Recipe: Orange and Cardamom Upside Down Cake

One 10-inch cake

Although you can make this cake any time of the year, it's best made during the winter months when navel oranges are at their peak of flavor. When available, I've made this cake with a combination of blood and naval oranges. Although I've recommended orange slices, you could pinwheel orange segments for the topping. Segments are much more luxurious and it will take an additional orange to two to fill out the cake topping.

The topping:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

3 medium-sized navel oranges, peeled and sliced in to 1/4-inch slices

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

The batter:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom

3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

grated zest of 1 orange

Whipped cream

1. Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat to 350 degrees.

2. In a 10-inch cast iron skillet, melt the butter and the brown sugar along with 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to set.

3. Overlap the orange slices in concentric circles over the topping. Each slice should overlap the other by half.

4. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cardamom.

5. Cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time.

6. Stir in half of the dry ingredients, then the milk, vanilla, and orange zest, Mix in the remaining dry ingredients until just combined.

7. Spread the batter over the oranges and bake for 40 minutes.

8. Allow the cake to cool for at least 15 minutes. To remove the cake from the pan, invert a serving platter over the skillet. Grasp the platter and the skillet then flip them both. Lift off the skillet.

Note: Since this cake is best served warm, you can turn the cake out onto a serving platter but leave the skillet covering the cake which will keep the cake warm.

Serve the cake with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.