This quick to make Easy Blood Orange Upside-Down Cake celebrates beauty of this fabulous citrus fruit. Impressive & delicious, moist, not overly sweet and with lovely citrussy tang, this cake is perfect with a nice cup of tea!
Don't you just love the look of upside-down cakes? I think they are visually quite pleasing and thought it was time that one appeared on the blog. It didn't take me long to choose the fruit to bake with. If you've been following my blog for a while you know about my slight obsession with blood oranges and what better fruits to use here! With their lovely reddish hue they really make this cake not only delicious but also really impressive!
What's so fantastic about this cake?
- It's quick to make so perfect for when friends or family make last minute call informing you about their descent on your abode and you've literally got couple of hours before they show up!
- It is really easy too and you don't even need a mixer as couple of bowls, whisk and spatula will do the job! You can use the mixer if you want to of course.
- This cake makes perfect accompaniment to cup of tea but serve it with real vanilla ice cream and you've got yourself a gorgeous dessert!
- The flavours here are really subtle and you get most of your citrus hit from the fruity top with very gentle notes and sweetness from the rest of the cake.
- I absolutely love the look of it, so so pretty!
Should I peel my blood oranges for upside-down cake or not?
It really is up to you! You could simply slice the orange thinly as is leaving the peel intact or you could do what I did and peel the orange prior to slicing it. The peel might give you a slight taste of bitterness on this occasion and as this cake isn't overly sweet I've opted for removing it (although from the visual point of view unpeeled orange slices look a bit nicer).
If you'd rather keep the peel for visual effect, increase the sugar in your topping to counteract the bitterness.
How do I peel an orange for upside-down cake?
Peeling an orange for using in this cake really is quite easy and my step-by-step photo tutorial should help you further.
- Cut both ends of your orange and stand it flat on one of them.
- Using a small serrated blade knife (I use this Fiskars Tomato Knife*) take the peel off your orange by running the knife gently from the top of the cut end to the bottom. This way you take off the strips of the peel as you move down the side of the orange.
- Peeling the orange this way already removes most of the white and bitter pith but once you've taken the peel off make sure you tidy the orange nicely by gently cutting what's left of it.
- Once peeled, slice the orange nice and thin removing any seeds that might be lurking in there.
Tips and tricks you might find useful when baking Easy Blood Orange Upside-Down Cake!
- As you need a zest of one whole blood orange in this cake you might want to zest one before peeling it and then proceed with removing the remains of the peel and pith as per above step-by-step instructions.
- Make sure you check your orange slices for any seeds that are trying to hide. You wouldn't like to bite into one of those!
- There might be a little leakage once the orange slices release their juices (not much mind you) so unless you are using the cake tin with drip-proof edge (this is the one I use* and love) you might want to put your tin on top of baking sheet to catch any leaks.
- When you are left with the small end slices of the orange, make sure you put them on top of sugar with their better looking side down. This will be the side visible after turning the cake upside-down!
- The cake batter needs very little mixing (only until all the ingredients are incorporated) so make sure you take care and don't overmix it (especially if using standing mixer).
- Make sure you turn the cake out onto the plate or cooling rack whilst it's still warm (max 5 minutes after you take it out of the oven). This way it won't stick to the bottom of the tin.
Can I adapt this upside-down cake in any way?
There are few ways you could adapt this cake:
Yogurt could be substituted with buttermilk or even sour cream.
Try swapping some of the plain (all-purpose flour) for ground almonds for that orange-almond flavour combo which works so well. Half and half or slightly higher ratio of ground almonds would work well here.
If you are struggling to source blood oranges or they are out of season, use the ones that are available.
How to store Easy Blood Orange Upside-Down Cake?
This cake is best eaten within 2 days of baking (trust me, 2 days are all you need to polish it off especially with some help) and can be stored well covered in room temperature.
Easy Blood Orange Upside-Down Cake - Step-By-Step
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- 1. Grease your cake tin all over and line the bottom with baking paper.
