• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Foodle Club

  • By Category
    • All Recipes
    • Bread and scones
    • Cakes, cookies and desserts
    • Curry Recipes
    • How to …..
    • Main Meals
    • Picnics and Barbeques
    • Sauces, dips and marinades
    • Savoury Treats
    • Sides and salads
    • Collections
  • By Ingredient
    • Beef
    • Cheese
    • Chicken
    • Fish and Seafood
    • Lamb
    • Mushrooms
    • Pasta
    • Pork
    • Recipes using vegetables
  • By Cuisine
    • British
    • South African
    • Asian inspired
    • Italian inspired
    • German inspired
  • The Calculator
  • Free stuff
  • Meet Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
Home » Cakes, Cookies and Desserts » Easy upside-down apple pie dessert recipe

Easy upside-down apple pie dessert recipe

Author: VJ Published : August 2020 Modified : March 2022 / Be the first to comment!

Recipe
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Yummly
  • Twitter
  • Whatsapp

This upside-down apple pie is such an easy dessert to make. It’s simple enough to make for the family any night of the week, but it wouldn’t be out of place at a dinner party.

Closeup of an upside down apple pie.

**As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.**

Table Of Contents
  1. Easy upside down apple pie
  2. How to make this easy upside down apple pie
  3. Pin for later
  4. Recipe – Upside-down apple pie
  5. Upside down apple pie

Easy upside down apple pie

I love this time of year. It means I get supplied with apples fresh from my daughter’s apple tree. This year was no exception, and my daughter and I spent a happy afternoon chatting while peeling and slicing a mountain of apples ready to go in the freezer.

Of course, we had to use some of the apples for a quick and easy dessert too. So I made this easy upside-down apple pie. It’s my take on a classic French tart tatin, but without all the fuss. There’s no need to cook the apples first. They cook perfectly in the oven under the crispy pastry topping. Just layer the apples in a baking dish, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, drizzle with melted butter and cover with a pastry lid and bake.

As it bakes, the butter and sugar combine with the juice from the apples to form a sweet caramel sauce. And once you turn the pie upside down, this sauce soaks into the pastry forming a delicious base for the succulent apples. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you have a fabulous dessert that is easy enough to make for the family any night of the week, but also elegant enough to serve at a dinner party.

How to make this easy upside down apple pie

Start with the pastry

You can use pastry that you might happen to have leftover from any of my pastry recipes. Otherwise, you can buy a roll of shortcrust pastry and use that. If you don’t have leftover pastry, or if you prefer to make your own, here is how to make it.

This pastry recipe is too much for one upside-down apple pie. You will only need about one-third of the amount it makes. But you could use the remainder for making bolognese sausage rolls (with leftover bolognese meat sauce), zucchini and goat cheese tarts, or even an old-fashioned bacon and egg pie.

You could even store any leftover pastry in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you are ready to use it just remove it from the fridge and let it come to room temperature (still in the plastic bag). Then just roll it and use it as needed.

To save you from having to search for a recipe for pastry, I’ve included my favourite shortcrust pastry recipe here.

Collage of 6 images showing how to make homemade shortcrust pastry.

Shortcrust pastry

  • Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, cut the butter into cubes and add to the flour (image 1).
  • Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until all the flour has been coated with butter and the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs (image 2). When rubbing in, lift the butter and flour above the bowl and allow it to fall back. This helps aerate the mixture.
  • Add the egg yolk and water (image 3). You could use the egg whites to make a meringue for these coconut meringue jam tarts.
  • Use a flat knife to cut the eggs and water through the flour mixture until it starts to come together (image 4). Start with 4 tablespoons of water and if you need more add the extra tablespoon.
  • Now use your hands to gently press the pastry together into a flat disk (image 5). Do not knead. Use just enough pressure to make the dough come together.
  • Place the pastry into a plastic bag, or cover with clingfilm (image 6), and place in the refrigerator to rest for at least half an hour.

Now prepare the apples

Start off by peeling and coring 3 or 4 apples. The number of apples you will need depends on how large your pie dish is. I used a 10″ pie dish and I needed 4 apples. You will need enough apples to make a layer of apple slices about 3-deep.

