Orange Upside Down Cake
Tags: Dessert
Yield: 8
- 2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 large or 2 medium oranges
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Prepare the topping:Â In a small bowl, stir together melted butter, brown sugar and salt. Mixture will resemble wet sand. Pour into prepared pan and press into an even layer.
- Cut oranges into about 8 very thin slices (no more than 1/8-inch thick). One large orange will likely be enough, but you can also use the centers of two medium oranges.
- Arrange orange slices on top of the sugar, placing 7-6 slices around the edge of the pan and 1 slice in the center. It is fine to overlap slices slightly if you have extra. Set aside.
- Prepare the cake:Â In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a large bowl, or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat eggs until frothy. Add sugar and beat at high speed until mixture has tripled in volume. At low speed, whisk in flour mixture until completely combined.
- In a small saucepan, combine butter and orange juice. Cook over medium heat just until butter has melted. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, stream butter mixture in to the rest of the cake batter. When batter has come together completely, pour into prepared pan on top of the orange layer.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pan and invert onto a large serving dish or cake plate.
- Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