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- 2. Distribute demerara or coconut sugar evenly on the bottom of the cake tin.
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- 3. Arrange orange slices on top of the sugar.
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- 4.In a large bowl or bowl of your standing mixer measure out flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and caster sugar and give it a quick mix with a whisk or paddle attachment (if using standing mixer).
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- 5. Add grated zest of one blood orange to the dry mix.
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- 6. In a separate bowl measure out the yogurt, add lightly whisked eggs...
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- 7. ...melted butter...
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- 8. ...and orange juice. Give these a little mix.
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- 9. Make a well in the middle of your dry ingredients and add the yogurt mixture.
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- 10. Mix gently until all the ingredients are well incorporated but only just. Take care not to overmix (especially when using standing mixer). Your cake batter will be pretty stiff and lumpy.
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- 11. Pour cake batter on top of your orange slices .
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- 12. Once ready pop it in the preheated oven 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 35-40min.
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- 13. Take the cake out of the oven and let it stand for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a plate or cooling rack...
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- 14. ...and gently peeling off the layer of baking paper.
Easy Blood Orange Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients
- 2 blood oranges peeled and thinly sliced (seeds removed if any)
- 85 g demerara or coconut sugar
- 400 g plain (all-purpose) flour
- 160 g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs lightly whisked
- 375 ml full fat natural yogurt
- 170 g unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
- zest of one whole blood orange
- 2 tablespoon fresh blood orange juice
- oil or butter for coating the tin
26cm/10" round cake tin greased with butter or oil and bottom lined with baking paper (I used a springform with drip-proof edge that prevents juice from leaking out - see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.
- Peel and thinly slice two blood oranges (see step-by-step instructions).
- Distribute demerara or coconut sugar evenly on the bottom of the cake tin and arrange orange slices on top (they can overlap slightly). Make sure you put orange slices "neat cut" side down as they will be visible once the cake is turned upside-down.
- In a large bowl or bowl of your standing mixer measure out flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and caster sugar and give it a quick mix with a whisk or paddle attachment (if using standing mixer).
- In a separate bowl measure out the yogurt, add lightly whisked eggs, followed by melted butter and orange juice. Give these a little mix.
- Make a well in the middle of your dry ingredients and add the yogurt mixture. Mix gently until all the ingredients are well incorporated but only just. Take care not to overmix (especially when using standing mixer). Your cake batter will be pretty stiff and lumpy (very similar to American style pancake batter).
- Pour cake batter on top of your orange slices (make sure you do it gently not to mess up your neatly arranged fruit).
- Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until nice and golden and the cake starts coming away from the sides of the tin.
- Take the cake out of the oven and let it stand for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a plate or cooling rack and gently peeling off the layer of baking paper. Let it cool and serve!
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate, per slice and should be treated as a guideline only.
- I use this ceramic springform with drip-proof edge which prevents the juice from the orange from leaking out. If you are using standard cake tin, place it on top of baking sheet to catch any leaks.
Nutrition
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Some other blood orange & citrus recipes you might enjoy
Easy Blood Orange Drizzle Cake
Gluten-Free Orange and Almond Cake
Blood Orange & Ginger Smoothie
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LINKIES:
Cook Blog Share hosted by Monika, Baking Crumbs hosted by Jenny (Apply To Face Blog) and myself, Bake Of The Week hosted by Helen and Jenny (Mummy Mishaps)
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Maninder says
Couldn't get blood oranges. Used ordinary ones. Turned out scrumptious.
As an afterthought a tsp of vanilla extract may help develop the orange flavor by suppressing the "smell" of the eggs. will try it the next time which will be soon.
