Upside-Down Apple and Walnut Spice Cake

Ingredients

• 1 small apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1 cup all-purpose white wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened or no-trans-fat tub margarine
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 2 small apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
• ¼ cup walnuts, lightly roasted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray; line the bottom of pan with parchment paper.
2. Place apple slices in medium bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon sugar; set aside.
3. In large bowl sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.
4. In another bowl cream together sugar and butter/margarine until smooth. Add vanilla; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, to mixture; mix until smooth. Add chopped apples; mix with spatula to blend.  Spoon flour-spice mixture into apple-sugar-butter mixture; mix well with spatula.
5. Place reserved apple slices on bottom of prepared pan; sprinkle with walnuts. Spoon batter over apples and walnuts; smooth batter with spoon. Bake 30 minutes or until firm in center; remove and cool on wire rack. Insert knife around edges to dislodge cake from pan; quickly turn pan upside down over serving plate. Slice with serrated knife to serve.

Makes 8 servings.