VINTAGE ORANGE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE
(A variation of a 1944 Recipe)
Submitted by Kathleen LeBlanc
Kathleen is still experimenting with this recipe. This was done in a cast iron skillet in her kitchen oven. We are hoping to see this done in a Dutch Oven and need pictures if you are successful.
Ingredients
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup golden brown sugar (firmly packed)
1 large orange (for zest, slices)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup unsalted butter (half cube)
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup milk (we used 2%)
Ingredients for Orange-Honey Soaker Sauce:
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice (strained of seeds and pulp)
Prep the bottom of the baking dish:
Prepare a small round baking dish (we used an 8″ glass baking dish but you may also use an 8″ iron skillet or even an 8″ glass pie plate) with the following ingredients, smoothed in the plate with a spoon for even coverage over the bottom of the dish:
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (microwave works here)
4 Tablespoons hard-packed and lump-free golden brown sugar 2. Prep the orange, and set aside:
Zest an orange with a zesting tool to achieve:
1 teaspoon finely zested (or finely minced) orange peel, somewhat packed into the spoon.
Peel the zested orange by cutting away all the skin and white parts.
Slice the zested orange into about 5 slices, removing any white parts that are showing.
Arrange the orange slices on the bottom of the dish over the brown sugar and butter. 3. Prep the dry ingredients, and set aside:
In a large bowl, whisk (or sift):
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Prep the butter, sugar and eggs:
In a small to medium-sized bowl (or frosting bowl), use an electric mixer to beat on high-speed for about 2 minutes:
1/4 cup unsalted butter (half cube)
Beat into the creamed butter on high-speed for about 2 minutes:
1/2 cup sugar (we increased the amount of sugar from the original recipe)
Beat into the creamed butter-sugar on high-speed for about 2 minutes:
1 large egg 5. Mix it all up:
In the large mixing bowl with dry ingredients, add and beat on low-speed for about 1 minute until just thoroughly incorporated:
the prepared butter-sugar-egg mixture
1/4 cup milk (we used 2%)
the prepare orange zest 6. Spread the batter over the brown-sugar, butter and orange slices.
Using a spatula spread the thick batter carefully over the orange slices. Pretend like you’re frosting a cake and try not to get any “crumbs” of brown sugar into the batter.
Bake it up:
Place the baking dish on the center rack of your oven that has been pre-heated to 375 degrees and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. The cake will be done when it is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Prepare a warm honey orange soaking sauce:
This sauce should be ready to pour over the cake as soon as the cake comes out of the oven so I suggest preparing it a few minutes before the cake is done.
In a small sauce pot, heat on low (simmer) for about 5 minutes:
1/3 cup honey (we used Tupelo honey ’cause it’s my favorite)
1/3 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice (strained of seeds and pulp)
Remove and flip it while it’s hot:
When the cake is hot from the oven, use a knife to cut around the rim of the cake to loosen the edges. Use oven mittens to carefully flip the cake onto your chosen serving dish being careful not to splash any hot bubbling sugar. I used a large 10-1/2″ shallow ceramic tart pan to hold the soaker sauce.
Pour warm soaker sauce over the cake:
Drizzle the warm sauce over the cake and let the soaking magic happen. You might poke some holes in the cake, though it seems soft enough to soak on its own. It can soak for 10 minutes or overnight.
