Last Friday, I took the day off from work and went on a day-trip upstate with a few girlfriends, including fellow food blogger, Nimai Larson. She and I have known each other for a couple of years now. When she’s not busy making music and touring with her band, Prince Rama, Nimai loves to spend time whipping up vegan recipes. She’s an absolute doll!

Our original plan for our upstate adventure had been to go apple- and pumpkin-picking, but it was raining, so we ended up grabbing a few bushels of sweet Macoun and McIntosh apples at Salinger’s Orchard in Brewster, New York. Then we set up camp in the kitchen of our friend Katrina’s family home and did some serious baking.

Nimai and I had a bit of difficulty coming up with something to bake together–apple pies and crisps often require a combination of sweet and tart apples, but tart apples won’t be available at Salinger’s until later in the season. We racked our brains and tore through our recipe archives before settling on upside-down cake. Nimai had brought along a mini-loaf pan, so we divided the batter into it and these Mini Apple Upside-Down Cakes were born!

These sweet little cakes start with a batter similar to the base of my Mango Upside-Down Cake. Here it’s made vegan–a mixture of flaxseed (or chia) and water replaces the eggs and non-dairy milk is used in place of the usual buttermilk. A combination of maple syrup and granulated sugar sweetens the cakes, although you may nix the syrup and use brown sugar in place of the white stuff. The batter is scented with apple pie spices and a bit of fresh-pressed apple cider before being spooned over sliced sweet apples and a subtly-spiced maple caramel.

These Mini Apple Upside-Down Cakes bake up super soft and puffy, and they’re just gorgeous. My favorite part about this recipe is that these little cakes may be served warm–Nimai, Katrina, Selena, and I loved snacking on them before taking the rainy drive back to Brooklyn.

Make a little time to bake these Mini Apple Upside-Down Cakes this fall! And let Nimai and me know if you try this recipe: @nimailarson and @e2bakesbrooklyn on Instagram 💗

Mini Apple Upside-Down Cakes {Vegan}
makes 10-12 mini loaf cakes

For the pan:
1 tablespoon neutral-flavored oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Apple Layer:
1 sweet apple, 1/4-inch slices
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of ground allspice
pinch of ground nutmeg
pinch of Kosher or sea salt

Cake Batter:
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed or chia
6 tablespoons water
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup fresh-pressed apple cider
1/2 cup soy or almond milk

Preheat oven to 350F. In a small bowl, whisk together oil and flour. Use a pastry brush to brush the inside of an 8-loaf mini-loaf pan. Set aside.

Make the apple layer. Combine apple slices and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl, and cover with cold water. Set aside.

Combine Earth Balance, sugar, and maple syrup in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until no longer grainy (3-5 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Divide caramel among loaf pans (about 1 1/2 tablespoons each), and spread to cover the bottom of the pan. Set aside.

Make the cake. In a small bowl, whisk together flaxseed and water. Set aside for at least five minutes, until thickened.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat Earth Balance until light and fluffy. Mix in sugar and maple syrup, followed by flaxseed mixture, vanilla, apple cider, and non-dairy milk. Whisk in dry ingredients until incorporated.

Drain apple slices and blot dry with paper towels. Lay 3-4 slices into each mini loaf (it’s okay if they overlap a bit). Fill 2/3 full with cake batter. Bake 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Let sit 15 minutes. Run a small, thin knife around the edges of each mini-loaf before inverting onto a large pan. Repeat baking process with any remaining batter.

Enjoy cakes warm or at room temperature.