Upside-Down Pancake Cake with Apples and Speculoos (Pan-Fried)
Upside-Down Pancake Cake with Apples and Speculoos (Pan-Fried) is a medium French recipe that serves 4. 350 calories per serving. Recipe by Hervé Cuisine on YouTube.
Prep: 15 min | Cook: 20 min | Total: 45 min
Cost: $3.20 total, $0.80 per serving
Ingredients
- 2 pcs Apples (Golden variety) (peeled and sliced)
- 30 g White sugar (for caramel)
- 30 g Sea-salted butter (for caramel)
- 15 ml Heavy cream (for caramel)
- 0.5 g Fleur de sel (a pinch)
- 2 pcs Eggs (separate whites from yolks)
- 120 ml Milk
- 1 c. à café Ground cinnamon
- 1 c. à café Baking powder
- 100 g All-purpose flour
- 60 g Speculoos (30 g in the batter, 30 g for decoration)
- 2 slices Brioche bread (optional) (cut into large pieces, to be sautéed in the caramel)
Instructions
Prepare the caramel
In the small saucepan, pour the sugar and let it melt over low heat without stirring. As soon as it turns golden, add the sea-salted butter, a pinch of fleur de sel, then the heavy cream. Stir gently until you obtain a smooth sauce.
Time: PT3M
Temperature: low heat
Caramelize the apples
Add the apple slices (and the brioche bread if using) to the caramel. Reduce the heat slightly and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender and lightly golden.
Time: PT5M
Temperature: low heat
Separate the eggs
Separate the egg whites from the yolks into two different bowls.
Time: PT3M
Prepare the pancake batter (yolk portion)
In the bowl containing the yolks, add the milk, cinnamon, baking powder, a pinch of fleur de sel and the flour. Whisk until you obtain a homogeneous batter, without lumps.
Time: PT5M
Whisk the egg whites
Using a whisk, beat the egg whites until you obtain firm and glossy peaks.
Time: PT5M
Fold in the whites and speculoos
Break the speculoos by hand to obtain irregular pieces. Add 30 g of speculoos to the batter, then gently fold the beaten egg whites using a spatula, lifting the mixture to avoid breaking them.
Time: PT2M
Cook first side
Pour the batter over the caramelized apples in the pan, distribute the remaining speculoos pieces on top. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes until the edges are set and the surface is firm.
Time: PT10M
Temperature: low heat
Flip the cake
Heat a second pan over medium heat. Carefully slide the cake (using the spatula) onto the new pan, apple side up. Cook an additional 5 minutes until the top side is golden and the cake releases easily.
Time: PT5M
Temperature: medium heat
Garnish and serve
Sprinkle the top with a few extra speculoos pieces for texture. Serve immediately, warm or at room temperature.
Time: PT2M
Nutrition Facts
- Calories
- 350
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbohydrates
- 45 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
Dietary info: vegetarian, contains gluten, contains dairy, low-calorie
Allergens: eggs, milk, gluten, butter, speculoos (contains wheat and milk)
Last updated: April 7, 2026






