Upside Down Apple Cinnamon Roll Cake is like a giant cinnamon roll, only better! It has a cream cheese filling, ooey-gooey homemade caramel sauce and fresh apples on top. Serve it up for breakfast or brunch, or simply as a dessert or snack. It’s so delicious and comforting – perfect for fall baking season!
Upside Down Apple Cinnamon Roll Cake
This Upside Down Apple Cinnamon Roll Cake is made with refrigerated crescent roll dough, so it means less work from the start. For this recipe you’ll also use peeled and sliced fresh apples, no need to cook them first. Although, the recipe calls for homemade caramel sauce, no worries! It’s done in just 5 minutes!
So let’s start making this yummilicious upside down giant cinnamon roll!
How to Make Upside Down Apple Cinnamon Roll Cake:
First make caramel sauce. In a saucepan over medium heat melt ¾ cup butter, add ¼ cup heavy cream, then stir in sugar, salt, corn syrup and vanilla. Then let it boil for 2-3 minutes until it starts thickening. Save half of the caramel for serving and pour remaining sauce in prepared pan. Let it cool slightly before start arranging apples in the bottom of the pan.
Peel 2-3 apples and cut in ¼ inch thick slices, then arrange apples over caramel sauce. They will sink in caramel, but that’s OK!
Next melt 2 Tablespoons butter and set aside.
Make cinnamon-sugar combining 1/3 cup of light brown sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Feel free to add more cinnamon to taste.
To make cream cheese filling, mix cream cheese with ¼ cup sugar and vanilla and set aside.
Now open tubes of refrigerated crescent rolls or crescent dough sheet. If using crescent rolls pinch the perforation to seal it well.
On the first sheet of crescent dough spread cream cheese mixture. Top it with second crescent dough sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Tap it gently with your hands so it will stick better to the butter and make the next step easier.
Next, cut the stripes 1-inch wide maximum. If the stripes are too wide, the cake will be too tall and overflow the pan and won’t cook completely in the center, too.
Now comes the hardest part of the work. I suggest you place the dough for a few minutes in the freezer, to cool it slightly and make it easier to roll.
Roll one stripe in the spiral and place in the center of the pan. Gently lift second stripe and wrap around the center. Continue adding the strips around the roll, starting each additional strip where the last one ended in the roll. Don’t wrap it to tightly, because the dough need space to spread while rising during baking process or it will stay raw in the center.
Oven Baked Apple Cake Recipe
When ready to bake preheat the oven to 350 F and place the pan on a large baking sheet lined with paper, because the caramel might bubble and leak from the pan.
This cake will need about 1 hour-1 hour and 15 minutes to bake. The top will probably start browning too much so tent it loosely with aluminum foil. After baking, cool it for 30 minutes in the pan before inverting on a serving plate.
When ready to serve reheat the caramel sauce if it’s to thick and drizzle on top of each slice.
Enjoy!
This party-sized, giant cinnamon roll is super gooey and comforting! It’s sure to wow your guests this fall!
If you like this Upside Down Apple Cinnamon Roll Cake recipe you will also like this amazing apple desserts:
Are you ready for fall baking? Cinnamon Apple Crumb Cake is the perfect dessert for crisp weather coming up.
Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll Lasagna is fun and delicious combo of classic caramel apple pie and yummy cinnamon rolls. This awesome fall treat is delicious dessert, but it is great idea for easy breakfast casserole, too.
Apple Pie Muffins with Streusel Crumbs are easy and delicious fall dessert, snack or breakfast treat.
PrintUpside Down Apple Cinnamon Roll Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
- Yield: serves 10 1x
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Upside Down Apple Cinnamon Roll Cake is like a giant cinnamon roll, only better! It has a cream cheese filling, ooey-gooey homemade caramel sauce and fresh apples on top. Serve it up for breakfast or brunch, or simply as a dessert or snack. It’s so delicious and comforting – perfect for fall baking season!
