What’s the best way to make the most of a pile of citrus fruit? Turn it into a moist, almond-flavored citrus upside down cake! The jewel-toned fruit is showcased to maximum effect when cooked with simple syrup—use a combination of blood and navel oranges and grapefruit for maximum effect.
Recipe makes 1 citrus upside down cake.
Ingredients
- 1¼ cup sugar, divided
- ¼ cup water
- 1 grapefruit, peeled & cut into ½-inch slices
- 2 oranges, peeled & cut into ½-inch slices (preferably a mix of blood and regular oranges)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup yogurt
- 2 tbsp orange zest
- 1 tbsp grapefruit zest
- ¼ cup neutral oil, such as canola or avocado
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper and brush all sides and bottom well with oil. Brush the paper too.
- Place ¼ cup sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, and cook, swirling occasionally, until thickened, about 6-8 minutes. Pour syrup over bottom of pan.
- Arrange orange slices over syrup in pan. Cut into segments to fill in any gaps.
- Add dry ingredients (including remaining 1 cup sugar) to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Make a well in the center of dry ingredients, then add eggs and whisk to combine. Whisk in yogurt, citrus zest and oil until batter is smooth.
- Pour batter over citrus slices and spread to evenly coat.
- Bake cake until golden brown and a tester comes out clean when inserted in the center, about 40-50 minutes.
- Let cool completely in pan, then invert onto a serving plate.
Recipe Notes and Variations
- The grapefruit adds a bitter contrast to the sweet oranges, but if you prefer you can use another large orange in its place.
- Zest your oranges and grapefruit before peeling and slicing.
- Use a serrated knife to cut off the peels for easier slicing, ensuring your slices will stay intact.
- If you’d like to brown the top of the citrus upside-down cake a little more, toast with a blowtorch or broil it briefly before serving.
- Do you still have a load of citrus on the counter? Try this refreshing Citrus and Beet Salad or these Candied Citrus Peels.
11 Comments
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August 19, 2020 at 4:50 pm[…] Recipe we love: Citrus almond upside down cake […]
Westfan
January 12, 2022 at 7:06 pmCould you substitute lemons for the grapefruit, or use half lemon and half grapefruit? I take statins and shouldn’t eat too much grapefruit. Especially Meyer lemons as they are sweeter? Thanks.
Imperfect
January 14, 2022 at 11:09 amWe haven’t tried it ourselves, but it sure does sound good so might be worth a try! 💚
kb
January 13, 2022 at 10:44 amJust discovered this recipe today! Absolutely making it tonight with the grapefruit and blood oranges I have on the counter from my last Imperfect shipment!
Imperfect
January 14, 2022 at 11:08 amYay! Hope you were able to enjoy! 😍💚
Laurence J Richard
January 17, 2022 at 4:22 pmHI, I have a highly gluten intolerant child and was wondering if I could replace the cup of all purpose flour with a second cup of almond flour? (Which, by the way, doesn’t taste like almonds at all so should I add some almond extract?) thanks, Laurence
Imperfect
January 18, 2022 at 10:28 amAll of our recipes can be altered to you and your family’s specific dietary needs 💚
Michelle
January 24, 2022 at 7:38 pmI made the substitute last night. Used “Cup for Cup”. It was fantastic.
Imperfect
January 27, 2022 at 3:43 pmLove to hear it so much! 💚
Diana
January 20, 2022 at 4:15 pmThis was great! I also added a bit of cardamon to the batter. Nice highlight with the citrus.
Imperfect
January 22, 2022 at 8:32 amThat sounds like such a delicious addition! So glad you tried it and loved it! 💚