| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 35 min |
| Prep: | 35 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- For the caramel:
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 4 to 5 oranges
- For the cake:
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 stick salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Make the caramel: Combine the sugar, 1/3 cup water and the kosher salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring just until the sugar dissolves. Cook, gently swirling the pan occasionally but not stirring, until amber, 8 to 10 minutes. Brush any sugar crystals off the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the butter (the mixture will bubble). Pour into a 9-inch-round cake pan, tilting the pan to coat the bottom; set aside.
- Slice off the top and bottom of the oranges. Place the oranges cut-side down and cut off the peel and white pith with a chef’s knife, following the curve of the fruit. Cut along both sides of each membrane to remove the segments. Set the segments aside, discarding any seeds.
- Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and roast until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool, then transfer to a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl; add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt and whisk to combine.
- Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in the orange zest. Reduce the mixer speed to low; beat in the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with flour, until just smooth.
- Arrange the orange segments in the cake pan in concentric circles. Add the batter and smooth the top. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. (Tent with foil if the top gets too dark.) Transfer to a rack and let cool slightly, then run a knife around the edge of the cake and invert onto a platter. Let cool completely. Sprinkle with sea salt.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 291 |
| Total Fat | 16 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 34 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 19 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 71 mg |
| Sodium | 297 mg |
Reviews
I was unsure about making this one…I have never made homemade caramel before, and I wasn’t sure about the salted caramel and orange combo. But…it was great! The caramel definitely took longer than ten minutes…more like 17-18. Also, it hardens VERY fast, so you don’t have much time to get it into the cake pan and coat the bottom. I thought it was going to stick and completely ruin my pan (it doesn’t say anything in the recipe about spraying the pan), but it miraculously came out onto the platter, just as the recipe said it would! The ground toasted almonds in the batter really added to the cake. Lovely in the afternoon with a cup of coffee.
How much sugar do you add for the cake batter?
This was a fun cake to make. I’m only 21 so I don’t have much fun types of cake recipes yet. I made sure to follow directions to the letter, and also read twice before starting, and I tell you it was a big success. It looked just like the image in this magazine. And it was delicious as it was beautiful. My family ate it right up. I even brought a slice to my Grandmother, and she loved it. She said it was so good, she had to have a cup of coffee with it, like it just goes together. Ever since I made it, she has been sharing cake recipes ever since.
Horrible!
It is an arduous recipe to make, but when I took it into my office for a morning treat, it was a big success. Now I know how to make caramel from scratch (it did take longer than 10 mins to get to the amber color as shown in the photo).
I didn’t have any almonds so I skipped this step. I also had committed the cardinal baking sin of not reading the entire recipe before beginning so my orange peels were in the disposal before I realized I needed some zest. I poured in a bit of Grand Marnier instead, and I don’t know that I missed much.
It took a lot longer than 10 minutes for the caramel to come together, but when it did it was right. I cheat when I make caramel by using a non-stick sauce pan so I don’t have issues with crystals on the side.
I didn’t use a cake pan, either, but rather my trusty cast iron skillet. It turned out just right and my household is digging it.
I had high hopes for this recipe, but it was a complete disaster for me. The caramel didn’t come out right- my fault- but the cake itself didn’t come out good either. I followed the recipe exactly, and it came out very dry and had a weird taste. I think it was the almonds. I tasted the batter before putting it in the oven, and it tasted fine though. Served it the next day at a family gathering and was embarrassed because it was almost inedible. It took forever to make from start to finish and didn’t work out after all the hard work. Was a disappointment and have no interest in trying again. Will stick to apple-upside down cakes or other recipes that don’t call for caramel. Will check back to see if anyone has found remedies worth trying.