Tangelo Cake |Cooking With Amanda

Pineapple upside-down cake, could you kindly step aside? Because this upside-down cake is approximately 8 bajillion times better than you.

You see, not only does this one share your fruity, caramel-y top, but it also has a toasty, cinnamon-sugary base. Crunchy and gooey in one cake? Heck yes, it's got textural complexity! AND there is not a jarred or canned fruit to be found (I'm looking at you, Maraschino cherries and weird, un-fresh pineapple rings)!

By the way, have you ever had a tangelo? It's a cross between a tangerine and a pomelo (the big, green, grapefruit-looking thing with pink insides). They're both deliciously sweet, and a bit tangy. And they get even better when baked with caramel in this cake! (But, if you don't have/can't find tangelos, please feel free to use oranges, clementines, or any other orange-colored citrus. It will still be super duper tasty!)

I also decided that orange-y citrus fruit and almond is like my new favorite flavor pairing. The nutty warmth and the fresh vibrancy play off each other beautifully! Not to mention that a cinnamon-sugar almond crunch is outstanding on pretty much anything, ever. Because this is an upside-down cake, the caramel and oranges are cooked on the very bottom of the cake, and sugary almonds get all crunchy on top. Then, the whole ting is flipped over onto a platter resulting in a crunching base, and a gooey top with caramel soaking into the cake---mega yum!

The best part about this cake, though, is that it's acceptable to eat at literally any time of day. It's amazing with your morning coffee, perfect with afternoon tea, and awesome with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert! When a cake has fruit in it, and no frosting, there are no rules (um, not that I haven't had birthday cake for breakfast before…). I sent it into work with my boyfriend, and it was promptly devoured at 10 in the morning.

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Tangelo Cake Recipe

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Ingredients

For the Caramel:

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
pinch of salt, small

For the Cake:

3-4 tangelos, peeled and sliced in 1/4 inch rounds
1 cup granulated sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter
tangelo zest, from 2 tangelos
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup almond flour, ground almond meal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 large eggs

For the Almond Topping:

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2/3 cup sliced almonds

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan, line with parchment paper, and grease the paper; set aside.
Place the sugar and water for the caramel in a small saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to cook for about 10-15 minutes, swirling the pan, until the caramel reaches a golden color. Add in the butter and salt and swirl until melted.
Pour the caramel into the cake pan, and place enough tangelo slices in the bottom of the pan to cover.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugar, butter, zest, and almond extract for 5 minutes. Add in the flours, baking powder, and salt, and mix on low. Add in the eggs, and mix until just combined. Spread the batter over the tangelos and caramel.
In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon, sugar, and almonds. Sprinkle over the batter. Cover the cake with a round of parchment paper and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the parchment paper cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes, until cooked through.
Allow the cake to cool for 5-10 minutes, then invert onto a platter.