Quatre-quarts aux pommes: (Apple Upside-down Pound Cake)

Submitted by Kelley Maillard

"I got this recipe from my French mother-in-law, although where she got it, I do not know. Anyway, I have translated the recipe and converted the measurments to US standard. I hope you all enjoy this yummy French cake as much as my family and I do!"

 

• Ready In: 55mins
• Ingredients: 7
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 3 nice tart apples
• 15 sugar cubes
• 2 large eggs
• 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
• 1⁄2 cup flour
• 1⁄2 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

directions

1. Preheat oven to 410°F (210°C).
2. In a non-stick saucepan, make a caramel sauce using the sugar cubes and 2 or 3 spoonfuls of water.
3. Once the caramel has reached a golden brown or"blond" color, pour in into a cake pan.
4. Tilt and rotate the pan so that the bottom is evenly covered with the caramel.
5. Peel the apples and cut them into large wedges.
6. Place the wedges onto the caramel.
7. Mix butter and sugar in a large bowl.
8. Add the eggs one at a time, then the flour and baking powder.
9. Mix well.
10. Pour batter over the apples.
11. Bake 30-40 minutes.
12. Let cool before removing from pan.

Reviews

[HeatherFeather]

This cake is delicious! I couldn't wait to let it cool down completely and it tasted wonderful still warm from the oven. The apple chunks were warm and mushy and sweet. Note: It was a little tricky to get the caramel spread in the pan (it hardens very quickly) - mine hardens too quickly to get it spread evenly, so I stuck the pan into the warm oven while I peeled the apples. The carmel softened up again and I was able to swirl it around the pan.

 

[polzter]

Though some aspects of this recipe required more work than I'd like, it was well-worth it! The caramel set of the apples' tartness really well. Some help for the clueless - like me! To make caramel, you have bring the sugar to a boil for some time before it turns colour and when it does, it does so quickly. Also found that the cake bakes in 15-20mins even when the oven was just under 400F.

 

[Xandi]

Just in case anyone else, like me, uses regular granulated sugar instead of sugar cubes, one cube is equal to one teaspoon. 15 tsp is 5 tablespoons, or 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp.