UPSIDE-DOWN ORANGE CAKE. The upside-down orange cake is a typical dessert of Italian cuisine, popular throughout Italy.
It is a cake made with slices of citrus fruit, usually oranges or lemons, caramelized and covered with a soft and light batter. The upside-down citrus cake is a fresh and fragrant dessert, perfect for the winter season. The intense flavor of the citrus fruits combines perfectly with the sweetness of the batter, creating a harmonious contrast. The preparation of the upside-down citrus cake is relatively simple, but requires a bit of attention. The first step is to prepare the caramel, which will cover the slices of citrus fruit. Once the caramel has cooled down, you can arrange the slices of citrus fruit on a baking tray and pour the batter over them.
The cake should then be baked in the oven for about 30 minutes. Once baked, the cake should be turned upside down onto a serving plate. This way, the slices of citrus fruit will be on the surface and covered with caramel. An absolute delight.
Below are other delicious recipes with oranges:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
- Energy 674.65 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 86.73 (g) of which sugars 61.90 (g)
- Proteins 7.07 (g)
- Fat 35.86 (g) of which saturated 10.74 (g)of which unsaturated 23.67 (g)
- Fibers 1.72 (g)
- Sodium 35.74 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 159 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 4 oranges (edible peel)
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsps orange juice
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or whole wheat flour)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup peanut oil
- 1/4 cup yogurt (plain)
- 1/4 cup butter (softened)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsps orange juice
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp orange zest (grated)
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup orange juice
Tools
- Pot Lagostina Every Pot Ø 7 inch Stainless Steel 18/10 with Lagoseal Plus Base, Satin Exterior and Wide Handles, Suitable for All Heat Sources, Including Induction
- Electric Whisks Bosch Styline – Electric Mixer, 450 W, 5 Speeds and Turbo, FineCreamer Whisks in Stainless Steel for Light Batters and Stainless Steel Hooks for Heavy Batters
- Cake Pan Guardini Gardenia, Springform Pan 1 Base 22cm/8.5", Steel with Non-stick Coating, Black Color
Steps for upside-down orange cake
Wash the oranges and slice them to a thickness of about 0.4 inches, place them in a pan with cold water. Bring to the heat and as soon as it boils, discard the water, repeat this operation 3 times. In a pot over medium heat, melt the sugar with water and orange juice, bring to a boil. Put the oranges in the syrup and cook for about 10-12 minutes over medium-low heat, then turn off
Let’s prepare the cake. In a large bowl, put the sugar with the eggs and whip with the electric whisk. Add the oil, yogurt, butter, vanilla extract, orange juice, orange zest, and whisk for about 50 seconds. Sift the flour and baking powder and add them to the cake mixture, mix until well blended.
Line a cake pan of about 8.5 inches with parchment paper. Remove the orange slices from the syrup and line the base of the cake pan. Pour the cake batter over the orange slices. Place in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 30-40 minutes. Do the toothpick test to ensure it is dry inside. Once ready, remove from the oven and let cool completely, then turn the cake pan onto a serving plate and remove the paper
Let’s prepare the syrup. Retrieve the pot of leftover syrup, add the sugar and orange juice and let it cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for about 15 minutes. Pour half of this mixture over the prepared cake and keep half to serve later with the cake. Enjoy
Storage, variations, notes for upside-down orange cake
For a more intense flavor, you can add the grated zest of an orange or a lemon to the caramel. Other types of citrus fruits, such as mandarins, grapefruits, or bergamots can also be used. For a richer version, you can add chopped walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts to the batter. The upside-down citrus cake keeps at room temperature for 2 or 3 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
