CARAMELIZED APPLE GINGER UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Ingredients:

Serves  8-0

TOPPING:

6 tbsps butter

5 Brae burn apples, peeled, cored, quartered and each halved (ending with 6-8 wedges)

1 cup sugar

½ tsp ground ginger

3 tbsps minced crystallized ginger

CAKE:

1 cup cake flour

½ cup all purpose flour

1 ¾ tsps baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1/3 cup crystallized ginger

½ tsps cinnamon

½` tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp salt

¾ cup brown sugar

6 tbsps butter, softened

3 large egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup buttermilk, plus 2 additional tablespoons

Directions:

Topping:  Butter a 10-inch cake pan. Melt the 6 tablespoons of butter in a large sauté pan. Add the apple wedges in an even layer and cook over medium-low heat until golden brown, about 8 – 10 minutes. Turn halfway during cooking time. Add the sugar and cook until apples are browned and the sugar caramelized to a rich gold colour, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Remove apple wedges from the pan with a slotted spoon and arrange in the pan in overlapping circles. Pour the caramel over the apple wedges. Sprinkle 3 tbsps of crystallized ginger atop the apples.

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix the buttermilk, egg yolks and vanilla together in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, combine the 2 flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. With an electric mixer, beat in the butter. Gradually beat in the buttermilk mixture and continue beating until well blended. Stir in the crystallized ginger.

Pour batter over the apple wedges smoothing out the top. Bake for about 30 minutes or until centre is firm to the touch and a cake tester inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Invert onto a large platter and serve with ice cream or whip cream flavoured with ground ginger and sugar.