You can use the same weight in regular apples for this gingerbread cake recipe, but don’t the little lady apples just look so awesome?!
Recipe information
Yield
10 Servings
Ingredients
3
1
1
2
1½
1½
1½
½
½
½
½
2
2
1½
½
Special Equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter pan and line bottom with a parchment round; butter parchment. Heat 1 Tbsp. butter, ½ cup brown sugar, and 2 Tbsp. water in a large skillet over medium, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Cook, without stirring but swirling skillet often, until large bubbles that are slow to pop form, about 2 minutes. Pour caramel into prepared pan and tilt pan to evenly coat bottom.
Step 2
Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in same skillet over medium heat; add half of apples and toss to separate. Cook, tossing often, until apples are softened and almost translucent, about 4 minutes. Repeat process with another 1 Tbsp. butter and remaining apples. Let apples sit until cool enough to handle, then arrange over caramel in several overlapping layers. Set pan aside.
Step 3
Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in a large bowl to combine; set aside. Heat molasses, maple syrup, remaining ½ cup brown sugar, and remaining ½ cup butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Whisk in eggs and ginger. Stir baking soda into ¼ cup very hot water in a small bowl until dissolved, then whisk into molasses mixture. Whisk molasses mixture into reserved dry ingredients and scrape batter over apples, spreading evenly. Evenly drizzle ½ cup cream over batter.
Step 4
Place cake on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and bake until center is firm to the touch and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 35–45 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan 15 minutes. Run a paring knife around the sides of cake to loosen, then remove the sides of pan and invert cake onto rack. Carefully remove pan and peel away parchment (apples might stick, so work slowly). Let cool completely.
Step 5
Slice cake into wedges and serve drizzled with more cream.
Step 6
Do Ahead: Cake can be baked 1 day ahead. Store tightly covered at room temperature. To revive apples, reheat cake slightly in a microwave and brush top with maple syrup.
Nutrition Per Serving
How would you rate Apple Gingerbread Cake With Cream?
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Reviews (12)
Back to TopI’ve made this cake half a dozen times in three different ovens, and every time I have to bake it for at least 15-20 minutes longer than the recipe states. Other than that, it’s a perfect recipe. Yes, it is a bit involved with all the steps, but the outcome is worth it.
Abby
Avondale Estates, GA
11/23/2022
Made this cake with gluten-free 1to1 flour and came out AMAZING…but…it was time consuming 1)Cooking the sliced apples was time consuming and therefore I stopped after the first batch and just tossed them in melted butter then continued with the recipe. 2) I used a 10 inch round ceramic bowl that was 3 inches high. This was a perfect dish for cooking this cake however it took 1 hour to cook so, just in case you are planning to use the same size dish it does take longer. 3) make sure you have time to cook this. I started at 4:30 placed it in the oven by 6:00. It took 1. 1/2 hours to prep and cooked for 1 hour…rested for 15 and then WOOOOOO it was amazing! The best part for me is that I used gluten free flour and it was so great! The family loved it and had no idea it was gluten-free!
Melinda
Germany
11/15/2021
I make this cake every year. I LOVE it -- it's the best gingerbread cake I have ever had. And, if I don't have a function to make it for, I make it for myself. This year I put about 3 T of chopped crystallized ginger on top of the caramel before I put the apples on. I didn't think you could make a great thing better, but I was wrong!
Grambakes
Glastonbury CT
12/6/2020
With some of the bad reviews I wanted to post to defend this recipe. I made it with a springform and it turned out great. I thought it was quite delicious. Carmel turned out well, didn't leak, and the cake rose perfectly and didn't taste like the leavening agents at all...
Anonymous
Portland, OR
10/12/2020
Very disappointed in this recipe. First - it's a LOT of work for a cake. Second, it definitely has the wrong proportion of baking soda/baking powder because the chemical leaving agent taste is very apparent. I used a ceramic baking dish rather than a springform pan like some of the other reviewers and was satisfied with that aspect... but what's the point when it tastes like salty metal?
Anonymous
Singapore
9/22/2020
Like another reviewer, I did not like the texture of this cake. It was coarse, had a slight baking soda taste, and definitely not spicy enough although I admit to not adding the fresh ginger. I too am baffled by the pouring of cream on top of the batter. What was that supposed to do? Tried to enliven it a bit by topping with a cinnamon ginger whipped cream which helped but not enough. Threw half of the cake away--just not worth the calories.
Piedmont, NC
3/1/2020
I used a deep ceramic pastry dish (cake rises quite a bit) with the parchment round and this cake turned out beautifully, no sticking or leaking, just be careful flipping it over. I baked it a 5 extra minutes and then left it in the cooling oven for another 5 to let the middle fully set. Beautiful presentation, tasted amazing, would definately make this again!
Ellen Pope
Boston
2/4/2019