APPLE-GINGER UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Apple-Ginger Upside-Down Cake image

Yield Serves 8 to 10

Number Of Ingredients 19

For topping
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
4 large Granny Smith apples (about 28 ounces), peeled, quartered, cored, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
3 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger
For cake
1/3 cup minced crystallized ginger
4 tablespoons plus 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole milk
1 cup chilled whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Steps:

Make topping:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides. Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar and cook until mixture bubbles, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in ground ginger. Pour mixture into prepared pan, spreading with spatula to distribute evenly. Tightly overlap apples atop sugar mixture, making 2 layers of apples. Sprinkle crystallized ginger atop apples. Set aside.
Make cake:
Mix crystallized ginger with 1 tablespoon flour in small bowl. Sift 1 1/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat brown sugar and butter in large bowl until light and creamy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in vanilla. Mix in sifted dry ingredients alternately with milk. Stir in ginger mixture. Spoon batter atop apples in pan. Bake cake until brown on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool cake in pan on rack 15 minutes.
Whip cream, 2 tablespoons sugar and ground ginger in another medium bowl to soft peaks.
Run small knife around edges of pan to loosen cake. Place platter over cake and invert cake onto platter. Serve warm or at room temperature with cream. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover cake; let stand at room temperature. Cover and chill cream.)