Upside Down Ginger Apple Coffee Cake (Clean Eating)

This is a lovely, healthy recipe that is not overly sweet, but has enough flavor to be well-suited for either brunch or a light dessert. It is from the October 2011 issue of Clean Eating, but I have tweaked it a bit. The original calls for sucanat instead of the sugars and safflower oil instead of canola. Cooking time includes cooling time before inverting.

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons maple syrup, plus more for garnish
• 1  apple, sliced (preferably Granny Smith or Cortland)
• 2  cups  spelt flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1  teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 cup canola oil
• 1  egg
• 1⁄4 cup brown sugar
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1  cup plain yogurt
• 2  tablespoons ginger, grated fresh

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 and coat an 8 inch cake pan with cooking spray.
2. Drizzle bottom of pan with maple syrup and swirl to coat.
3. Arrange apple slices in a layer over the syrup, allowing them to overlap slightly and covering the pan. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl, beat oil, sugars, egg, applesauce, yogurt, and ginger with an electric mixer until smooth.
6. Add flour mixture and beat until just combined.
7. Pour batter over apples and bake 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
8. Invert carefully onto a serving platter and drizzle with additional syrup, if desired.