Any crisp apple that holds its shape well, such as Bramley or Granny Smith would be suitable. You don’t want to use apples that will turn to mush in the oven.

I’m not sure what these are called, I think they might be Evelina, but these are the apples from my daughter’s tree that we used, and they cooked perfectly.

An apple growing in a tree and 3 apples on an outside table.

Cut the apples into quite thick slices, about 1/4″ in thickness and as you slice them, place them into a bowl of water with the juice of half a lemon to prevent them from turning brown.

Pat the apples dry on paper towels, then coat them in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.

Collage of 4 images showing steps to assemble an upside down apple pie.

Assemble the apple pie

Now pour half of the melted butter into a suitable pie plate. I used a 10″ shallow pie plate (image 1 above).

Arrange the apples neatly in the pie plate, then drizzle the rest of the melted butter over the top (image 2 above).

Roll out the pastry to about 1/8″ thickness and use it to cover the apples. Trim the edges of the pastry with a sharp knife, then press the edges of the pastry onto the rim of the pie dish. Make small slits in the pastry with a sharp knife to allow the steam to escape during baking (image 3 above).

Place in a pre-heated oven (190C / 375F) for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is nicely browned (image 4 above). There is no need to egg-wash the pastry – you are going to turn this upside-down once it cools so that the pastry will form the base of the apple pie.

Allow to cool, then place a large plate or serving dish upside down over the pie and flip it over. Remove the pie dish carefully so as not to disturb the apples. The pie should be upside down on the plate with the apples covering the pastry.

A dish of upside down apple pie

Leave the apple pie to stand for about half an hour before serving to allow the juices to soak into the pastry.

Serve slices of upside-down apple pie topped with either whipped cream or ice cream.

This apple pie is delicious served either hot or cold.

If you’d like to be notified of any new recipes, why not subscribe to my newsletter. As a thank-you gift, you will receive a free recipe e-book containing some of my most popular cakes and desserts.

Pin for later

Why not pin this recipe for upside-down apple pie to your Pinterest dessert board so you can make it later. Just click the picture below.

Recipe – Upside-down apple pie

Closeup of an upside down apple pie.

Upside down apple pie

This upside-down apple pie is such an easy dessert to make. It's simple enough to make for the family any night of the week, but it wouldn't be out of place at a dinner party. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Recipe by: Veronica
Dessert
American, British
Calories 362
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 1 10″ apple pie
Print Pin Comment Bookmark Saved!
Prevent your screen from going dark
5 from 1 vote

(Click the stars to rate this recipe)

Equipment

  • 10" ceramic pie dish
  • Sharp Knife
  • Chopping Board
  • Mixing bowl

Ingredients

Pastry

  • 2 cups / 280 grams all-purpose plain flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt optional
  • 4.5 ounces / 125 grams butter
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 4 to 5 tablespoons ice cold water

Apple pie

  • 3 to 4 large crispy apples Bramley or Granny Smith
  • 2 ounces / 60 grams butter
  • 3 – 4 tablespoons / 40 – 50 grams granulated sugar
  • 1 – 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • juice of half a lemon in a bowl of water for rinsing the apples

Instructions

Pastry

  • Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, add ½ teaspoon salt.
    2 cups / 280 grams all-purpose plain flour, ½ teaspoon salt
  • Cut the butter into cubes and add to the flour.
    4.5 ounces / 125 grams butter
  • Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  • Add 2 egg yolks and 4 tablespoons ice-cold water
    2 large egg yolks, 4 to 5 tablespoons ice cold water
  • Mix with a flat knife until the mixture starts to come together, then using your hands, press the mixture into a flat disk. Add the 5th tablespoon of water if necessary.
  • Place the dough in a plastic bag, or cover with clingfilm and leave in the refrigerator for half an hour to rest.

