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Orange Upside Down Cake

Sticky Orange Upside Down Cake Recipe

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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 370
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 medium navel orange, thinly sliced into ⅛-inch rounds
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp orange zest
  • ½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature

Method
 

  1. Melt 4 tbsp butter in a 9-inch round cake pan over low heat, then sprinkle brown sugar over it. Remove from heat and arrange orange slices in a single layer.
  2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
  3. Cream ½ cup butter and granulated sugar until fluffy, then beat in eggs, vanilla, and orange zest.
  4. Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, mixing just until combined.
  5. Spoon batter over oranges, bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes, cool 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate.

Notes

Let the cake cool those full 10 minutes in the pan, but not longer. If your kitchen is cool, the caramel can seize up; a quick 10-second blast of low heat under the pan before flipping solves most sticking issues. The cake slices cleanly at room temperature but is at its softest when still a touch warm.