Ingredients
- 2 x 8 oz. refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or crescent dough sheets
- 2 Tablespoons butter-melted and slightly cooled
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 8 oz. cream cheese-softened
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For Caramel Sauce:
- ¾ cup butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 Teaspoons light corn syrup
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2–3 apples-peeled and cut in ¼ inch slices
Instructions
- Spray 9 x 2-inch round cake pan with non-stick spray, line the bottom with circle of parchment paper, then spray the paper and set aside.
- To make the caramel, in a saucepan over medium heat melt ¾ cup butter, add heavy cream, then stir in sugar, salt, corn syrup and vanilla. Stir until sugar dissolve. Let it boil for 2-3 minutes until it starts thickening. Pour half of the sauce in prepared pan and reserve remaining caramel for serving.
- Melt 2 Tablespoons butter and set aside.
- In a small bowl whisk together 1/3 cup light brown sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon and set aside.
- Mix cream cheese, ¼ cup sugar and vanilla and set aside.
- Arrange sliced apples in the bottom of the pan in caramel sauce.
- On a parchment paper lightly dusted with flour, spread 1 crescent dough sheet and set aside. If using crescent rolls, seal the perforation to make 1 large rectangle.
- Repeat the process with second tube of crescent dough. Spread cream cheese mixture over the first crescent dough rectangle.
- Top cream cheese layer with second crescent dough rectangle. Brush with 2 Tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Gently tap with your hands to stick cinnamon sugar to the dough. Using a pizza cuter or a sharp knife cut 1-inch wide stripes.
- Roll one stripe in the spiral and place in the center of the pan. Gently lift second stripe and wrap around the center. Continue adding the strips around the roll, starting each additional strip where the last one ended in the roll. Don’t wrap it to tightly, because the dough need space to spread while rising during baking process or it will stay raw.
- Place the pan on a large baking sheet lined with paper, because the caramel might bubble and leak from the pan.
- Bake 60-75 minutes at 350 F, until the center has cooked completely. If it starts browning too much tent the top with aluminum foil.
- Cool in the pan for 30 minutes before invert on a plate to cool completely. When ready to serve, reheat reserved caramel and drizzle on top.
21 comments
Sweet Heavens !
So excited to try! What temp does it bake at? Thanks!
Hi Samantha, bake at 350 F.
Absolutely delicious! I used 2 apples. Used a “baking spray” so I didn’t use the parchment paper. The cream cheese part made it super yummy. I’ll definitely be making this again!
hey,
I have read this blog your information is really helpful for recipes and this recipe of apple cinnamon roll cake is really amazing
Thanks for sharing information!
Great Work!
Keep it up!
Love getting the recipe you have great pictures it makes it more appealing thank you
[…] From: OMG Chocolate Desserts […]
YUM! Can you use the jarred Caramel Sauce that goes over ice cream?
Thanks!
Can I put this together the night before and refrigerate it overnight and bake it the next day?
Can this be made ahead and baked the next day?
Hi Kim, I’m not sure about that.
Wow what a cake
Can I use puff pastry for the dough..
Thanks! I think it could work, too. Just don’t wrap it too tightly, it needs a space to spread while baking or it will be more cooked, than baked.
What size pan did you use?
When I print the recipe, it leaves off Step 1!
[…] 5. Upside Down Apple Cinnamon Cake […]
I have made this so many time now it’s a definite crowd pleaser! I will say stick to that 1inch thick strip or it may not fill out the pan! Making it again this weekend!
I made an apple as per the recipe and also a raspberry cream cheese. I did not flip this one but left it as is and drizzled with sweetened condensed milk when served.
It was definitely thinner than I was hoping for but excited to dig in! We used a spring pan to make it easier. Looks delicious!!!
If I make the upside down apple cinnamon roll and put in a container does it have to be refrigerated before cutting
I can’t wait to get baking