Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Orange Upside-Down Cake

Please forgive the lousy picture quality!  We were in a hurry to eat, so I snapped a quickie iPhone shot, and then we tucked in.  Sometimes the stomach wins over art.
What does a magpie do when she has a bowl full of oranges plus a container of Greek yogurt in the fridge that needs to be used pronto . . . plus a serious craving for something sweet to go with a cup of Earl Grey?  She makes a sparkling, bejeweled orange upside-down cake.  I used this recipe from Family Spice.  It's incredibly fast and easy to prep, and it bakes in just 30 minutes in a cast-iron skillet.  My cast-iron skillet happens to be my favorite pan; it's well-seasoned and well-loved.  And now that this beauty of a cake popped right out of it with zero sticking, my cast-iron skillet is loved just a little bit more.

If you like oranges as well as a very moist cake, you will adore this recipe.  I'll definitely be making it again before Christmas, only this time I might do blood oranges and cranberries . . . or I'll change it up completely and do thin slices of pineapple (and maybe ripe mango).  I will likely add some vanilla as well, as the current recipe doesn't call for it, and I think it would boost the flavor a bit.  A little orange extract in addition to the orange zest would be nice, too, although just a drop or two.  It's easy to go overboard.  The recipe calls for plain Greek yogurt, but I only had vanilla, and it was delicious.  I often use vanilla yogurt when making sweet baked goods, and it substitutes beautifully.  I just use a little less sugar than the recipe calls for in order to balance out the sugar in the yogurt.

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More soon, chickadees!  xo Gigi

8 comments:

  1. Sounds delicious!

    Even if I can't eat it.

    Have to live Gluten/Free...

    But my quality of life, is so much better, since going G/F, that the things I have to give up, don't bother me that much.

    Tessa~

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    1. Hi, Tessa. This would be an easy one to make GF! While I haven't gone totally gluten free, I often use GF flours in my recipes. For this one I'd just substitute the King Arthur GF multi-purpose flour or Cup 4 Cup flour. In fact, I'll probably use GF flour the next time I make it, and I'll let you know how it turns out. My guess is there will be little difference. This is a very forgiving recipe.

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  2. danke für die tollen bilder!!! liebe grüße von angie

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  3. That cake looks amazing, just the kind I love.
    I will be checking it out.
    Isn't it amazing how we can follow on so many internet options?
    Since I don't have a smart phone I don't use Instagram, but love
    seeing you on FB. Must make sure I follow you on Flickr and Pinterest.

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    Replies
    1. I love being able to connect in so many ways, Marilyn! Just followed you on Flickr. xo

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  4. That cake sounds so good and is very pretty. I love my cast iron skillet, too, and use it so much, the best!

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