Torta rovesciata all’arancia (Upside-Down Orange Cake)

If you’re looking for a quick and easy-to-bake cake to accompany and enrich your afternoon tea experience, this is for you. Whether it is a strong black tea or a more delicate herbal choice, this orange cake will combine splendidly with your hot drink.

Although in the recipe we included the more common dark brown sugar, we suggest you try to put your hands on some Muscovado sugar and use that instead: your cake will gain lovely toffee and walnut hints.

Difficulty: Low

Ready in: 1h30

Cost: Low

Ingridients (for a 22cm baking pan)

Caramelised orange slices
. Orange (1)
. Caster sugar
. Butter (80g)
. Vanilla berry seeds
. Fresh orange juice (2 spoons)

Cake base
. Eggs (3, medium)
. Dark brown sugar (180g)
. Butter (110g)
. Fresh orange juice
. Orange zest
. Cinnamon
. Flour (150g)
. Whole flour (150g)
. Baking powder (4g)
. Yogurt (5 spoons)

Method

Caramelised Orange Slices
Preheat the oven to 170°. On the bottom of a baking pan place 80g of butter (in cubes) and the caster sugar. Oven cook for 8-10 minutes until the sugar get completely melted and slightly caramelised. Keep an eye on it as it could easily cook to much or burn if left for too long. In the meantime slice the orange and neatly arrange the slices on the caramelised sugar, adding two spoons of fresh orange juice and the vanilla seeds. Cook for another 10 minutes then take the pan out of the oven and leave cooling down while you prepare the sponge mixture.

Cake base
Start by beating the eggs and the dark brown sugar with a whisk. Use a large bowl as you will combine all your ingredients here. Add the melted butter, a couple of spoons of orange juice and the zest. Keep on mixing while sifting in the flour (both) and the baking powder. Then add a generous pinch of cinnamon and the yogurt. When your mix is completely blended pour it in the cake pan where your caramelised orange slices have now cooled down. Flatten and oven cook for 45 minutes.

Once cooked take the pan out of the oven and rest for around 10 minutes. Then turn the pan upside down so that the side with the orange slices is now on top. Do so by placing the cake on a broiler pan you have protected with foil or baking paper as while the cake cools down further, drops of caramelised juice could fall.