Venn Diagrams.
When just out of college, my friend Martha bought me a cookbook by the renowned Parisian pastry chef Gaston Lenôtre. I was already cooking a lot by then, but I certainly wasn’t up to the level of Lenôtre’s recipes. I certainly spent a lot of time drooling over them, though.
One in particular caught my eye. It was an orange upside down cake with a pavé of orange slices. It’s like a Venn diagram of citrus! I lost the book decades ago in a move, but the image of that cake stuck with me. (After writing this post, I bought a used copy; when I opened the book it literally opened to the orange cake. This was meant to be.)
I decided to try my hand at my own version of an orange upside down cake. Using my standard upside down method wouldn’t do, as I didn’t want the oranges browned with caramel. But the cake part of the recipe would work just fine.
I looked to the internet for a cake with a topping like the one I envisioned and found several. I merged and tinkered and tested the top three different ways, and was happy with the final results. To the cake base I add a good dose of cardamom powder and orange zest which gives it a wonderful flavor.
~ David
Cardamom Orange Upside Down Cake
To print the recipe, please click the small printer icon below.
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium navel oranges
- 2 cups water
- 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
- 1 1/3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- zest of 2 oranges
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions
- Generously butter a 9-inch cake pan.
- Cut the oranges into thin slices —about 3/16-inch.
- Heat the water and 1 1/2 cups sugar in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved in pan. Add in the orange slices and reduce heat to a simmer; cook for 15 minutes. Went cool, layer the oranges (shake off excess syrup) in the cake pan starting from the center and overlapping the oranges as you go. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and cardamom. In a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, and continue to beat until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl from time to time.
- Mix in the orange zest (it might curdle slightly but don’t worry), then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla. On low speed, alternately add milk and dry ingredients in two additions, combining thoroughly after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl from time to time. Spread batter evenly over the orange slices, being careful not to move them.
- Bake cake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean — about 40 minutes, Transfer to a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Using a thin knife or spatula, release cake from the sides of the pan. Then, using oven mitts, place a platter on top of the cake and then, together, flip the two over. Let settle a couple minutes before removing the pan, then gently lift pan off.
- Serves 8-10.
© 2025 Copyright Cocoa & Lavender
Mad Dog
May 31, 2025 at 6:12 amYou’ve outdone yourself again – that looks amazing!
Cocoa & Lavender
May 31, 2025 at 1:18 pmThanks, Mad Dog! I truly appreciate your kind words!
FEL!X
May 31, 2025 at 6:14 amJust wonderful: the taste and the presentation!
The amount of cardamom might depend of using the the powder from the whole buds or only of its seeds…
Cocoa & Lavender
May 31, 2025 at 1:17 pmThank you, Felix. Here, ground cardamom is only the seeds ground to a fine powder.
Barb
May 31, 2025 at 7:10 amWhat a stunning cake!! The combination of flavors sounds delightful!
Cocoa & Lavender
May 31, 2025 at 1:16 pmThanks, Barb — you can see why I was inspired by Lenôtre’s version.
Allison
May 31, 2025 at 8:29 amHi, David. This sounds so lovely, I am a huge cardamom fan! Can you clarify the amount of sugar used, please?
Cocoa & Lavender
May 31, 2025 at 1:15 pmHi Allison — I hadn’t realized I added the sugar twice to the list of ingredients. Thanks for letting me know! You use a total of 2 1/4 cups: 1 1/2 cups for cooking the orange slices and the remaining 3/4 cup for the cake. Hope you are well!
Susan Manfull
May 31, 2025 at 8:35 amWow! This looks amazing! Surely. It will brighten up our rainy day!
Cocoa & Lavender
May 31, 2025 at 1:11 pmThanks, Susan — I hope the sun comes out soon!
Mimi Rippee
May 31, 2025 at 12:52 pmBeautiful!
Cocoa & Lavender
May 31, 2025 at 1:11 pmThanks, Mimi!
Valentina
May 31, 2025 at 1:24 pmWhat a bright and sunny cake, David. There’s something special about an upside down cake — I’m not even sure what it is, but I love making them and eating them! This one is particularly beautiful, and I love the Venn Diagram comparison. And I’m a huge fan of cardamom in baked goods. 🙂 ~Valentina
Cocoa & Lavender
May 31, 2025 at 1:30 pmThanks so much, Valentina — I know what you mean about upside down cakes; i feel the same. And cardamom? Such an under-utilized spice!
Fran @ G'day Souffle'
May 31, 2025 at 2:36 pmGlad you explained the process of arranging the oranges! I would have started arranging them on the outside and worked inward, thereby probably stuffing up the whole thing! My next ‘Venn diagram challenge’ is to do a Lattice Pie Crust- that should be challenging. Your cake looks lovely and I’m sure it’s also lovely to eat!
Cocoa & Lavender
May 31, 2025 at 6:56 pmI’m sure it would taste just as good in reverse order, Fran! I love making lattice crust. you are going to enjoy it, as well. It’s much easier than it sounds.
Eha Carr
May 31, 2025 at 3:54 pmAm smiling – as usual with your posts I look at the artistry of the presentation before I read the recipe . . . just love your photo of the four oranges > shall quietly file that under your name . . . oh, and I love cardamom also . . .
Cocoa & Lavender
May 31, 2025 at 6:57 pmThanks, Eha — I do think the cardamom is one of the least appreciated spices. It’s so wonderful, and goes so well with orange.
Becker
May 31, 2025 at 4:47 pmlooks lovely and delicious – must try as Cara Cara oranges are still in season.
Cocoa & Lavender
May 31, 2025 at 6:57 pmThis would be beautiful with Cara Cara oranges, Jill. Let me know what you think!
Ronit Penso
June 1, 2025 at 9:54 amMagnificent cake! Upside-down cakes are a favorite of mine, and so far I’ve made 10 versions, each one with a different type of fruit. I’ll hope to find such nice oranges, to make this one soon! 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
June 2, 2025 at 3:47 amThanks, Ronit — like you, I have made many both sweet and savory. They are fun. I hope you enjoy it!
angiesrecipes
June 2, 2025 at 3:20 amThis looks scrumptious! I love mine with lots of cardamom :-)) A large slice with a large dollop of clotted cream and a glass of bubble…mmm..life is good.
Cocoa & Lavender
June 2, 2025 at 3:47 amThanks, Angie. I like the idea of the clotted cream on top.
Inger
June 3, 2025 at 5:10 amI can just think of so many occasions it would be perfect to serve this David. Simply beautiful!
Cocoa & Lavender
June 4, 2025 at 8:01 amThanks, Inger! It actually works perfectly well for breakfast, too!
Jeff the Chef
June 4, 2025 at 5:30 amI can’t believe how perfectly this cake came out! I’ve made plenty of upside-down cakes (but not orange), and I usually start by trying my hand at a design, but then it inevitably goes awry, and I hope it looks at least a little attractive. Anyway, curious why you didn’t want a caramel? For looks? Or flavor? Or because the recipe that inspired you didn’t use one?
Cocoa & Lavender
June 4, 2025 at 8:01 amIt took a couple of tries to get it to look this good, Jeff! I should’ve told people why I didn’t do the caramel… First, the flavor would be too strong for the delicacy of the cardamom cake, and second, you would lose the brightness of the citrus fruit with the darkness of the caramel. Excellent questions… Thanks for your nice comment!