Orange Upside Down Cake, Eggless Cake, Healthy Cake
Who doesn’t love the classic upside down cake, especially with the goodness of oranges, buckwheat flour & oats! Simple, quick and super healthy – try this Orange Upside Down Cake that pairs beautifully with your evening cuppa! I used citrus fruits that were in season – but you can customize this cake by using any fruit of your choice.
If you’ve been around my blog for a while, you know already by now that I bake only using healthier, wholegrain ingredients which celebrate nutrition. However, would you believe me if I tell you I don’t even have refined flours in my pantry, and can’t quite manage to bake with them either (That’s right, I tried once, upon request 😛 ). I also resort to ordering dessert in a restaurant or a bakery very less often – unless it’s a specialty dish or I really want to – I enjoy baking my own healthy cakes and cookies, especially since I know what exactly went in.
Why whole grains?
Although they’re totally in trend lately, whole grains are not a recent find by any means. As a matter of fact, they have been included in our diet for thousands of years. Remember how your grandmother formerly used to sort, clean, winnow and mill flours from grains and cereals at home or a nearby mill? In reality, the idea was to ensure that the quality and nutrition of the milled flours remain intact.
For one thing, while it is very convenient to pick a packet of refined flour off the shelf from a supermarket or even get one delivered at your doorstep, it might pain you to realize that refined grains have their nutrients stripped away, and hence can be the biggest contributors to health conditions like obesity, heart diseases, inflammation etc.
At any rate, whole grains contain higher amount of nutrients, along with fiber, protein and even disease-preventing plant compounds like polyphenols. Furthermore, they also lower your risk of heart-diseases, stroke, obesity and type 2 diabetes, aside from aiding healthy digestion and essentially, a healthier, fitter you!
Orange Upside Down Cake – The Story Behind
My love for upside-down cakes began with a whim – I baked a Cherry Upside-down Ricotta Cake some time ago and it was delicious! This time I used kinnow orange and blood orange for a citrus themed upside-down cake, but you can use any fruits that are in season. The smell of these citrus fruits and spices wafting through the kitchen as the cake bakes = magical!
Want to try other healthy bakes?
Do try my:
Oats Red Rice Cranberry Cookies,
Pumpkin Spice Barnyard Millet Cake
Wholewheat Chocolate Ganache Cake!
RECIPE: ORANGE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE
Makes an 8X8X2.5” cake; serves 6
Preparation Time: 20 minutes, Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CAKE
- 120g or 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 60g or 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 6-8 cardamom pods, crushed
- 2 tsp vanilla essence
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp preserved/ candied orange peel, chopped (See Notes)
- 170g or 1 cup palm sugar
- 100g or ½ cup yogurt, or whisked dahi
- 250g water (optional)
- 60g or ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ½ tsp Salt
FOR THE FRUIT BASE
- 1 blood orange
- 1 kinnow orange (you can substitute with any citrus fruit)
- 1.5 tbsp palm sugar
- ¼ cup water
INSTRUCTIONS
First, pre-heat the oven at 180°C.Line an 8-inch cake pan, preferably springform with parchment paper and grease with little oil.
Meanwhile, slice the orange and grapefruit into ½ inch thick circles. Then, with a sharp paring knife, cut out the skins off the slices, taking care to keep intact the white edges surrounding the rind. This will help keep the slices from disintegrating as the cake bakes. Set aside.
Next, in a bowl sieve together all the dry ingredients, i.e. flours, salt and baking powder. Mix well with a spatula.
Now, beat palm sugar, oil and yogurt until fluffy in another bowl. Next, add vanilla essence, lime juice, crushed cardamom, chopped candied orange peel and water. Thereupon whisk everything together to form a uniform mixture.
Next, add the dry ingredients to the bowl with wet ingredients in two parts, while whisking together into a smooth batter.
Heat ¼ cup water and dissolve 1 tbsp sugar in the same. Add half the sugar water into the base of the parchment-lined pan, and arrange the fruit slices neatly in circles. Fill any gaps between the circles with smaller fruit slices. Now, add the remaining sugar water on top of the fruit.
Finally, pour the batter into the pan over the fruits. Next, tap on a surface a few times for any trapped air to be released.
Bake at 180°C for about 30-40minutes, until it has risen firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely. Next, run a knife along the rim of the pans, release the springform. Thereupon, flip the cake on a plate and remove the pan base. You will be able to see the beautiful caramelized fruit pattern on the top now.
Lastly, devour!
NOTES
- For candied orange peel, add slice clean peels of 3 oranges in a clean, dry glass jar along with 3 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar and 1 tbsp sugar syrup. Shake well and place on a sunny window ledge. The sugar will consequently melt. Shake occasionally to distribute sugar evenly. I keep adding orange peel and sugar as I go. The candied orange peel can be used to flavor a variety of recipes.
- Additionally, you can fold aluminum foil into strips (same height as that of the cake pan) and wrap along the circumference of the cake pan, just before setting it inside the oven for baking. Indeed, this will prevent the sides of the cake from looking burnt and keep it moist.
- This cake can be refrigerated for 2 days. It freezes beautifully for about a month if kept in a vacuum-sealed food-grade polythene bag. For usage, thaw at room temperature and heat in the microwave for 1 minute.
Orange Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
- 120 g or 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 60 g or 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 6-8 cardamom pods crushed
- 2 tsp vanilla essence
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp preserved/ candied orange peel chopped (See Notes)
- 170 g or 1 cup palm sugar
- 100 g or ½ cup yogurt or whisked dahi
- 250 g water optional
- 60 g or ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ½ tsp Salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven at 180°C.Line an 8-inch cake pan, preferably springform with parchment paper and grease with little oil.
Prep
- Slice the orange and grapefruit into ½ inch thick circles. Then with a sharp paring knife, cut out the skins off the slices. Set aside.
- In a bowl sieve together all the dry ingredients, i.e. flours, salt and baking powder. Mix well with a spatula.
- In another bowl, beat palm sugar, oil and yogurt until fluffy. Add vanilla essence, lime juice, crushed cardamom, chopped candied orange peel and water. Whisk everything together to form a uniform mixture.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with wet ingredients in two parts, while whisking together. Scrape sides with a spatula and whisk again.
- Heat ¼ cup water and dissolve 1 tbsp sugar in the same. Add half the sugar water into the base of the parchment-lined pan, and arrange the fruit slices neatly in circles. Pour the remaining sugar water on top of the fruit.
- Add the batter into the pan over the fruits.
Baking
- Bake at 180°C for about 30-40minutes, until it has risen firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely. Run a knife along the rim of the pans and release the springform. Turn around the cake on a plate and remove the pan base. You will be able to see the beautiful caramelized fruit pattern on the top now.
- Devour!
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