Maple Apple Upside Down Cake

NOTES:
– I love cinnamon with apples. Ground ginger, nutmeg, cardamom or pumpkin pie spice would be nice flavors in the cake too.
– When it comes to pure maple syrup, my favorite is the richer maple tasting grade B amber. Grade A is lighter in color, sweeter and less maple in flavor. When it comes down to choosing, just use which ever you prefer.
– Firm sweet-tart apples such as Honeycrisp, Gala, Pink Lady and Granny Smith work really well in this cake.

Apples: Heat coconut oil in a medium non stick skillet over medium high heat. Add apples, water and a pinch of salt and cinnamon. Stir occasionally and cook for about 8 minutes until apples are soft and fragrant. Remove from heat, stir in maple syrup and let apples cool in a separate bowl.

Cake: Preheat oven to 350˚F with the rack in the middle. Prepare an 8-inch round pan with parchment paper. In a medium bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk together the wet ingredients (vanilla, egg and milk). Gently combine the wet and dry ingredients together to form the cake batter.

Put apples in the pan first in a single layer. Make sure they coat the bottom of the pan well. Carefully smooth the cake batter over the maple apple mixture. Try to keep the apples from moving around too much.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cake cool in the pan for a few minutes.To remove from pan: put a large dinner plate over the cake pan. Hold it tight and flip the cake over. It should slide out easily. If it sticks, carefully use a spatula to loosen up the sides.