Upside-down Orange Almond Cake

One of my colleagues sells fresh fruits that he sources from his various contacts at the market, and when he recommends a specific produce to me I always say yes cos I know they'll be amazing. So last week when he told me he had Cara Cara oranges in stock, I said "how many?". Fast forward to the weekend (after I've had quite a few fresh slices as well as OJ), I still had a lot left over.

So I went on a bit of a baking binge over the last 24 hours, and made not one - not two - but three different recipes featuring oranges! First of all, I'd like to share one of my dad's favourite afternoon tea treats:

Upside-down Orange Almond Cake

• 2 cups almond meal
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 320g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/3 cup caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 3 tbsp natural Greek yoghurt
• Zest of 2 oranges
• A thinly sliced orange

Butterscotch:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter 
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 180C, and line a 9" springform tin with non-stick paper
2. For the butterscotch: In a heavy saucepan, combine the butter and brown sugar over a medium-low heat until it turns into a sandy like texture, then slowly whisk in the cream and salt until the mixture thickens. Pour the butterscotch on the bottom of the prepared tin and line the bottom and sides with the thin slices of orange (starting in the centre and working your way around)
3. For the cake batter: 
4. Combine the almond meal, flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. 
5. Whisk the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy, then beat the eggs in one at a time. Add the yoghurt and orange zest and beat until thoroughly combined, then fold in the dry flour mixture until everything is just wet. Pour batter over the orange slices, level, and pop in the oven for 60 - 70 minutes. 
6. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the tin for about 10 - 15 minutes before upturning onto a wire rack to cool completely. 
7. Serve with tea :) 

I also apologise for the lack of good-quality photoes but I realise that between my job and family obligations... I don't really have all the time I used to for setting up the perfect shots despite how much I want to. I feel that I keep using that as an excuse to not post anymore. I miss blogging, really, just the seemingly senseless activity of talking to myself. So I hope you guys don't mind... I just really love having this outlet.

Much love, hope you enjoy the recipe and cake!

Upside-down Blackberry Buttermilk Cake

It's amazing what our society has become; when I told a friend that I was making a blackberry cake, he asked: "Which model?"

*facepalm*

I've never played with blackberries before, but when I saw this amazing cake by Bria over at her beautiful blog, These Peas Are Hollow, I kind of felt a twinge in my long dormant heart strings. Isn't it lovely? Isn't it wonderful? Yes, I'm singing at cake, people do that. Don't judge me. I love Bria's blog, everything in it looks so appetizing, and her photography! Oh Merlin's spotted underpants! I can only hope to one day have as beautiful a blog.

My mum's off in the States this week for a seminar, and my dad's going to be busy for the next six months settling into his new job, which leaves me babysitting my siblings every night. It's fine, not something I mind doing as I'm a bit of kid myself, so it's nice to be around my peeps. Last night, for example, my brother and sister helped me measure out ingredients while I helped them with their grammar homework. Reading my blog you're probably wondering "they let her teach kids grammar?"

Yes. It is a bit alarming.

After homework time, they were rewarded with a slice of cake fresh from the oven, a dollop of ice-cream and an extra hour of television! Okay, that last bit was completely unnecessary, but with the sugar in their system, I could hardly expect them to fall asleep! I'm not their mother, for Merlin's sake.

Upside-down Blackberry Buttermilk Cake
originally from Bon Apetit Magazine


I used two different types of pans for this, a regular round 9-inch pan, and a 9-inch removable bottom round pan. Just to see if a removable bottom would be easier. It was, but there wasn't much difference. Also, I had to make some minor changes in the recipe due to unavailability of resources (vanilla beans and cake flour).

• 3 cups fresh blackberries
• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar (for dusting the blackberries)
• 2 1/3 cups all purpose flour, sifted
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cups caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• zest of 1 large orange

1. Preheat the oven to 180C, line your pans with parchment paper (bottom and sides), then butter and flour
2. Toss the blackberries with confectioners sugar in a container (don't get to vigorous with it), then arrange them evenly at the bottom of your pans
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium sized bowl and set it aside
4. Pour the vanilla essence into the buttermilk and set aside
5. With your stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
6. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula to ensure everything gets mixed
7. Beat in the orange zest
8. Pour in 1/3 of the flour mixture, beat until incorporated, then pour in half of the buttermilk, beat again until combines. Then repeat, ending with the flour mixture
9. Pour the batter evenly into the two pans (or you know, if you wanna use a deep springform pan and just make one tall cake, that's fine too), then bake for 45 minutes, or until it turns a golden brown and/or a skewer inserted at an angle comes out clean
10. Allow the cake to cool in the pans for 15 minutes before turning them over onto a wire cooling rack. Cool completely then either sift confectioners sugar over the top (I was smitten with Bria's version, so did this), or drizzle melted white chocolate over the top. Mmmm... 

Divine. This cake was simply divine! I loved how the cake itself wasn't sweet, and yet the blackberries provided this lovely tangy, sweetness, which just balanced the whole thing out. The texture is soft, fluffy and melts in the mouth, then there's the contrasting burst of juice from the plumped up blackberries. If refrigerating, be sure to allow the cake to thaw before serving.

My brother likes it with plain vanilla ice-cream, I like Cherry Garcia

Mmmm... I hope you try this happiness, cos everyone deserves to taste this at least once. 

Much love,

Nabs