Apple Gingerbread Upside-Down Cake

I had this idea of borrowing several whole foods plant based books from the library and seeing what recipes would interest the family. Just having these books in hard copy available around the house made the likelihood of them being picked up and browsed through seem like an easy task. The weeks prior they were searching through the internet for vegan deserts but all contained added oils and some sort of processed vegan butter of some sorts. Either way, my son pulled out the China Study Cookbook we got from the Public Library (can also be found on Amazon) and one recipe which caught his eye was a cheese(less) cake which required one unique ingredient which we didn’t have on hand, Xanthan Gum. The next thing that looked interesting was The Apple Gingerbread Upside-Down Cake which he made all on his own. We had a delicious desert after dinner. Forks Over Knives had a Gingerbread cake inspired by Laura Ingalls from Little House On The Prairies, this take on another variation of Upside-Down Pineapple cake is just mouth watering with Apples usually around the house and easy to get from the local supermarket.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water, divided
• 3 medium Macintosh (or other tart) apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour (can use whole wheat pastry flour if you have)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2/3 cup molasses
• 2 egg replacers (2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal with 6 tablespoons water)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Put apples in medium saucepan with 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup of maple syrup and stir to combine. Set aside.
3. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and salt.
4. In a separate bowl, mix applesauce, molasses, 1/3 cup maple syrup, egg replacers, vanilla, and 1/4 cup water. Add to dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Spread cooked apple-maple syrup mixture evenly on the bottom of a 9″ x 9″ nonstick baking dish. Pour batter over apples. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the gingerbread comes out clean. While cake is still warm, place a serving plate over cake pan, and carefully turn the cake over so it comes out onto the plate.

Serve Warm