Upside-Down Citrus Cake
You’ve heard of an upside-down pineapple cake, but what about an upside-down citrus cake? This recipe features everything you love about the retro dessert – a layer of candied fruit and soft, tender vanilla cake – and gives it a zesty twist by using citrus instead of pineapple.
This upside-down cake is a delicious way to make good use of the seasonal produce in The Organic Citrus Box. We chose blood oranges, but Cara Cara navels, oranges, mandarins, and even grapefruits would work too!
Upside-Down Citrus Cake
What you need
- 2 sticks Alpenrose Unsalted Butter, plus 3 tbsp., at room temperature
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
- 3 blood oranges or Cara Cara Navels
- ½ tsp. orange zest
- 1 cup fine cornmeal (or almond flour)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. fine sea salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 Alpenrose Organic Eggs
- 1/3 cup Alpenrose Natural Sour Cream
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan.
In a small saucepan, melt the 3 tablespoons of butter. Add the brown sugar and lemon juice; cook over low until the sugar melts, about 3 to 5 minutes. Spread evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan.
Grate ½ teaspoon zest from one of the blood oranges. Using a sharp knife, slice the tops and bottoms of the oranges. Remove the rind and white pith from top to bottom. Slice each orange crosswise about ¼ inch thick wheels, discarding any seeds. Blot the tops to remove any excess moisture. Arrange the wheels over the brown-sugar mixture in a single layer.
Whisk the zest, cornmeal, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, cream the remaining 2 sticks of butter with the sugar. Beat in eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Fold in the dry mixture.
Pour the batter into the pan and carefully spread it over the oranges. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 40 to 50 minutes.
Let cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen it. Invert a serving plate over the pan and carefully flip the cake over onto the plate.
Remove the pan and cool completely before serving.