Blood Orange and Grapefruit Upside Down Cake & LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
“I’m madly in love with you…because you’re beautiful inside and out.” – Little Miss Sunshine
I think my new favorite holiday may be Daylight Savings. While I don’t particularly love losing an hour, the brighter evenings are worth it. It’s been sunny in Seattle and feeling a lot like summer, which makes a world of difference. After a long dark winter, the warmth from the sun is an instant mood boost.
Citrus is basically liquid sunshine, and when I passed the blood oranges and grapefruits at the grocery store, I couldn’t resist buying as many as I could grab. Filled with clove, cinnamon, zest and the juice of blood orange, this upside down cake bursts with flavor.
Keeping in the theme of strong females (for Women’s History Month) and sunshine, what better than a slice of this cake while watching the hilarious Little Miss Sunshine? This movie is great for so many reasons, but my favorite part of it is Olive Hoover, the confident and charming young daughter who competes in beauty pageants. She’s sweet yet tough, has a sunny disposition, and gives life her all.
The movie follows the eccentric family as they rush to get to the pageant for Olive to compete in. With a VW van full of zany characters, this movie is both funny and heart wrenching. If you want sunshine for your eyes and taste buds, this cake and movie won’t disappoint.
Blood Orange and Grapefruit Upside Down Cake
Serves: 4-6 | Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients
7 tablespoons unsalted butter + extra for the pan
4 tablespoons Greek yogurt
2 blood oranges
2 eggs
2/3 cup light brown sugar + 3 tbsp. light brown sugar (for the pan)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon ground clove
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Zest from 1 blood orange
1 tablespoon blood orange juice
Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Generously grease a pan with butter. Sprinkle the sides and the bottom of the pan with the light brown sugar.
Melt the butter and stir in the Greek yogurt. Set aside to cool - this mixture will solidify a bit, but it should still be easy to mix and add to the egg and flour mixture.
Wash and thinly slice 1-2 blood oranges and 1 grapefruit. Remove any seeds. Put the slices in a single layer in the bottom of the pan, in any design you prefer.
Beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer (or hand mixer) until light in color and texture, about two minutes.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, clove, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Add the butter mixture and zest to the batter and mix until smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until cake is golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake cool for five minutes before flipping it onto a rack to cool completely.