Upside Down Cakes

Slow Roasted Blood Orange Upside-Down Cake

~ Teresa Blackburn ~ 4 Comments

Blood Oranges and I have a long-standing love affair. In years past I have posted recipes for Blood Orange-cello, Blood Orange Meringue Tartlets, and Blood Orange and Bourbon Chipotle BBQ Chicken among others. I am drawn to the mottled red-orange skin and the inner blood-red burst of color as much as to the flavor. They are natural art works, each and every one unique and deliciously stunning.

This is a simple upside down cake with slow-roasted blood oranges which brings out another layer of tastiness. Blood oranges are abundant in supermarkets this time of year so eat them while you can…raw, cooked or juiced.

Full of antioxidants and high in Vitamin C and potassium, Blood Oranges are uniquely colored due to “anthocyanins”. These are flavonoid pigments which exist in red and purple vegetables, most berries and are incredibly healthy.

Thinly sliced and ready for roasting…..

….sprinkled lightly with raw sugar…..

….roasted at 275 degrees for 45 minutes……

….in my favorite Lodge cast iron skillet.   First smeared with butter….

….the bottom covered with roasted rings of oranges and another sprinkle of sugar.

Topped with cake batter and baked…..

…ready to eat. So good with a cup of coffee or tea on a cold winter day.

Slow Roasted Blood Orange Upside-Down Cake

  • Servings: 8-10
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Ingredients:

  • 4 blood oranges
  • 1 1/4 cups raw or  turbinado sugar, divided
  • 8 tablespoons softened butter, divided
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal or polenta
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk or vanilla yogurt

Directions:

  1. To roast blood orange slices:  Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Cut ends off of each orange and then slice thinly, removing any seeds as you work.
  2. Arrange blood orange slices flat on a baking sheet and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of raw sugar. Roast for about 45 minutes or until they are caramelized and softened. Remove pan from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
  3. Turn oven to 350 degrees. Smear a 10 inch cast iron skillet with 2 tablespoons of the butter to coat bottom and sides. Arrange roasted orange slices, slightly overlapping, in the bottom of the skillet and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of raw sugar.
  4. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
  5. Using an electric mixer beat together the remaining 6 tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup raw sugar until fluffy. Add in vanilla and blend.
  6. Mix in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one.
  7. Add flour mixture and buttermilk, alternately, ending with flour just until well mixed.
  8. Drop batter by spoonfuls over sugared orange slices in skillet and gently spread out evenly.
  9. Bake cake until a tester comes out clean, about 35-45 minutes. Cool cake for 10 minutes in skillet. Run a small knife around edge to loosen if necessary.
  10. Place a plate over the top of the skillet and flip to loosen cake onto plate using oven mitts or kitchen towels so you don’t burn your hands! Scrape out any sugar-juice mixture left in skillet and smear over cake. Serve cake warm or at room temp.

Teresa Blackburn   teresablackburnfoodstyling.com

5 Readers Most Favorite Blog Posts Ever and Happy New Year and Thank you

~ Teresa Blackburn ~ 8 Comments

After making this list of most popular-with-readers blog posts ever I noticed some common threads that must have made them so. One thing is there are lots of folks who respond to “boozy” posts. The exotic Buddha Hand citron is such a seductive subject in all its glory.  Sweet things are universally appealing as are family stories. Enjoy.

# 1. “Pear Infused Vodka” Holiday Gift Idea / E.A.T. #11   Folks all over the world have clicked on this post…so I figure lots of folks like boozy pears? Thanks to each and every one of you.

Homemade Pear Infused Vodka

#2. “Buddha’s Hand Good Luck Marmalade”     A few years ago I ran across my first “Buddha Hand” citron. I purchased, I blogged and for over 6 years this post has been the second-all-time most popular, hit on, reposted of all my posts. It didn’t hurt that Smithsonian Magazine included a link to my site in their story about the subject. Who knew?

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#3.  Blood Orangecello and Bootlegging    This post contains a family tale depicted in the title which must have proved irresistible to more than a few lovers of homemade hooch and blood-red, very-short-seasonal, blood oranges.

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#4. Blackberries, A Snake and An Upside Down (Gluten Free) Cake  One of my favorites. It has a story about a dramatic blackberry picking experience with my Grandmother that left a definite impression on me as a child. I cannot hear a store of blackberry picking without thinking of it. The cake recipe is pretty good too.

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#5.  Give Me Some Sugar, Sugah!   Sugars flavored with so many good things such as ginger, lavender, star anise, vanilla beans and citrus peel just to name a few appealed to the sweet tooth in so many readers. This story was also an homage to all the real aunts, aunts-in-friendship, grandmothers and mothers who could never get enough of our sweet “sugah” when we were young.

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Fresh Cranberry Upside-Down Cake – A quick & easy Bake and Take Gift

~ Teresa Blackburn ~ 22 Comments

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For years…childhood years…I thought cranberries only came in a can with jelly. It never occurred to me that somewhere far, far away the origins of this jellied staple of Holiday dinners grew on bushes in bogs.

In adulthood I discovered the wonderfulness of whole fresh cranberries and I have never looked back. My love of all-things-cranberry…the color, the tartness that is transformed with a bit or sugar or molasses, the texture when you bite into one…seems to take over my kitchen every holiday season.

This is one of the most tender cake I have ever made. The sweet-tart  cranberry-sugar topping is a modern, seasonal riff on the classic upside-down cake.

Cake pan is batter ready……

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…baked and cooling ready to be…..

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…turned upside-down. Love the color and texture and oh my so good.

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If you plan to bake and take a dessert to a dinner or gathering this December and you have limited time this would be the one to bake!

My Cranberry Orange Simple Syrup recipe is another you might like to try for gifting or just having on hand for quick cocktails.  More recently I posted my really easy recipe for Cranberry-Pomegranate Cordial.

Have a Happy Holiday. Eat Well, Share and give what you can.

Fresh Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: very easy
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Ingredients:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter softened + extra for grease cake pan
  • 1/2 cup white sugar mixed with 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 cups fresh whole cranberries (can use fresh frozen & thawed)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsps baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • Powdered sugar optional or a Vanilla Ice Cream

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease the sides and bottom of an 8 inch cake pan with 1 tbsp of butter.
  3. Sprinkle the bottom of the cake pan with the white sugar-cinnamon mixture.
  4. Pour fresh whole cranberries into the cake pan. Gently shake pan to “settle” the cranberries.
  5. Using an electric mixer cream the softened stick of butter with the 1/2 cup brown sugar. Add in the egg & vanilla extract and beat until well blended.
  6. In a small bowl whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together.
  7. Turn mixer to low and alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk and beat just until combined. Scrape down mixing bowl as needed.
  8. Scrape batter over the cranberries in the cake pan and smooth top. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove cake pan to a cooling rack for about 15 minutes.
  9. Turn cake out onto a serving plate or cake stand. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen if need be. Serve warm or at room temperature with or without a dusting of powdered sugar or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This cake recipe is based on one I saved from a Martha Stewart Magazine a few years ago. It is a very moist cake as the sugar cinnamon mixture and the cranberries caramelize while baking. When the cake is turned upside down gravity takes over and the result is a tender moist cake.

Teresa Blackburn      http://www.teresablackburnfoodstyling.com