Upside-down apple cake with amaretti and jam. The apple cake is always good; I couldn’t tell how many versions exist, certainly hundreds. A dessert that always works, that always comforts.
“It was cold and that day we had taken the long route; passing along the path in the woods, while the bread at home respected its rising time. The apple cake ready for the afternoon break: there was everything needed to spend an afternoon far from traffic, in the silence of the nature surrounding our little house.
Every time we climbed up there, the apple cake was a ritual. We would light the wood stove, bake the bread and the cake, at the right time, and roast the chestnuts. Now I think of that slice rich with soft batter and apples that surfaced and blended with the taste of jam and amaretti. A rich and simple flavor that foretold a break made of slowness and good things.”
This is how this apple cake was born, from afternoons dedicated to rest, home and nature. The jam preferably used is peach or apricot, or plums picked from the tree in front of the house, which every year produces many sweet and juicy fruits, almost like cherries. Around here they are called ramassin; they also have other names; they are the same you find along the paths in the woods near the houses.
A simple cake that enriches any ordinary afternoon.
Some recipes with apples are linked below.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Cooking time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients to make the upside-down apple cake
Apples and flour, eggs and amaretti… Not many ingredients are needed, not even butter or milk…
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup (~120 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar (≈120 g)
- 5 apples
- as needed plum jam
- 7 oz amaretti (dry and crumbled (~200 g))
Useful tools to make the upside-down apple cake
A round pan, a bowl or stand mixer to whip the batter, knives and peelers. The tools I use can be found in my purchase recommendations.
- Plates
- Plates
Necessary steps for the apple cake
This simple cake only takes a few minutes to prepare.
In a stand mixer or in a bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until you obtain a frothy mixture. This will take about six minutes.
Add the flour and mix gently. Now add the apples sliced and fold them in.
In a bowl mix the jam with the crumbled amaretti and arrange this mixture on the bottom of the pan after lining it with a circle of parchment paper, distributing it evenly.
Pour the apple batter on top and bake in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C) for about 25–30 minutes.
As soon as it’s ready, invert it onto the serving plate and let it cool before enjoying for the best flavor.
Soft, moist, fragrant and flavorful. Without butter and without milk.
A few extra tips
A delicious cake also in whole wheat or buckwheat flour for an even more rustic version. The pan used has a diameter of 25 cm (10 in). Beat the eggs and sugar well; you’ll obtain a cake as light as a feather. Fold in the flour with a spatula, mixing carefully.
