Upside Down Winter Citrus Cake
A stunningly easy-to-make sweet and tart winter citrus upside-down cake! The citrus gets deliciously caramelized by a rum infused vanilla and brown sugar glaze and it's the upside-down cake that can brighten up even the coldest and darkest of winter days!This recipe is inspired by Thomas Keller's Pineapple Upside Down-Cake recipe in his book, Ad Hoc.
Servings: 10
Ingredients
Pan Schmear
- 8 tablespoons 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon dark rum
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Kosher salt
Cake
- 11/2 pounds of citrus
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 8 tablespoons 1 stick unsalted butter, temperature
- 1/2 cup plus
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon milk
- 2 pinches kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- For the schmear: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle or a food processor, combine the butter, honey, rum, brown sugar, and vanilla; beat until smooth and well blended. Spread 1 cup of the schmear over the bottom of a 9-inch silicone baking pan. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Set aside.
- To cut the citrus: trim off each end. Stand the citrus upright a cut, flat end and cut away the peel and pith with a sharp knife, following the contours of each citrus. The slice the citrus into rounds, about ¼ inch thick.
- For the cake batter: place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle or food processor and beat for a few minutes until light and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating until the first one is incorporated before adding the second and scraping down the sides as necessary. Beat in the milk. Add the flour and baking powder; beat until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the pan and spread over the citrus. Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan for even browning and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until a cake tester or wooden skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling
- Run a knife around the edges of the cake, invert onto a serving platter, and serve warm, with Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey or date syrup.
Notes
- Use a sharp knife to cut the citrus!
- Fill in the citrus topping gaps with smaller pieces of citrus.
- When possible, buy organic and local citrus.
- Place cake pan on a sheet pan while baking to catch any of the buttery schmear goodness that may ooze out while in the oven.
- Run a knife around the edges of the cake and let cool slightly before inverting.
- The remaining schmear can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 1 month; bring to room temperature before using
- Leftover cake can be stored, at room temperature, for up to 2 days.