I was asked to participate in the #iloveambrosia campaign as a member of the Healthy Aperture Blogger Network. I was compensated for my time and was gifted a dozen Ambrosia apples.
Hi friends! Well little ol’ me turns another year older today! Yep, it’s my birthday! I will follow in my mom and grandmother’s footsteps and not reveal my age, but let’s just say I am still in my 30s!
I love a good birthday celebration, but this year isn’t going to be too exciting. My hubby just returned from a quick work trip to Korea, but he’ll be at the office all day and I will be doing my normal routine. We will probably go out to dinner tonight or this weekend to celebrate.
I am a firm believer that everyone needs to have cake on their birthday. For me, it’s almost always chocolate. But I was inspired to make an apple upside-down cake with the beautiful Ambrosia Apples I received. I also wanted to challenge myself to make it gluten free. I have a pantry stocked with all the gluten free flours out there- coconut, almond, rice, oat flour, to name a few, so I love putting them to good use.
So what’s special about Ambrosia apples? Well I’ll tell you.
They are the new kid on the block when it comes to apples, only 10 years old and they originated from a chance seedling in a orchard in Canada, unlike a lot of other apples that were born from cross-cultivating different varieties. Ambrosia apples are picked at the peak of maturity based on starch levels rather than external color so they tend to be blemish free, allowing them to be graded at the highest standards.
Let me tell you, they are delicious. My kids will eat apples every day which I love because it’s the easiest fruit- grab and go or slice and go. Even baby E will chow down on an apple core. So it was hard to hold everyone off until I was done with my recipe creating!
So what did everyone think?
Flavor and Appearance– Ambrosia apples have a distinct honey flavor and pretty red/yellow skin. They are one of the sweetest apples out there!
Texture– Ambrosia apples are crisp and juicy and have a nice crunchy texture. Exactly what you’d want in an apple.
Cooking– I already mentioned naturally sweet so you can get by using a little less sugar in your recipes. They are also slow to oxidize so they won’t turn brown as quickly as other apples. This makes them a great pick for a cheese and fruit platter or in salads. They also retain their shape well so make a great apple for baking tarts or pies.
All apples are very nutritious. They are a good source of fiber (~4 grams) and vitamin C (~15% of the RDA from one apple) and they’re heart healthy! They are known to reduce LDL cholesterol which in turn reduces the risk of heart disease. A medium-sized apple is 100 calories and with the natural sweetness found in Ambrosia apples, it’s a great snack option you’ve got a sweet craving.
You can find these beauties in most major supermarkets nationwide, as well as many independent stores. Most major supermarket chains carry Ambrosias from November through March. During the spring and summer months these apples are often imported into the United States from Chile and New Zealand. If you don’t see then in your local market, just ask the produce manager to stock them for you!
You don’t need to be celebrating a birthday in order to make yourself a cake. My son rated it a 9 1/2 out of 10 so I guess that means I’ll be making it again!
Thanks for stopping by friends, now I am off to eat some cake and blow out some candles!
Ambrosia Apple Upside-Down Cake {Gluten Free} #iloveambrosia via @nutritiouseats
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- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into thin slices ~ ¼ inch
- ½ cup oat flour
- ½ cup brown rice flour
- ⅓ cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9 inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Coat in cooking spray and set aside. In a small saucepan melt the butter, add the brown sugar and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, add cinnamon.
- Place one layer of apples in the cake pan. Pour caramel sauce over layer one and top with remaining apples. Set aside.
- In a medium size bowl combine flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
- In a large bowl, using an hand held electric mixer on medium speed beat together butter with ¾ cup sugar, add oil and continue to mix until fluffy. Add in eggs and vanilla.
- Stir in dry ingredients, alternating with buttermilk, ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth. Pour cake batter over apple mixture in prepared cake pan. Bake for 43 minutes at 325 or until toothpick comes out clean, covering with foil for the last 10 minutes,
- Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Take a knife and run it along the edges of the cake to loosen it, place a serving plate over the cake pan and flip it over, giving a good tap to the bottom of the cake pan to loosen the cake. Remove parchment paper. Let cool a little longer. Serve with ice cream of whipped cream.
What kind of flavor of birthday cake do you like on your birthday?
The post Ambrosia Apple Upside-Down Cake {Gluten Free} appeared first on Nutritious Eats.