Loved the glazed look of the oranges
joskitchenlarder says
So pleased you liked it! 🙂
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
What a great idea! I love it 😀 I've always been a big fan of pineapple upside down cake, but I've never tried an orange one before. I love orange in cakes, so I am sure I'd love this! Eb x
joskitchenlarder says
Thanks Eb! 🙂 I love upside down cakes too and this one is by far my favourite one now but I might be a bit biased lol x
Hannah says
This is so stunningly beautiful! I've never had blood oranges before, but using them in a cake? Delicious!
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you! 🙂 Blood oranges are by far my favourite ones and work so well in all sort of bakes!
Hannah says
This is beautiful! My partner doesn't like blood oranges but I love them so I'm totally going to make it and then eat the whole thing myself!
joskitchenlarder says
That's the spirit! 🙂 Thank you so much Hannah! Please come back and let me know what you thought if you get to make it 🙂 x
Jacqui Bellefontaine says
I love an upside down cake in fact I have made one just now Mine was the classic pineapple but I love the sound of this blood orange cake
joskitchenlarder says
Thanks Jacqui! 🙂 Pineapple one sounds really nice to, can't beat the classic!
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
What a gorgeous looking cake!
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you so much Kat! 🙂
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
Such a pretty cake that I'm sure is absolutely delicious.
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Cat! 🙂
Anna | Once Upon A Food Blog says
This looks gorgeous Jo. I love citrussy desserts and simple bakes so I think you've got a real winner here. I'd like it with a dollop of yogurt for breakfast.
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Anna! 🙂 Woman after my own heart - cake for breakfast! To be honest a dollop of yogurt would go really nicely here and as the cake is not overly sweet and there is citrus involved I say let's go for it! 🙂
jenny walters says
Gosh Jo what a beautiful cake! I adore fruity bakes and this one is making me drool! I can just imagine it warm with a puddle of cream.....lick that spoon. Thank you for your brilliant hosting and sharing it on #CookBlogShare
joskitchenlarder says
Thanks Jen! Puddle of cream or vanilla ice cream works for me too and this cake goes lovely with both! 🙂
Rebecca - Glutarama says
I adore oranges in baking but admit to have never used blood oranges before, this cake looks divine and has tickled my taste buds so much that I'm going to adapt it so that both my daughter and I can eat it too.
joskitchenlarder says
Gorgeous reddish hue is the only difference, they just look so pretty I love baking with them. I hope you enjoy your gluten-free version of it and please let me know how it went once you've done it!
Alina | Cooking Journey Blog says
Perfect work on peeling oranges! Looks lovely, citrus cakes are sweet, tart, fresh and juicy.
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Alina! 😉 Citrus bakes are all those things for sure!
Jenny paulin says
thank you for sharing with #Bakeoftheweek Jo x
joskitchenlarder says
Pleasure! Thanks for hosting! 🙂 x
Jenny Paulin says
Jo this looks so pretty. I have never tried eating or baking with blood oranges, but they always make bales look so tempting. x
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Jenny! 🙂 I am absolutely obsessed with them and it is only the second year since I've discovered them through my organic veg box. The best citrus fruit ever! lol 🙂 x
Monika Dabrowski says
Lovely looking cake, I like how it has caramelised around the edges. Thank you for bringing your cake recipe to #CookBlogShare
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Monika! 🙂
Helen at Casa Costello says
I love how in depth this post is - even down to advice on chopping the blood oranges. Brilliant. I will now be searching out Blood Oranges around us! Thanks for joining in with #BakeoftheWeek x
joskitchenlarder says
Thanks Helen! 🙂 I'm trying to never assume that readers know how to do things hence all the detailed info. I'm glad you like it. 🙂 Thanks for hosting! 🙂 x
Corina Blum says
I love any kind of citrus cake and this one sounds delicious! I do think blood orange recipes look so pretty.
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you! ? Citrus cakes are really high on my list too! ? I find (second year in a row now) that blood oranges look “bloodier” and prettier the the closer to the end of season we get.
Balvinder says
Even I am a citrus cake fan and this one is a must try!
joskitchenlarder says
Thanks! 🙂