Upside Down Apple Cake

This is an absolute Shabbat favourite in my family - this is usually the cake I bring to any Shabbat dinner. What is Shabbat you ask? Shabbat begins sundown on Friday and ends on Saturday at sundown. Simply, Shabbat is the Jewish Sabbath. Shabbat is the day of the week where basically the world stops (for you), and you simply turn off and take the time to relax. There are varying degrees of celebrating this weekly holiday, the more religious will not use any piece of technology, do not drive, do not turn on lights, no cooking, no spending money etc - a day of rest. If you are really curious, you can read more about Shabbat here! In my opinion, there is no right or wrong way to celebrating - you can decide what you will and won't do on Shabbas.

In our family (my husband and I), we will either go over to one of our family members for Shabbat dinner, we will host (aka a few times a year if that), or just have Shabbat dinner by ourselves. The beauty of the holiday brings the entire family for a meal, which sometimes due to hectic weekly schedules is hard to do. There are many traditional foods that are consumed on Shabbat, and once again these items may differ between different Jewish backgrounds and upbringings. Shabbat is usually that time of the week where special dishes will come out for dinner that don't usually make an appearance during the week. We also make a ton of food so it lasts for Shabbat lunch the next day!

Also this is where the art of Bubie (grandmother) math comes into play. If my Bubie asks me, "How many kreplach do you want?" and I answer with "2", then I know I'm really getting 4. You have to be strategic in what you ask for, and there is no room for "no."  You wonder why I was so schmaltzy before CrossFit...

Some traditional foods we eat are:

- challah

- matzah ball soup

- kreplach

- gefilte fish

- kugle

- cholent

(this is just a small list of food items!)

If you are interested in experiencing a Shabbat dinner (it's delicious), you should let me know! I'd love to have people over to share a lot of good food and wine. 

Back to why you came to this post. I warn you, this recipe has tons of gluten and sugar within it. When someone invites us over for Shabbat dinner, and if I'm given advanced notice - I make my special Upside Down Apple Cake! And it's parve. Parve means that the food product does not have any dairy in it, most Shabbat meals feature meat and according to halachic food rules - you are not suppose to mix meat and dairy in the same sitting. 

Now, this is the burn proof (ideally) way of doing an upside down apple cake. Since my baking accident and my 2nd degree burn, I haven't made caramel ever since. 

Trust me - this is really something in person 

Upside Down Apple Cake

Adapted from The Kosher Baker - Paula Shoyer

Ingredients:

- 2 cups Sugar plus 3 Tablespoons

- 2 cups flour

- 1 cup oil

- 5 eggs

- 2 teaspoons cinnamon

- Splash of vanilla

- 2-3 Apples (I like Fuji, Royal Gala - use what you like)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Using a 9" circular pan (or springform), grease pan. 

3. Mix the 3 Tablespoons of sugar with cinnamon in small cup, sprinkle all over pan

4. Add sugar, flour, oil, eggs and vanilla to a large mixing bowl - using a electric beater, mix well. 

5. Core and peel apple. Slice in half, and then make into thin slices. Lay slices of apple in pan, I put them down in a circular fashion, and I also do some overlapping.

6. Add batter on top of of apples. 

7. Bake for an hour, or until golden brown. 

8. Let it cool for at least 30-45 minutes, then flip out of pan. 

This cake freezes extremely well!