Upside Down Blood Orange Cake
Preparation time: 60-80 minutes | Serves: 4-6 people
Blood orange season comes around in Sydney just as Spring is about to bloom. There's something so special about the colour and flavour and I couldn't think of a better way to showcase them than in this upside-down cake.
With its sunset hues - dark red orange flesh, pinkish-orange rind and golden base, this cake recipe makes for a striking dessert that will get you excited for spring.
Ingredients used in my Blood Orange Almond Cake -
The base of the cake is made with a sliced blood orange (peel and all) that is boiled for a few minutes to remove the bitterness of the peel and pith.
The juice of a second blood orange creates a sticky, sweet syrup for the base. Instead of a traditional sugar syrup, I flavoured mine with rose honey from Maya Sunny Honey, paired with cinnamon, fennel seeds and sumac which add earthy, floral notes.
Oranges and almond are such a classic pairing, so I made a delicate almond cake for the base. I use olive oil for its light, fruity flavour, folded with almond meal, eggs, brown sugar and a touch of flour. You can expect an airy yet moist and crumbly cake that soaks up all the bright citrus flavours.
Serving suggestions -
Because of all the contrasting flavours in this cake that strike a yet delicate balance, I love serving it with a complementary drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil from Pukara Estate.
That said, you can also serve it with a thick dollop of cream, generous drizzle of honey or warm, with vanilla ice cream.
Find some more suggestions and swaps in the recipe notes.
Ingredients
For the blood orange syrup -
2 blood oranges (1 sliced, 1 juiced)
3 tbsps. rose honey*
3 cups water
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. sumac*
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds*
For the cake -
100 gms olive oil*
50 gms Greek yoghurt
80 gms brown sugar
2 eggs (room temp)
1 tsp. vanilla essence
100 gms almond flour/ meal*
50 gms flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsps. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Extra virgin olive oil, to serve
Method
Making the syrup -
Boil the blood orange slices in a saucepan with 2 cups water for 10 minutes. Gently remove and save for later. Discard the liquid.
Pour juice from second orange, 1 cup water, honey, and spices to the pan.
Simmer for 15-20 minutes on a low heat until reduced by half - you’re looking for a thin, sticky syrup.
Discard the cinnamon stick and set aside to cool.
Baking the cake -
Preheat the oven to 180°c and line an 11 inch cake tin.
Arrange boiled orange slices in the tin base, overlapping slightly (refer to the image above). Drizzle with 3/4 of the syrup (save the rest for later).
Whisk the olive oil, yoghurt, sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth.
Fold in the dry ingredients.
Pour cake batter (it will be quite thick) into the prepared pan on top of the oranges.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden and cooked through the middle.
Allow to cool slightly, then flip so the oranges face up and and peel off baking paper.
Pour the remaining syrup over the cake.
Serve warm with a generous drizzle of olive oil.
Swaps, Serves & Storage
What can I use if I don’t have almond meal?
I suggest using almond meal for this recipe as it keeps the cake so moist and fluffy. If it’s not easily available, simply make your own. Blitz together 120gms of almonds (skin on) in a blender until it resembles coarse crumbs.Do I have to use extra virgin olive oil for this cake?
I like to use a good quality virgin olive oil for the base of this blood orange olive oil cake, however it can be quite pricy. Feel free to swap to a light or classic olive oil instead, similar to this one.Do I have to use rose honey for the syrup?
You can use regular honey or 2 tbsps. brown/ raw sugar instead.Do I have to uses the spices in the blood orange syrup? Can I skip them?
You can totally leave out the spices in the syrup, they just add an extra level of flavour. Also feel free to play around - perhaps extra sumac for tang or more fennel seeds if you like the flavour? Alternatively swap one or the other out if desired.What fruits can I use instead of blood oranges?
You can use Navel or Cara Cara oranges if blood oranges aren’t available.What size cake tin do I use if instead of an 11 inch tin?
You can also use a standard 9 inch cake tin, but the cake layer will be thicker. You might need to bake for 10-15 minutes extra accordingly.How long can I store this upside down blood orange cake?
Allow the cake to cool completely and store at room temperature (covered with foil or a cloche) for up to 3 days or 5 days in the fridge. I do not recommend freezing this cake.
Check out my other fruit based recipes -
