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Moist orange cake with an orange cranberry caramel topping

Orange Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

Moist orange cake with an orange cranberry caramel topping
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Makes: 8 large slices
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Ingredients
  

For the topping

  • 1/4 cup butter, melted (55 gms before melting)
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar, light or dark (70 gms)
  • 1 whole orange (Valencia preferred)
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries, sliced in half if needed (40 gms)

For the cake

  • 1 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (160 gms)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt if using unsalted butter
  • 125 gms butter, at room temp
  • 3/4 cup caster sugar (140 gms)
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • 2 eggs, at room temp (see notes)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup thick, plain yoghurt at room temp (80 ml)
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice (60 ml; from the orange you zested above)

Instructions

  • First make the topping. Pour the melted butter into the base of a 9" springform tin (see notes for other options). Sprinkle the sugar over the butter and spread it around evenly. Slice the orange thinly and arrange over the sugar. Then fill in the gaps with the dried cranberries. Set aside. The butter may leak out a bit in a springform tin if it doesn't seal super tight, so make sure to place it on a baking tray to catch any drips
  • Preheat the oven to 175 C.
  • In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar and orange zest with a hand mixer till light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat till combined.
  • Add a few tablespoons of the flour mixture to stabilise the batter, then stir in the yoghurt and orange juice. The flour prevents the batter from splitting when the citric acid goes in.
  • Now slowly add the rest of the flour mixture, and fold with a spatula or beat on low speed with the hand mixer till you have a smooth batter but do not over-mix. The batter is fairly thick.
  • Spoon the batter on top of the orange and cranberries in the base of the tin, and smoothen the top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, covering the top loosely with foil if it's browning too quickly. Bake until the top is golden-brown, and a toothpick comes out clean (I usually start checking at about 30 mins). It may crack a bit but will not dome.
  • Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes.
  • Now remove the sides of the springform tin and place a platter or sturdy wire rack (to prevent sogginess) directly onto the surface of the cake, then quickly invert. Remove the base of the springform tin and you have a lovely caramelised orange topping!
  • Allow the cake to cool for about an hour, then slice with a sharp knife to cut through the orange peel and cranberries. Store at room temperature for 1 to 2 days in an airtight tin and in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. Best eaten warm or at room temperature. Happy baking!

Notes

*Springform tins make it easier to flip the cake over, because you can place your platter directly on the surface of the cake, and then flip. You can however use a regular 9" round cake tin, gently loosening the edges of the cake with a sharp knife, before inverting the tin. I've also made this batter in a 9x5 inch loaf tin. It works well as a loaf but domes a little bit, so you may need to slice off any uneven bits.
*I haven't tried this cake without eggs, but since there is yoghurt in there, the cake should stay moist even if you omit the eggs. About 1/3 cup milk could work as a substitute, just enough to make a thick but spreadable batter. The cake might be a little bit denser without the eggs. Alternately, here's an eggless butter cake that'll also taste great with some orange zest and the topping as written here.