Apple pie

  • Pre-heat the oven to 190°C / 375°F
  • Peel and core the apples. Then slice them into approximately ¼" slices and rinse them in a bowl of cold water mixed with the juice of half a lemon.
    3 to 4 large crispy apples, juice of half a lemon in a bowl of water
  • Remove the apples from the water and pat dry on a paper towel.
  • Place the apples in a bowl and mix them with the sugar and cinnamon, making sure to coat each apple slice.
    3 – 4 tablespoons / 40 – 50 grams granulated sugar, 1 – 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • Melt the butter in the microwave and pour half onto the base of a 10" pie dish.
    2 ounces / 60 grams butter
  • Arrange layers of the sliced sugared apples neatly in the pie dish. Drizzle the remaining melted butter over the top of the apples.
  • Roll the pastry into a circular shape approximately ⅛" thick and use this to cover the apples in the dish.
  • Trim the edges of the pastry and press the pastry down onto the rim of the pie dish.
  • Make small slits in the pastry with a sharp knife to allow the steam to escape.
  • Place the pie dish on a flat baking sheet (to catch any drips should the juices overflow) and bake for 20 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Then place an inverted dinner plate or serving dish over the apple pie and flip it over. Remove the pie dish, taking care not to disturb the apples.
  • Allow to rest for half an hour to give the juices time to soak into the pastry, then serve with either ice cream or thick whipped cream.

Notes

This amount of pastry will be too much for the apple pie.  I have only included this recipe in case you would like to make your own pastry.  You can use shop-bought shortcrust pastry if you prefer. 
You can either halve the recipe to make a smaller amount, or store any leftover pastry in the fridge, in a plastic bag, for up to 3 days. 
The number of apples you will need will depend on the size of your baking dish.  You need sufficient apples to made a 3-deep layer of  apple slices.
The quantities of sugar and cinnamon will depend on the amount of apples you use to make this pie – use your own judgement, according to your own taste.
Calories have been calculated on the assumption that this pie will be cut into 8 pieces.

Nutrition

Calories – 362kcal | Carbohydrates – 46.2g | Protein – 4.4g | Fat – 18.9g | Saturated Fat – 11.3g | Cholesterol – 98mg | Sodium – 273mg | Potassium – 170mg | Fiber – 4g | Sugar – 17.8g | Calcium – 23mg | Iron – 2mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
Tried this recipe?If you made this recipe I’d love it if you could leave me a comment and let me know how it went!
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

If you made this recipe and enjoyed it, I’d love it if you could give me a star rating in the comments below. And if you’d like to get in touch, you can email me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you. And don’t forget to subscribe to my mailing list so you can grab yourself a copy of my FREE COOKBOOK!

If you’d like to continue browsing, just click on this link to all my recipes.

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Yummly
  • Twitter
  • Whatsapp

Filed Under: All Recipes, Cakes, Cookies and Desserts

About VJ

In my previous life, I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, and you'll probably find a little South African influence creeping in due to the many years I spent there.

Previous Post: « Homemade crusty Portuguese rolls (Papo Secos)
Next Post: Quick and easy vetkoek – with 2-ingredient dough »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to the Foodle Club

Hi, I'm VJ. Welcome to my little kitchen. Step inside and browse my collection of recipes collected over the years. More →

Lets Connect

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter


See my Privacy Policy and Disclaimer

By subscribing you consent to receiving the Foodle Club newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest updates

Close up of a pan of Thai red curry sprinkled with coriander.

Thai red curry with chicken and prawns

A dish of sage and onion sausage stuffing balls with one cut in half.

Sage and onion stuffing with sausage meat

Close up of a lancashire hotpot showing the lamb under the potatoes.

Traditional Lancashire Hotpot (lamb hotpot)

5 vol-au-vents on a wooden plank.

How to make vol-au-vents

Easy steak and kidney pie with puff pastry

A roasted leg of lamb being carved into slices.

Minted Roast leg of lamb – with homemade gravy

Footer


See my Privacy Policy and Disclaimer

By subscribing you consent to receiving the Foodle Club newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time but the books will still be yours to keep.

In my previous life, I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, and you'll probably find a little South African influence creeping in due to the many years I spent there.

Copyright © 2023 Foodleclub.com