• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Lifestyle of a Foodie
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Air Fryer
    • breakfast
    • desserts
    • Diets
    • Drinks
    • Savory
    • Small Batch
    • Recipe collection
  • About me
  • Contact
  • Privacy

Home » desserts

Blood Orange Upside Down Cake

Published on April 4, 2020 - Updated on December 31, 2020 by Chahinez Leave a Comment

Spread the love

Blood orange upside down cake or should I say the best tea cake you have ever had in your life! It is dense, moist, and absolutely gorgeous right out of the baking pan.

Jump to recipe

SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST GET A FREE WEEKLY MEAL PLANNER AND RECIPE CARD!

Subscribe

* indicates required
/ ( mm / dd )
easy blood orange upside-down cake sliced

Hello everone!

I am so excited for today’s post. It has been exactly 2 years since I started this blog and look at me now… I have often given up on things when They get hard or I get bored of them but the passion I have for cooking, baking and sharing everything I make with you guys just keeps me going.

During this past year, I have been able to made huge progress. I have worked in being more disciplined, treating this like a business and having fun along the way. The hard work I have put in has brought me to where I am today.

Unfortunately I am not posting a layered cake for my blogversary like I did last year, if you’re curious I posted the triple layered vanilla cake with lemon curd and Italian meringue buttercream to celebrate. This year, I am trying to use what I have at home and not use up too many of my ingredients because of the current situation.

It is a pretty weird time to be celebrating but at the end of the day you have to look at all you have achieved and give yourself props for it and that’s what I am doing right now!

Let’s talk blood orange cake for a second

Before the quarantine or the “social distancing” as many of us call it here in America, I had purchased a whole bunch of blood oranges. I had been looking for them everywhere and the second I found them I had to have them.

I knew I wanted to make something using them because I had received a LorAnn blood orange oil from the Fikabröd subscription box. I was not sure what I was gonna make with it until I stumbled upon some gorgeous upside down blood orange cakes on instagram.

For someone who is not the biggest citrus cake fanatic, this one kinda changed everything for me. After taking the first bite of this blood orange upside down cake, I realized that maybe my taste buds have changed a little as I grew up. Or maybe I just made citrus cake way better than anyone did when I was growing up… hahaha!

Blood orange upside down cake

What makes this blood orange upside down cake so special?

One of my favorite things about this blood orange upside down cake is the fact that it is gorgeous right out of the pan! Sure it might take a little time to candy the blood orange slices but that is it. Everything else is a piece of cake 😉 It is very easy to make and will make a cake that looks more like art and less like cake. Talk about show stopper!

I know you will love these recipes!

  • Pink lemon bars
  • Triple layered vanilla cake with lemon curd
  • Orange mango smoothie
  • The best pink lemon bars
  • layered vanilla cake with lemon curd and vanilla bean italian meringue buttercream
  • Mango orange smoothie with an orange slice on top

What ingredients do I need for this blood orange cake?

  • Blood oranges – These are gonna be the star of the dish. We will use them to decorate the cake.
  • Water– You will need some water to candy the blood orange slices.
  • Sugar– Sugar is for both the cake and the candied blood orange slices
  • Orange zest – Can’t have a citrus cake without some orange zest, am I right or am I right?!
  • Orange juice – I used juice form regular oranges and not blood oranges for this step because I wanted to keep my cake lighter in color.
  • Blood orange oil– You can omit this if you don’t have any blood orange at the time but I highly suggest getting some! This is the blood orange oil that I used.
  • Flour – All purpose flour works just fine for this recipe.
  • Baking powder – Baking powder will help us get a beautiful rise to the cake.
  • Salt – Always use a little salt in your baked goods. It helps elevate the flavors.
  • Butter – Can’t have cake without butter! Just kidding, you can but butter makes more rich.
  • Greek yogurt – Greek yogurt, when added to cakes helps keep them very moist. The acidity of the yogurt also helps activate the baking powder
  • Eggs – You will need room temperature eggs for this recipe
  • heavy whipping cream – This is an optional ingredient but I highly suggest enjoying this cake with a dollop of whipped cream!
This cake is best enjoyed with a generous dollop of whipped cream on top.

Tools needed to make an upside down citrus cake

To make this delicious cake you will need:

  • 9 -inch bakin pan
  • A large pot
  • A cooling wrack
  • A stand mixer or a hand mixer

I have linked some of my favorite product above to make it easier for you to find them!

How to make this delicious upside down blood orange cake

This upside down cake is made in two steps. The first step is to candy the blood oranges :

  1. Cut the blood oranges into thin slices
  2. In a medium pot, over medium heat add 2 cups of water and 1 ½ cup of granulated sugar. Let the sugar dissolve then slowly start layering in your blood orange slices. Bring the liquid down to a simmer and cook for about 12-15 minutes.
  3. After the blood oranges are done, pull them out of the syrup and line them on a cooling wrack that’s placed on top of a baking sheet to let them drip.

Now that the candied blood oranges are done, we will make the citrus cake:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F, then prepare a 9 inch cake pan by coating it with butter.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
  3. In a stand mixer bowl, cream together the room temperature butter, yogurt, and orange zest. Slowly add in the sugar and blood orange oil and mix until light and fluffy.
  4. Add in the eggs one at a time, making sure to scrape the sides and mix well between each addition.
  5. Slowly ad in ⅓ of the dry mixture alternating between that and ⅓ of the orange juice. Beat well on low speed after each addition.
  6. Layer the blood orange slices on the bottom of the 9-inch pan then pour the batter on top of the blood orange slices and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick or a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean!
  7. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes then loosen the edges by running a knife between the cake and the edge of the pan. Invert on a cooling wrack to cool some more.
  8. Serve this with whipped cream for a fancy tea time cake!
Blood orange upside down cake

Tips to make sure your blood orange cake turns out amazing!

