Toffee Apple Upside Down Cake

Truth: I have an oral allergy syndrome. I don't even know if that's grammatically correct. Anyway, it has freaked my best friend out. While I have minor reactions to some nuts and fresh stone fruit, I react most severely to apples.

I've had my entire lower jaw swell up after eating raw apples.

Not cool, especially since Mom just introduced me to a new variety that I could eat for days. Honey Crisp, I think.

Anyway, what this means is that I don't usually buy apples. And when I do, it's because I'm going to cook them. So when I bought a whole bag of apples, I lined up a few different recipes to help me use them. Here's looking at you, frittata and risotto.

I don't remember where I found this recipe, I think perhaps it was when I was working at a newspaper. I certainly didn't originally find it at the blog I've linked to, but it's the same recipe, and I really didn't want to type that whole thing out. All I know is that it was in my behemoth, therefore I should try to make it.

I don't like cake, with the exception of pineapple upside down cake, so I'm willing to try nearly any variation on it.

I followed this recipe nearly exactly. I changed just two things. I used three apples in the cake instead of two because the ones I had were small and mealy. And I used almonds instead of walnuts, and not the full amount. I wanted the crunch of a nut, but walnuts (along with pecan and cashews that aren't cooked into Chinese food) are a nut a have one of those oral sensitivities to.

The batter was dry until I folded in the apple, which had gotten brown really quickly, and then it just seemed really thick.

I put it in my brand new square cake pan and spread it out as directed. I baked it for 38 minutes and let it cool for 15. I was worried, again, that the cake would flip out of the pan right. But I need not have worried too much. The cake flipped out just fine, with the exception of two corners. And I just took what stuck in the pan and put it back on the cake. Not the most aesthetically pleasing, but it was going to go in my mouth otherwise, and I really didn't need all that sugar right before bed.

How mine looked. Maybe eventually I'll get a serving platter that isn't black.

I served the cake the next day to my friends when they came over for the weekly dinner I've been making.

The cake was wildly mediocre.

There wasn't enough topping, in my opinion, and the cake itself was very dry. And it certainly wasn't at all reminiscent of pineapple upside down cake. More like spice cake with extra stuff on top.

Conclusion: Not something I need to make again.