Ingredients:
- 1/4 C. butter
- 1/3 C. (packed) brown sugar
- 1/2 t.. ground ginger
- 4 large Granny Smith apples (about 28 oz.), peeled, quartered, cored, cut into
- 1/2-inch-thick wedges
- 3 T. minced crystallized ginger

For cake:
- 1/3 C. minced crystallized ginger
- 4 T. plus 1 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
- 1 t. baking powder
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1 C. (packed) brown sugar
- 6 T. butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 t. vanilla extract
- 1/4 C. whole milk
- 1 C. chilled whipping cream
- 2 T. sugar
- 1/4 t. ground ginger
Make topping:
- Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350° F. Butter
9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides. Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar and cook until mixture bubbles, about 3 minutes. - Remove from heat. Stir in ground ginger. Pour mixture into prepared pan, spreading with spatula to distribute evenly. Tightly overlap apples atop sugar mixture, making 2 layers of apples. Sprinkle crystallized ginger atop apples.
Make cake:
- Mix crystallized ginger with 1 tablespoon flour in small bowl. Sift
1 1/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. - Using electric mixer, beat brown sugar and butter in large bowl until light and creamy.
- Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in vanilla. Mix in sifted dry ingredients alternately with milk. Stir in ginger mixture. Spoon batter atop apples in pan.
- Bake cake until brown on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool cake in pan on rack 15 minutes.
- Whip cream, 2 tablespoons sugar and ground ginger in another medium bowl to soft peaks.
- Run small knife around edges of pan to loosen cake. Place platter over cake and invert cake onto platter.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with cream. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover cake; let stand at room temperature. Cover and chill cream.)