  • Use room temperature ingredients– Make sure to use room temperature ingredients for this cake. Using room temperature ingredients allows for an emulsion to happen when you mix everything together. This then allows for the cake to rise a little more.
  • Press the candied blood orange slices into the baking pan – When the candied blood orange slices are ready to be put on the pan make sure to lightly press them into the bottom of the pan to make sure the cake batter doesn’t leak through.
  • Cover the cake with foil if it browns too fast- When baking your upside down cake, you might notice that the top is browning a little too fast while the middle is still fairly liquid. grab a large piece of aluminum foil and cover the cake with it while it’s still baking. Make sure that the foil is not touching the cake. This will keep the top of the cake from burning.
  • Let the cake cool down for 10-15 minutes before flipping it- Make sure to let the cake cool down for 10-15 minutes before running a sharp knife between the cake and the edge of the pan to loosen it and flip it.
  • Top your cake with whipped cream- I love to top my cake with a generous dollop of whipped cream when serving. It balances the citrus flavor perfectly.

Blood orange upside down cake

I took this recipe from Preppy Kitchen blog and modified it to fit what I had at home. The cake turned out incredible so I decided to share it with you guys.

Blood orange upside down cake

Blood orange upside down cake

This impressive yet easy blood orange upside down cake is gorgeous right out of the pan. It is moist and soft and pairs perfectly with a nice cup of tea.
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 50 mins
Total Time 1 hr 20 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Calories

Ingredients
  

  • 2 blood oranges
  • 2 cup water
  • 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon LoAnn grapefruit oil
  • 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1.2 cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup butter
  • ⅓ cup greek yogurt or any yogurt
  • 3 eggs at room temperature.

Instructions
 

For the blood oranges

  • Start by cutting the blood oranges into thin slices.
  • In a medium pot, over medium heat add 2 cups of water and 1 ½ cup of granulated sugar. Let the sugar dissolve then slowly start layering in your blood orange slices. Bring the liquid down to a simmer and cook for about 12-15 minutes.
  • After the blood oranges are done, pull them out of the syrup and line them on a cooling wrack that's placed on top of a baking sheet to let them drip.

For the soft citrus cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350F, then prepare a 9 inch cake pan by coating it with butter.
  • In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
  • In a stand mixer bowl, cream together the room temperature butter, yogurt, and orange zest. Slowly add in the sugar and blood orange oil and mix until light and fluffy.
  • Add in the eggs one at a time, making sure to scrape the sides and mix well between each addition.
  • Slowly ad in ⅓ of the dry mixture alternating between that and ⅓ of the orange juice. Beat well on low speed after each addition.
  • Layer the blood orange slices on the bottom of the 9-inch pan and lightly press on them. Pour the batter on top of the blood orange slices and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick or a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean!
  • Let the cake cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes then loosen the edges by running a knife between the cake and the edge of the pan. Invert on a cooling wrack to cool some more.
  • Serve this with whipped cream for a fancy tea time cake!
Keyword blood orange, candied blood orange, tea cake, tea time cake, upside down blood orange cake, upside down cake
Tried this recipe?Follow us and tag us on Instagram! @chahinez_tbt

Thank you so much for making it all the way down here, if you tried this recipe and loved it please let me know down in the comments below. Have a great day and stay safe!

XOXO
Chahinez

Shop this recipe

This post may contain affiliate posts, meaning that at no cost to you I will get a small percentage of every purchase you make!

If you enjoyed this blood orange upside down cake make sure to pin it for later!

« Virgin Matcha Moscow Mule
7 secrets to make boxed pancakes better + mistakes to avoid + recipe »

Filed Under: cake, desserts, Fruit Dessert Tagged With: blood orange, blood orange cake, cake, citrus, show stopper, upside down cake

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

About me

Hey there! My name is Chahinez, and I’m the brains behind the blog, Lifestyle of a Foodie. LOAF was started back in 2018 during my last semester ...

Read More

Categories

Footer

Most popular posts

Crumbl copycat cookies

In the past few months, Crumbl cookies have gotten so popular! Tiktok went crazy for them the second I shared my first chilled sugar cookie recipe on there. Since then I have put my baking expertise to test by going through their whole menu and bringing you the best Crumbl copycats found online! The hundreds of reviews on the Crumbl cookie recipes that have been posted throughout the past few months can be proof of that! In this article I have 39 Crumbl cookie copycat recipes to satisfy all your cravings, so get ready!

Social Slider

  • If you’re not ready to let summer go, you have to make these lemon poppyseed cookies!!! Each one is filled
    by chahinez_tbt 7 months ago
    If you’re not ready to let summer go, you have to make these lemon poppyseed cookies!!! Each one is filled
  • Nothing more comforting than the smell of these chocolate chunk cookie cups baking in the oven! Today I am sharing
    by chahinez_tbt 7 months ago
    Nothing more comforting than the smell of these chocolate chunk cookie cups baking in the oven! Today I am sharing
  • Imagine taking a bite of a thick buttery cookie that’s topped with caramel cream cheese frosting, caramel popcorn, and a
    by chahinez_tbt 7 months ago
    Imagine taking a bite of a thick buttery cookie that’s topped with caramel cream cheese frosting, caramel popcorn, and a

Copyright © 2023 Lifestyle of a Foodie on the Foodie Pro Theme