Exquisitely flavored and with a touch of flair, this moist and fluffy orange upside-down cake may not redefine every thought you’ve ever had about the fruit, but it will turn them upside down. Literally. It’s that impressive.
The flavors. That’s what got me into baking. Taking that first bite and getting lost in the aroma, textures, and palate.
One flavor that has me singing rhapsody, every single time, is orange...apart from chocolate!
I guess that’s why I have tons of recipes with it. From orange madeleines to chocolate orange tart, pumpkin orange pancakes, I just love baking with oranges!
How to bake an orange upside-down cake?
The classic take on upside-down cakes is pineapple. Since it also happened to be my mother’s favorite, I’ve baked countless of them. With oranges in season, I thought why not experiment and lo and behold my kitchen (and the rest of the abode) was brimming with a wonderful citrusy scent yesterday.
The recipe is really simple. It takes hardly any time to assemble and you can forget about it for 40-45 minutes that it's baking in the oven. Toss in the dry ingredients - whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt – first. Then whisk in olive oil, yogurt, and freshly squeezed orange juice.
I’ve added a couple of drops of pure orange oil into the batter, but it is completely optional. Take the call as per your taste preference. Right in the end, when the mixture is all set to go, fold in orange zest and finely chopped rosemary.
How to prepare the orange slices for the upside-down cake?
You can bake the oranges with or without the peel. In both cases, you’ll need to slice the fruit nice and thin with the skin on and remove any seeds lurking in there!
I baked the cake with peel ( even though I was skeptical about it) and no; it didn't make it bitter at all. The orange slices get cooked through and are almost candied. So that was a good surprise!
Try to use organic oranges if possible and also pick ones with thin skin like malta or keenu.
If you fancy oranges without the skin, then simply cut it off, but after you’ve sliced the orange.
Baking the eggless orange cake
As ever now comes the fun part. Grease your baking pan. Well. Sprinkle a liberal tablespoon of sugar on it and then arrange the orange slices inside it. Pour the batter and bake!
After you take the cake out of the oven, flip it and then leave it for 15 to 20 minutes. The wait gets that lovely caramelized sugar and tangy orange juices to seep into the cake and settle down.
Garnish the cake with some pistachios. I used some fresh rosemary from my garden to give the moist, spongy cake a gratifying savory note. Plus, the fruity kick of the olive oil and the tangy punch of yogurt blend in beautifully with the fragrant woodsy rosemary and, of course, almost candied orange.
That’s it, you’ve got a masterpiece at hand. Seriously, the cake really is that gorgeous!
How To Serve
Swapping the traditional pineapple with oranges in this upside-down cake gave a surprisingly pleasant result. The fresh and assertive flair of the fruit is sublimely matched with the sweetness of the cake.
Pair it with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, and you’ll love the deliciously contrasting tastes. Accompany it with a cup of tea, and it is guaranteed to lift even the worst winter doldrums.
If you’ve got kids at home, then I advise serving it as a dessert with some fresh softly whipped cream. It’ll be a hit (it definitely was at my home). And for the daring soul, it is even perfect as a breakfast cake!
Need more orange recipe ideas?
A few mouth-watering cake recipes I can swear by are glazed poppyseed, pumpkin chocolate swirl, and semolina almond cake. Yes, each one has a touch of orange in it!
Half the joy of cooking is sharing it with others. That’s why I’m always eager to hear from you. So go right ahead & drop a comment or reach out on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, or Facebook. I hope you love this upside-down orange cake as much as we do!
📖 Recipe
Orange Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 2 Oranges, thinly sliced, deseeded You can keep the peel on or remove it, after slicing the oranges
- 1 3/4 cup Wholewheat flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 1/4 cup Plain yogurt You can also use Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup Olive oil
- 1/3 cup Freshly squeezed Orange juice
- 2-3 drops Pure Orange oil optional
- 1 sprig Fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- Zest of 1 orange
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C. Grease a loose bottom 8" pan very well.
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar at the bottom of the pan. Arrange the orange slices on top of the sugar.
- Sift the wholewheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Mix in the sugar.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, yogurt, orange juice, and orange oil.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix well, but please don't overmix.
- Fold in the rosemary and orange zest.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, on top of the oranges, carefully.
- Bake at 180C for 40-45 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake rest for 15-20 minutes, before turning it out on a cooling rack. Sprinkle with pistachio slivers and serve. Enjoy!
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