Giant Upside Down Apple Pancake

There are 4 words I never thought I would hear in the same sentence:

‘Thirty Thousand’

and

‘Deck quote’

We had a decking company do a quote on our deck because we wanted a professional’s opinion on whether we should replace the 25 year old deck beams. We were also just curious what kind of quote they would give us to replace the deck!

‘We quoted your deck install at roughly thirty thousand.’

This is the moment where you laugh nervously like a crazy person.

‘Hahah, I think the phone line is cutting out because I thought you said THIRTY thousand!!’

‘It is thirty thousand. THREE. ZERO.’

Awkward.

We want to replace our old deck, but we don’t want to have to sell the house and live under it! Silly people. We had a second quote at 30k too. #fail. We also found out that we have to replace the beams because they are rotting!

It looks like we will be doing it DIY style like we always do. Nothing like a decking company to get your head out of the clouds! lol.

However, I baked something that was so good it made me forget all about the deck stuff. Food is wonderful like that. Sometimes, it’s so good it induces you into a food coma and you are just sitting there at the table in your own blissful trance oblivious to the world around you.

This was one of those moments.

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Giant Upside Down Apple Pancake

Adapted from Diet, Dessert, & Dogs.

Yield: 4 slices

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet apple, peeled, cored and cut in thin slices
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp Sucanat (or brown sugar)
• 1/3 cup mashed banana (1 medium banana)
• 1/2 cup  unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp ground flaxseeds OR 1 tsp finely ground chia seeds
• 3/4 cup non-dairy milk
• 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp raw buckwheat flour (I processed raw buckwheat groats into flour) OR oat flour (process rolled oats into flour)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a 10 inch springform pan or pie plate with a circle of parchment paper; then grease both the pan and the paper to prevent sticking.

2. In a small bowl, combine the apple, cinnamon and Sucanat (or brown sugar).  Toss with a spoon until all the slices are coated. Place the slices in a single layer over the bottom of the pan.

3. In a medium bowl, mash the banana. Now whisk together the mashed banana, applesauce, vanilla, maple syrup, milk, and ground flax/chia until combined. In a large bowl, sift together the remaining ingredients. Add the wet mixture and stir until well combined.  Pour batter over the apples and smooth.

4. Bake the pancake at 350F for about 40-45 minutes until the top is golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.  Once cool, run a knife along the outside edge of the pancake to loosen it. Remove spring form. Place a plate on top of the cake and gently flip over. Remove parchment from the apples. Serve with your desired toppings.

Approx. Nutritional info (makes 4 slices, per slice): 202 kcals, 2 grams fat, 39 grams carbs, 5 grams fibre, 21 grams sugar, 4 grams protein.

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There are also three words I never thought I would hear in reference to food:

‘Upside Down’

and

‘Pancake’

But, am I ever glad I did!

I first saw Ricki’s recipe for an upside down pancake over a YEAR and a half ago and I have been dying to make it ever since. I have no idea why it took me so long!

I made a few changes to Ricki’s original recipe, and I was almost certain it would be a flop, but it was nothing of the sort!

Changes I made to original recipe:

1) I used 1/3 cup of mashed banana instead of the 1/3 cup of cashew butter (I wanted to keep the calories lower while increasing the serving size).

2) I omitted the almond extract.

3) Instead of using brown rice flour, coconut flour, and oat flour, I used 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp raw buckwheat flour made from processed buckwheat groats inspired by Ashley’s Buckwheat bakes! I would imagine that many different flours might work. I would suggest using oat flour (made from processed rolled oats) if you don’t use buckwheat.

4) I cut baking powder down to 2 tsp.

I was going to use my tart pan, but I was worried that it would leak through the bottom, so I used a spring form cakepan instead (I think it was 10 inch).

Here are the beautiful apple slices coated with cinnamon and Sucanat (or you can use brown sugar):

After baking, cooling, and flipping, peel back the parchment layer to reveal the gooey apple layer!

A Gorgeous and Giant pancake!! The pancake is about 10 inches in diametre and 1/2-3/4 inch thick.

It tastes amazing on its own and I loved eating it plain, but this strawberry jam took it over the top.

This morning I had some fresh juice, Japanese Sencha, and 1.5 slices of the giant pancake. I just ate the pancake cold straight from the fridge and I loved every bite.

In the juice: 2-3 carrots, 1/2 grapefruit, 1 lemon, 2 beets, 1/2 cucumber.

The banana and applesauce work wonderfully to replace oil in this pancake. It was not the least bit dry, and I found that I didn’t need any maple syrup on top thanks to the gooey apple topping. :)

Two GIANT thumbs up!