Upside Down Orange Cake
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
Make this decadent show-stopper upside-down caramel orange cake to best bring out the flavors and beauty of the season's oranges.
You will need:
For the topping,
  • Sugar - ¾ cup
  • Water - 6 tbsp
  • Vanilla extract - ½ tsp
  • Orange juice - 2 tbsp
  • Butter - 4 tbsp, softened
  • Oranges - 2 large, peeled and sliced thinly
For the cake,
  • All purpose flour - 2 cups
  • Baking powder - 1½ tsp
  • Baking soda - ½ tsp
  • Salt - ½ tsp
  • Butter - ½ cup, softened
  • Sugar - 1 cup
  • Eggs - 3, large
  • Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
  • Orange zest - 1 tbsp
  • Orange juice - ¼ cup
  • Buttermilk - ¾ cup
How to:
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 deg.F. Grease and flour a 9" round cake pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Make caramel sauce first. Take water and sugar in a saucepan. Cook on medium heat till sugar melts. Keep cooking on medium-low heat till it caramelizes and turns a golden-amber color. This can take anywhere between 8-12 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat. Add vanilla extract and orange juice. Whisk in butter till melted. Sauce will be thick now. Pour this caramel sauce into the prepared cake pan.
  4. Place the thinly sliced oranges on top in any pattern you wish. You may need 1-2 large oranges for this. Set aside while you prepare the batter next.
  5. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Set side.
  6. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy, around 2 minutes. Add eggs and beat till well combined.
  7. Add vanilla extract, zest, orange juice and buttermilk and mix well to combine.
  8. Add the dry ingredients and mix till just combined. Do not over-mix.
  9. Pour this batter carefully over the caramel and orange slices in the pan. Smooth the top with a spatula and bake for 40 minutes or till the cake passes the toothpick test.
  10. Remove cake from oven and cool in pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges of the cake with a knife or thin spatula. Invert the cake onto a cake stand or serving platter. Cool slightly and serve cake warm or at room temperature.
  11. Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge. Cake can be reheated lightly in the microwave before serving.
Notes:
1. Do not use a metal spoon to stir the sugar while making the caramel sauce. This might cause the sugar to clump up. The sauce will thicken after whisking in the butter, so pour the sauce into the lined pan immediately.
2. You can divide the caramel sauce, orange slices and batter among 6-oz ramekins to make mini cakes.You may need to reduce the baking time to 20-25 minutes.
Recipe by At The Corner of Happy And Harried at https://www.happyandharried.com/2016/02/20/upside-down-orange-cake/