This was SUCH a fun experiment. I (Sarah) had an uneventful week, and was eager to work with the citrus from a sale at the grocery. Once the idea of a Citrus Upside Down Cake was in my brain, there was no stopping me–not even the lack of essential cake ingredients. All of the recipes I referenced called for butter and milk. Since I had neither, I made due with what I did have: olive oil, water and orange juice. I know that baking is supposed to be an exact science, but I constantly find myself modifying the word exact. As long as I arrive at something that resembles whatever batter or dough I am shooting for, my trials usually work out. Of course, getting TOO carried away is dangerous. When deviating from a recipe, I try to be mindful of general ratios, and I always think about the flavors that I want to be creating. This time around, Trevor and I were pleased with the results. If you recreate this in your own kitchen, we encourage you to serve it with a dollop of yogurt, whipped cream or ice cream. The dairy balances the acidity of the the citrus brilliantly. We love balance.
Citrus Upside Down Cake
For Top:
1 grapefruit (peeled and seeded)
1 blood orange (unpeeled, washed and thinly sliced)
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. olive oil
For citrus top: using a deep round cake pan over medium/low heat (yes, on the stove eeek) dissolve the brown sugar in 1/2 cup olive oil. Once it has completely dissolved, remove from heat. Press the thinly sliced blood oranges into the a pretty pattern in the sugar mixture/caramel. Drop bits of grapefruit between the slices. Set aside.
For Base:
1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. orange juice or yogurt
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla
3/4 c. white sugar
1 c. flour
1/2 c. almond flour
1/3 c. shredded coconut
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
For base: mix the olive oil, water, juice/yogurt with the eggs, vanilla and sugar. In a separate large bowl, mix the flour, almond flour, coconut, baking powder and salt. Slowly incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ones. If the batter appears to be too thick, add water/juice/yogurt/oil (whatever you have). Pour the batter over the prepared citrus topping. Bake at 350* for about 30 minutes (until a toothpick in the center comes out clean).
Serve with whipped cream, yogurt or ice cream!
sownandsoured 