Blood Orange Upside-Down Cake

Blood oranges are only around for a short season but if you get your hands on them, they can make incredible bakes and savoury dishes. They have a more intense flavour and sweeter tang than normal oranges, almost imitating a grapefruit with a gorgeous scarlet red colour. This upside-down cake uses yoghurt to give a richer texture and a sweet cinnamon syrup topping. Serve with ice cream or regular cream for a citrussy winter dessert.

INGREDIENTS

2-3 blood oranges, zested and sliced

1 blood orange, juice of

1 tsp cinnamon

100g caster sugar

120g unsalted butter

200g caster sugar

3 tbsp full fat milk

70g full fat yoghurt

4 free-range eggs

200g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

50g flaked almonds, toasted

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 4 and line a 20cm cake tin with greaseproof paper, lightly buttering the base and sides.

2. Grate the zest of the blood oranges and set aside. Juice one of the oranges and slice the other 2 into thin rounds, keeping the rind on. In a saucepan, heat the brown sugar and blood orange juice so the sugar dissolves to make a syrup. Add the cinnamon and blood orange slices and cook in the syrup over a medium heat till they soften, about 10 minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon and transfer the slices to the cake tin and arrange, slightly overlapping around the bottom and fold up the sides of the tin.

3. Boil the rest of the syrup so it thickens to coat the back of a spoon and set aside, ready to brush over the top of the cake when baked.

4. Whisk the butter, sugar and yoghurt for a few minutes until light and fluffy.

5. Add the beaten eggs, vanilla extract and blood orange zest, whisking to incorporate.

6. Finally fold in the sifted flour, baking powder and milk.

7. Spoon the mix into the baking tin over the orange slices and level with the back of a spoon. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown on top and a skewer comes out clean.

9. Leave the cake to cool in the tin before turning out and carefully peeling off the greaseproof paper. Brush over the rest of the syrup, scatter over the almonds and serve with crème fraiche or lightly whipped double cream.