oil gives cake sponges a strong depth of flavor that’s difficult to achieve with any other form of fat like butter or neutral oil.
The olive oil cake sponge with its zesty flavor and moist texture is the perfect pairing for the cinnamon caramel apples which give this cake the perfect fall feeling.
Now, let’s get into the details of the cake.
Caramel Apple Topping
This cake is made with the upside-down technique, which means that the caramel apple topping is placed on the bottom of the cake pan, then topped with the batter. The cake is then flipped upside down after baking. This technique makes it a lot easier to make that pretty apple topping on the cake.
The caramel apple topping is made with a few simple ingredients – apples (of course), butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla essence.
The apples are sliced thinly and placed delicately on the bottom of the cake pan, then the caramel sauce made with the remaining ingredients is poured on top of the apple slices. While baking, the caramel sauce coats and cooks the apples to perfection.
Olive Oil Sponge
The olive oil sponge is one of the simplest cakes to make and comes together in just a few minutes. All you need is simple pantry ingredients like olive oil, caster sugar, eggs, egg whites, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda.
Make sure to be gentle while mixing the dry ingredients and egg whites into the flour to help the cake batter maintain its airiness, which results in a light and fluffy sponge.
The completed cake batter is poured over the chilled caramel apple base and baked for 40-55 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
You can enjoy the cake as it is or pair it with my brown butter cream cheese frosting for some extra spice! ✨.
Tips for making this cake perfectly
- Use a springform pan to make it easier to unmold the cake and flip it upside down.
- Line only the sides of the springform pan with baking paper, leaving the bottom bare so that the apples can caramelize properly.
- Use green apples if you want the apples to retain more texture, and red ones like fuji or gala if you want the apples to be soft and not have much texture.
- Slice the apples to 1/4th inch of thickness, any thinner and they will get lost in the caramel. Any thicker, they will not cook down properly.
- Beat the olive oil mixture on medium speed to reduce the number of air bubbles in the batter.
- Fold the egg whites and dry ingredients into the cake batter very gently to help maintain the fluffiness of the cake
- Allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan, or the apples might get stuck to the bottom.
Ready to feel the season with this delicious caramel apple upside-down olive oil cake? Let’s get started!
PS: I always measure ingredients in grams, never in cups. Using a measuring scale is the only way to bake accurately. Cups are very unreliable and can give different measurements, so I would suggest you buy a measuring scale before you start baking! If you can’t get your hands on one, you can use the online tools for converting grams into cups, however, I do not guarantee their accuracy.
PPS: if you notice a * after any word, it means that there are additional tips about it after the recipe.
Caramel Apple Upside Down Olive Oil Cake
Equipment
- Stand or electric mixer
- Silicone spatula
- 9-inch springform pan you can also use a 7 inch springform pan if you want a thicker spong
Ingredients
Caramel Apple Topping
- 85 gs unsalted butter
- 100 gs packed brown sugar
- 1/4th tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 medium (300gs) apples, sliced thinly (preferable granny smith or gala apples)
Cake Base
- 350 gs all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1.5 tsp baking soda
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 200 gs caster sugar
- 150 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 75 ml water
- 2 egg whites
Instructions
Caramel Apple Topping
- Prepare the springform pan by covering only the sides with baking paper, leaving the bottom uncovered. Arrange the apple slices on the bottom of the cake as neatly as possible, making sure that the bottom of the pan is completely covered.2 medium (300gs) apples, sliced thinly (preferable granny smith or gala apples)
- In a saucepan on medium heat, add the butter and brown sugar and melt, whisking occasionally. Once the butter has melted, whisk constantly for 1 minute until the mixture thickens, then remove from the heat and add the cinnamon powder and vanilla extract. Pour the caramel mixture on top of the apple slices into the cake pan. Use a spatula to spread the caramel mixture evenly on the apple slices. Refrigerate the cake pan while you prepare the cake batter to help the topping set a little and not mix with the cake batter when it's poured into the pan.85 gs unsalted butter, 100 gs packed brown sugar, 1/4th tsp cinnamon powder, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Cake Base
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl – flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and set it aside.350 gs all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder, 1.5 tsp baking soda, 1.5 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt
- In another bowl, add the olive oil, caster sugar, whole eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest, and whisk on medium speed for 6-8 minutes, until the mixture has thickened and doubled in size. Make sure not to increase the mixing speed to high, or the cake batter with have a lot of air bubbles and fall during baking.200 gs caster sugar, 150 ml extra virgin olive oil, 2 eggs, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp lemon zest
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet batter using a silicone spatula in 2 increments, half at a time. Add the water when adding the second half of the dry ingredients, and make sure you are folding the batter gently.75 ml water
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites on high speed until they form soft peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter using a silicone spatula, making sure not to knock out the airyness of the cake.2 egg whites
- Pour the prepared cake batter on top of the caramel apple slices into the cake pan. Bake the cake for 40-55 minutes (more if you are using a 7-inch cake), until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
- Let the cake cool before demolding and slicing into it.
Notes
- Preparing the springform pan – for this cake, the bottom of the pan has to be left uncovered to allow the apples to caramelize properly while cooking. To cover only the sides of the pan with baking paper, cut a strip of the paper a little bigger than the sides of your pan. Grease the sides of the pan with butter, then stick the strip of baking paper along all sides, making sure that the paper is slightly higher than the sides of the pan.
- Folding the dry ingredients – don’t rush this step. Gently fold the dry ingredients and egg whites into the batter using a silicone spatula. This allows the batter to maintain its airiness and results in a softer, lighter cake.
- Whipping the egg whites – for this recipe, the egg whites have to be whipped to soft peaks, which means that the egg whites should be frothy and slightly thick. They should form very soft peaks when you pick the whisk up from the bowl.
I hope you are enjoying the fall recipes as much as I am. There are many more autumn desserts coming to the page soon, so make sure to subscribe to the newsletter to be the first to know when new recipes come out!
Meanwhile, check out some of these autumn-perfect recipes you can make for your next dessert –
– Carrot Cake With Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
– Cinnamon Roll Cake
– Cinnamon Coffee Cake
– Cinnamon Molten Lava Cake
– Apple Galette Recipe
If you give this recipe a try, don’t forget to let me know how you liked it in the comments! And of course, share it with me on Instagram.
Until next time!
