Candied Upside-Down Blood Orange Cake

 

I've made upside-down cakes plenty of times, including one using blood oranges that I posted years ago here.  They are all visually stunning, and are usually made in round pans. This one however, from Southern Living Magazine, was made in a 9" square pan (I increased the amounts in the recipe and baked it in a larger, rectangular pan seen in the above photo.) The design was different too, since you cut the oranges in half and "stack" them, rather than overlap whole slices in a circle. But what was most different to me were the oranges were cooked in a sugar syrup first, mitigating any bitter taste from the rind. 

They become more like candied oranges -- which redeemed the cake for me. I say redeemed because even though we ate the cake (well, we devoured what was left over from my book group meeting), it had a drawback that I find with all upside-down cakes, namely the texture. If you're starting my scratch, they rarely, if ever, have a really tender crumb, no matter what fruit you're using. Correction -- the exception is  an upside-down pear walnut cake I made that has a very tender crumb. But the plain white (or yellowish) cakes seem to get denser and heavier as each day goes by. I can just hear Paul Hollywood declare in his British accent, "It's a bit stodgy." 

Despite its texture, this cake has tons of flavor, but maybe my hesitation isn't inspiring you to make this cake. In truth, I really hope you do make it. But if you've had this same feeling about upside-down cakes you've baked (or if yours aren't stodgy at all), I'd love to hear from you with the definitive upside-down cake recipe. 

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Candied Upside-Down Blood Orange Cake

(from Southern Living Magazine)

Ingredients

2 1/2 c. granulated sugar, divided

2 medium blood oranges

baking spray

2 large eggs, room temperature

3/4 cup sour cream, room temperature

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 t. grated blood orange zest

4 T. fresh orange juice

2 T. neutral oil (canola or vegetable oil)

2 t. vanilla extract

2 c. cake flour

2 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. kosher salt

Instructions:

Combine 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar in a wide saucepan, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, trim and cut blood oranges crosswise into 14-16 slices (about 1/4 inch thick), using a serrated knife. Add oranges to boiling sugar mixture. Reduce heat to low. Gently simmer, turning occasionally, until slices start to turn translucent, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer slices to a wire rack, placed over a rimmed baking sheet. Reserve syrup in saucepan. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9" baking pan with baking spray.

Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until browned and nutty in aroma, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer butter to a large heatproof bowl. Let cool 10 minutes.

Whisk eggs, brown sugar, sour cream, orange zest and juice, oil, vanilla and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar into browned butter until combined. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Gradually whisk flour mixture into egg mixture until combined.

Cut candied orange slices in half. Arrange in prepared pan as desired, trimming to fit. Reserve any remaining slices for another use. Spread batter evenly over slices, using a small spatula. Gently tap pan on counter a few times to get rid of any large air bubbles.

Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove cake from oven. Prick all over with a fork. Brush cake with 1/4 cup reserved syrup. Let cake cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto a serving plate. Generously brush cake with 1/4 cup reserved syrup. Save any remaining syrup for another use. Serve cake warm or at room temperature.