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    Home » Recipes » Desserts » Cakes » Orange Upside Down Cake

    Orange Upside Down Cake

    Published: January 25, 2018 · Modified: Aug 3, 2020 by John Kanell

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

    This light and zingy orange cake pops right out of the pan fully decorated and ready to eat with a scoop of ice cream!

    a top down photo of an orange upside down cake on a white cake strand
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    orange upside down cake

    This DELICIOUS blood orange upside down cake is so easy to make and you’ll be shocked when it pops out of the pan fully decorated, stunning, and ready to eat!

    How to Make Orange Upside Down Cake

    1. Cut both blood and navel oranges into slices. In a medium saucepan, over medium heat add 1 cup of water and ¾ cup sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved in pan. Layer in the blood orange slices. Bring down to a simmer and cook for about 10-12 minutes. Repeat this process for the navel orange slices. 
    2. Preheat the oven to 350° degrees F. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Liberally butter a 9 inch cake pan.
    3. Cream together the butter, sour cream, and orange zest. 
    4. Slowly add the sugar, mixing until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between additions and scraping down the sides. Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the orange juice to the creamed mixture, beating well on low speed after each addition. 
    5. Add of layer of alternating orange slices at the bottom of the pan.
    6. Pour batter about half way up in the pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 35 min. Cool the cake layer in the pans for 10 min. Loosen the layers by running a knife between the cake and the edge of the pan. Invert onto a rack to cool.

    A few Tips and Pointers

    • I candied my oranges in two batches, one for the navel and one for the blood. This way the colors stayed as crisp as possible but this is an optional step it you want to wash less dishes and speed the process up.
    • This cake is the perfect mate for either a big dollop of whipped cream or a nice scoop of ice cream so temper it’s citrusy zing.
    • Don’t try to make a blood orange reduction, boiled orange juice just isn’t appetizing…
    • If you really want to add something else special to the cake then you can mix some blood orange juice with simple syrup to make a glaze for each piece. I Loved they way this tasted but it took away from my beautiful colors on top.
    • If you end up making the individual cakes in cupcake tins then you can just dip each one in the glaze before serving and you end up with a nice two-tone effect.

    IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!

    Pineapple Upside Down Cake

    Caramel Apple Cake

    Pumpkin Macarons

    Brown Butter Pumpkin Sheet Cake

    Pumpkin Cupcakes

    PSL Donuts

    If you’ve tried this cake then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!

    A photo of an Orange Upside down Cake with a piece being removed
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    5 from 44 votes

    Orange Upside Down Cake

    A delicious and easy orange upside down cake featuring beautiful candied blood orange slices.
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 35 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 35 minutes minutes
    Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
    Servings 10
    Calories 350kcal
    Author John Kanell

    Ingredients

    INGREDIENTS

      For the Oranges:

      • 1 blood orange
      • 1 navel orange
      • 2 cups water
      • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar

      For the Cake:

      • 4 tsps grated orange zest from about 2 large oranges
      • 1 cup strained fresh orange juice you can add the juice of a lemon if you'd like some more zing
      • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
      • 2 1/2 tsps baking powder
      • 1 tsp kosher salt
      • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
      • 1/3 cup unsalted butter
      • 1/3 cup sour cream
      • 3 large eggs

      Instructions

      INSTRUCTIONS

        For the Oranges:

        • Cut both blood and navel oranges into slices.
        • In a medium saucepan, over medium heat add 1 cup of water and ¾ cup sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved in pan. Layer in the blood orange slices. Bring down to a simmer and cook for about 10-12 minutes.
        • Repeat this process for the navel orange slices.

        For the Cake:

        • Preheat the oven to 350° degrees F. Liberally butter a 9 inch cake pan.
        • Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
        • Cream together the butter, sour cream, and orange zest.
        • Slowly add the sugar, mixing until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between additions and scraping down the sides.
        • Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the orange juice to the creamed mixture, beating well on low speed after each addition.
        • Add of layer of alternating orange slices at the bottom of the pan.
        • Pour batter about half way up in the pan.
        • Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 35 min.
        • Cool the cake layer in the pans for 10 min. Loosen the layers by running a knife between the cake and the edge of the pan. Invert onto a rack to cool.

        Video

        Notes

        • I candied my oranges in two batches, one for the navel and one for the blood. This way the colors stayed as crisp as possible but this is an optional step it you want to wash less dishes and speed the process up.
        • This cake is the perfect mate for either a big dollop of whipped cream or a nice scoop of ice cream so temper it's citrusy zing.
        • Don't try to make a blood orange reduction, boiled orange juice just isn't appetizing...
        • If you really want to add something else special to the cake then you can mix some blood orange juice with simple syrup to make a glaze for each piece. I Loved they way this tasted but it took away from my beautiful colors on top.
        • If you end up making the individual cakes in cupcake tins then you can just dip each one in the glaze before serving and you end up with a nice two-tone effect.

        Nutrition

        Serving: 1slice | Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3.5mg | Sodium: 190mg | Potassium: 65mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin C: 1.7mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.5mg
        *Nutrition Disclaimer
        Have you Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @preppykitchen and tag #preppykitchen!
        « Neapolitan Cake
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        Reader Interactions

        Comments

        1. Avatar for MayaMaya says

          February 06, 2020 at 4:24 am

          5 stars
          I loved making this cake so much. The visual effect is out of this world for such a “simple” cake (I think it is simple because it didn’t require 3 days of work and frostings and creams ..etc) and most importantly it tastes amazing!
          Thanks a lot for this recipe John!

          Reply
        2. Avatar for FrankFrank says

          January 24, 2020 at 7:23 am

          I was surprised to see that you kept the entire peel — zest and Pith (bitter)?
          I thought one never uses the white pith? Isn’t it too bitter to hew etc>?

          Reply
          • Avatar for jkanelljkanell says

            January 25, 2020 at 5:27 pm

            It gets candied with the sugar.

            Reply
        3. Avatar for JaneJane says

          January 05, 2019 at 7:40 pm

          5 stars
          Fantastic! And so easy. Plus I made it with Namaste gluten free flour, ratio 1 to 1.
          My guests all LOVED it. I might halve the oranges in the fixture so it is easier to cut, but maybe not as the whole slices look so pretty.

          Reply
          • Avatar for John K.John K. says

            January 28, 2019 at 3:04 pm

            Hey Jane,

            I’m so glad you tried this cake and it was enjoyed!

            The whole oranges do look so pretty on top of the cake. 🙂

            Best,

            John

            Reply
        4. Avatar for SuanneSuanne says

          February 12, 2018 at 4:35 am

          Mine turned out wonderful. Thank you!

          Reply
          • Avatar for John K.John K. says

            February 12, 2018 at 3:58 pm

            Susanne,
            I’m happy you liked the recipe!
            John

            Reply
        5. Avatar for KatherineKatherine says

          February 08, 2018 at 11:40 pm

          5 stars
          How beautiful! I will have to try this with blood oranges the next time I see them in the market!

          Reply
        6. Avatar for ClaudiaClaudia says

          January 25, 2018 at 5:30 pm

          THIS cake looks wonderful!
          P.s. you made a mistake in the recipe: for the orange you wrote water instead of sugar in the last ingredient! Thanks for the recipe! Love your IG page!

          Reply
          • Avatar for jkanelljkanell says

            January 26, 2018 at 4:33 am

            Fixed it, thanks so much! ?

            Reply

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        Thanks for stopping by! I’m John Kanell, a husband, dad to twins Lachlan and George, Los Angeles native, and an avid baker and cooker of all things delicious thanks to a life long education from my mother. This blog is where I share all of my kitchen creations!

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