Ombre Citrus Upside Down Loaf Cake Recipe
A stunning, tender and moist almond-lemon loaf cake decorated with ombre citrus slices and blood orange syrup.
Ingredients
For the Upside-Down Citrus Syrup
- 5 Small oranges of different variety - Blood orange, cara cara, navel, orange, meyer lemon
- 1/3 Cup Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Water
- 2 Tbsp Orange juice
For the Cake
- 95 Grams Pastry Flour
- 1/2 Tsp Baking powder
- 1/8 Tsp Salt
- 5 Large eggs, room temp
- 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3/4 Cup Almond Paste, room temp - (200 grams)
- 1 Cup Caster sugar
- 1 Cup Unsalted butter, room temp, cut into cubes
- 2 Tbsp Poppy seeds
- 2-3 Tsp Lemon Zest - From an unwaxed lemon.
For the top Glaze
- Remaining syrup
- 1/4 Cup Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Blood orange juice
For the Whipped Cream to Serve (Optional)
- 3/4 Cup Heavy whipping cream - Straight from the fridge
- 3 Tbsp Powdered sugar
- 1/2 Tsp Vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Upside-Down Citrus Syrup
- Cut the citrus horizontally into about 2.5 mm slices. Then cut them in half.
- In a medium saucepan, add the sugar, water, and orange juice and bring to a boil. Add the citrus slices, except for the blood orange, and reduce the heat. Simmer for 12 minutes until the citrus softens and candies. Avoid stirring as this could break up the citrus.
- Turn the heat off.
For the Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350 F and prepare a 9x5 loaf pan by buttering it and lining the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
- Dip the blood orange in the syrup and arrange the blood orange and candied citrus in a decorative pattern on the bottom of the loaf pan. Start with the lightest color, meyer lemon, and work your way up to the blood orange. Make sure there is not too much liquid on the bottom of the pan, otherwise the loaf will not cook properly. Wipe off any extra liquid and set the pan aside.
- Over a medium bowl, sift together the pastry flour, baking powder, and salt, twice. Set aside.
- In another small bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla extract with a whisked until well combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the almond paste and mix on low/medium-low speed, while very gradually adding the sugar until they are creamed together. * This can take a while. If the almond paste and sugar are still not creaming together, add 1-2 tsp of orange juice and/or a cube from the butter.
- While the stand mixer is running, slowly add the unsalted butter, cube by cube, and cream together until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes). Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- On medium speed, gradually add the beaten eggs to the butter mixture. Scrape the sides as needed to ensure everything is incorporated.
- Stir in the poppy seeds and lemon zest.
- With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, gently fold in the dry ingredients until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Pour the batter over the arranged citrus slices in the loaf pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula.
- Bake at 350F until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55-60 minutes depending on your oven. Check the cake halfway, if the top is starting to darken, place a piece of foil over it.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting it onto a serving platter to reveal the ombre citrus slices on top. If the batter seeps through the citrus, gently remove the pieces from the citrus.
For the top Glaze
- While the cake is cooling, prepare the glaze.
- In the same saucepan, add the sugar and blood orange juice to the remaining syrup. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let it cool slightly. Meanwhile, carefully remove the parchment paper and glaze the upside-down loaf cake while the syrup is warm.
For the Whipped Cream to Serve (Optional)
- Beat the cold heavy cream in a medium bowl until medium peaks form.
- Add the sugar and vanilla extract and beat until stiff peaks form.
- To serve, cut the loaf into slices and top with a dollop of whipped cream and a drizzle of syrup. Garnish with extra candied citrus.
Notes
*If you add the sugar too quickly, the paste won't break up as well.