Individual Apple Upside-down Cakes

 

Cake Ingredients:           

  • 3 Tbsp. butter, melted
  • 3 Tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar
  • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 4 mdm. (approx. 2 ¼-in. diameter) unpeeled, cored Cameo apples, sliced ½-inch thick
  • ¼ cup dried Michigan tart cherries
  • 1 box dry yellow cake mix
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup apple juice
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 ½ cups plain granola, finely crushed

Topping Ingredients:     

  • ¾ cup caramel ice cream topping
  • ¾ cup prepared whipped topping

Preparation:

Preheat standard oven to 350° F.  Spray 12 4 ½-inch muffin cups with baking spray with flour.

For cake, combine butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Divide mixture evenly between 12 muffin cups.  Place one apple slice over butter mixture on bottom of each muffin cup pressing firmly into cup.  Fill center with cherries.

Combine cake mix, sour cream, apple juice, oil and eggs in bowl of mixer fitted with paddle attachment.   Mix on low speed 30 seconds.  Scrape bottom and sides of bowl.  Beat on medium speed 3 minutes, scraping bottom and sides of bowl occasionally.  Scoop batter into each muffin cup.  Sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons crushed granola, lightly pressing into batter.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes.  Run a thin metal spatula around edge of each cake.  Carefully invert onto cooling rack.  Cool completely.

When ready to serve, drizzle each cake with 1 Tbsp. caramel topping and top with 1 Tbsp. whipped topping.