Upside Down Orange Cake
This Upside Down orange cake is visually stunning, and is a light, refreshing dessert. A layer of caramelized orange slices are baked below a moist, fluffy orange cake. After baking, the cake is inverted to reveal beautiful vibrant orange slices. The cake is the perfect balance of sweet and tart from the bright, zesty oranges and soft, buttery cake.
Upside Down Orange Cake
Description
This Upside-Down orange cake is visually stunning, and is a light, refreshing dessert. A layer of caramelized orange slices are baked below a moist, fluffy orange cake. After baking, the cake is inverted to reveal beautiful vibrant orange slices. The cake is the perfect balance of sweet and tart from the bright, zesty oranges and soft, buttery cake.
Ingredients
Oranges
- Blood orange, thinly sliced
- Cara cara orange, thinly sliced
- Navel orange, thinly sliced
- Mandarin, thinly sliced
- 2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
Cake
- Juice and zest from 2 oranges (1/2 cup orange juice)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
1. Candy the orange slices. In a medium size saucepan, add 2 cups water plus 1 ½ cups sugar. Cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add in the cara cara orange, navel orange and mandarin orange slices. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove orange slices and place in a single layer on a piece of parchment paper, until ready to use.
Using the same water, add the blood orange slices. Simmer for 10 minutes. You can add all orange slices together, but to keep the colors crisp, I prefer to do the blood orange slices separate. Remove from water and set aside in a single layer on a piece of parchment paper.
2. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9-inch cake pan with a circular piece of parchment paper on the bottom. Spray the sides of the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Arrange the orange slices. Arrange the orange slices in the bottom of the pan. I did a row of blood orange slices, cara cara orange slices, navel orange slices, then mandarin slices.
4. Make the cake. In a large bowl, add the zest of the oranges with the granulated sugar. Use your fingertips to rub the orange zest into the sugar (this helps release the natural orange flavor from the zest). Add in the orange juice, butter, eggs, Greek yogurt, and milk. Whisk to combine.
5. Add in the sifted flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Stir just until combined.
6. Pour batter over top of orange slices.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Allow cake to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert out onto serving plate. Serve and enjoy!
