Upside Down Blood Orange Cake Recipes

BLOOD ORANGE OLIVE OIL UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease a round loose-bottomed 9-inch (23-centimeter) cake pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and water to make a thick paste. Spread this thinly and evenly onto the base of the cake pan and set aside.
• Zest 1 orange and add this to a large bowl with the superfine sugar. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingertips until the zest is evenly distributed. Set aside.
• Slice both oranges as thinly as you can with the skin on and arrange the slices on top of the brown sugar base in the cake pan. You can cut some of the slices in half to create a different pattern and to fill in all the gaps.
• Add the yogurt to the bowl with the superfine sugar and whisk briefly to combine. Whisk in the eggs and olive oil. Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until smooth. Gently pour the batter on top of the orange slices, being careful not to disturb the oranges underneath.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sponge is firm to the touch and golden brown. Leave the cake in its pan to cool completely before attempting to turn it upside down. Serve with creme fraiche.

UPSIDE-DOWN BLOOD ORANGE AND ROSEMARY OLIVE OIL CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Combine the brown sugar, butter, rosemary and the finely grated zest of 1 blood orange (about 1 teaspoon) in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the butter is melted, the sugar has dissolved and the mixture comes to a full boil, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and use an offset spatula to spread evenly (it's OK if the caramel looks grainy).
• Finely grate the zest of 1 blood orange into a large bowl and set aside. Cut the ends off 3 of the blood oranges, then remove the skin in strips working to expose the flesh all the way around the fruit. Slice the oranges into 1/8-inch-thick rounds and remove any seeds. Arrange the slices over the brown sugar in the pan, overlapping them slightly as needed so that no sugar can be seen. Set aside.
• Add 1 cup of the granulated sugar and the olive oil to the bowl with the orange zest and whisk to combine. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until lightened, about 4 minutes. Add the flour, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt and mix until just combined, about 1 minute. Slowly pour in the milk and continue whisking until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is incorporated.
• Carefully pour the batter over the orange slices in the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool slightly, about 30 minutes. Run a small knife or offset spatula around the edge of the cake to loosen. Invert a large plate or serving platter on top of the pan and flip to unmold. Let cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment. Juice half of the remaining orange (save the other half for another use). Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons of the blood orange juice and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to a small saucepan and stir with a heatproof rubber spatula or wooden spoon to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture turns rust colored around the edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and fold in the pistachios until well coated and shiny. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet, breaking up any large clumps with a wooden spoon and allow to dry completely, about 15 minutes.
• Chop or crush the candied pistachios with a heavy glass to break up any larger pieces. Sprinkle the pistachios around the rim of the cake before serving.

BLOOD ORANGE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE RECIPE - (4.5/5)

Steps:

• You can bake this cake either in a cast-iron skillet or in a 9" x 3" round cake pan. In a 350°F preheated oven, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter and the brown sugar in a 9" heavy round cake pan (or cast iron skillet). This should take 5 minutes. Spread the butter sugar mixture with a silicone spatula to cover the bottom of the tin. (I sprayed the side of the pan with Baker's Joy non-stick spray as insurance that the cake wouldn't stick.) Lay the thinly sliced oranges on top of this mixture in the pan. Overlap them, because they do shrink after baking. (2-3 oranges should be enough.) Set the cake pan aside while making the batter. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cornmeal and salt) in a large bowl. In another bowl, beat the sugar with butter, vanilla, zest and eggs. Add the juice and oil (and pure orange oil, if using) last and mix together. Add the wet to the dry and mix to form a nice batter. Pour the batter onto the pan over the orange slices in the butter/sugar mixture. Use an off-set spatula to evenly spread the batter. Bake for 45 minutes. Let the cake rest for only 5 minutes in the pan (you may need to run a knife around the edges). Invert onto a cooling rack and tap lightly to release. (My cake released beautifully, but some cake stuck where I had not overlapped enough orange slices.) Allow to cool (though I sliced into mine while just barely warm). This cake is tender and flavorful served warm or at room temperature.