Blood Orange Upside-Down Olive Oil Cake Adapted From 'Dessert Person' by Claire Saffitz

Olive oil cakes have a special quality that other cakes don’t seem to have. They have a wonderfully delicious crumb and a flavor that is both fruity and peppery and they pair very well with dark chocolate and seasonal winter citrus. In order to celebrate blood oranges, I turned to one of my new favorite cookbooks, Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz, a book that I have been loving since I received it in December. In her first book, she offers a wealth of knowledge for beginning or skilled bakers—she says she can convert even those who say, I can’t bake. For those looking to push their boundaries and learn how to whip up a decadent flourless chocolate cake to croissants, I cannot recommend this book enough.

P.S. Another one of my favorite books is A Good Bake by Melissa Weller. I made her recipe for Cinnamon Babka, here.

Blood Orange Upside-Down Olive Oil Cake

4 blood oranges, preferably organic (Zest from one blood orange and 2 tablespoons of juice from one blood orange)

1 1/3 all purpose flour

1/2 cup finely ground cornmeal (or almond flour)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs at room temperature

1 1/3 cup sugar, divided

1 1/4 cups extra virgin olive oil (the fruitier the better)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thinly slice blood oranges and set aside. Combine blood orange juice and 1/3 cup sugar and mix together. Pour onto the bottom of a 10-inch cake pan, or springform pan, arrange sliced blood oranges into concentric circles, noting when you turn it over after baking, it will make a pattern.

Combine flour, cornmeal or almond flour, baking powder, salt and orange zest into a bowl, whisk together and set aside. In a medium bowl outfitted for a standing mixer, combine eggs, remaining 1 cup of sugar and vanilla extract and beat until nearly doubled in volume, about five minutes. Gently stream in the olive oil and mix until fully incorporated. Fold the flour mixture into the egg and sugar mixture in three additions. Pour batter onto sliced oranges and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife can be inserted into the middle an a slight crumb is revealed. Let sit, inverted on a plate until completely cool. Once cool, run a knife around the edge of the pan to release cake.

Recipe was adapted from Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz