blood orange cardamom cake

Hello there beautiful. That is what you can say to this cake once you flip it out of the pan. 

I was looking for something a little bit red and a little bit fun to make for a galentine's brunch this weekend. It was incredibly easy to make and a bit of a shocker to me honestly. I am probably now going to see what other fruits I can put in cake pans and flip upside down.

A few takeaways:

• amount of fruit? I saw some versions of this cake with a ton of overlapping oranges... and then a lot less. I think somewhere around my amount was correct. Perhaps a little bit more so you are guaranteed some in each slice
• crazy moist? I accidentally left this cake out on the counter overnight... and you'd never know.
• rind on the fruit? I left mine on because I liked how it looked on a baked cake. The rind completely bakes down and is very easy to cut through. The internet says that sometimes it could be a bit bitter, but I didn't notice.
• the original recipe from "The Broken Bread" had the steps in a slightly different order... but I rearranged them to make a little more sense. 

Here's how it goes.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the edges of a 9″ spring form pan with nonstick spray or butter.
2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cardamom, baking powder, and salt together until combined.
3. In another bowl, whisk eggs, ricotta, vanilla, and orange juice until smooth. Once combined fold the ricotta mixture into the dry ingredients with a spatula until just blended. Then, gently fold in melted butter.
4. Place 3 tablespoons butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan and cook on low heat just until the butter melts. Whisk the mixture a few times until smooth and pour into the cake pan, making sure that it evenly coats the bottom; set aside.
5. Place orange slices on the bottom of the cake pan, arranging the slices to fit. Carefully pour in the cake batter over the top of the oranges and place in the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. 
6. Allow the cake to cool for 15-20 minutes before removing from the pan. Invert the cake onto a plate and serve once completely cooled.

Shopping List (original recipe)

1 1/2 Cup (180g) All-Purpose Flour
1 Cup (200g) Evaporated Cane Sugar
1 1/4 Teaspoon Cardamom
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
3 Large Eggs
1 1/2 Cup Ricotta Cheese
1Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Tablespoons Fresh Orange Juice
1 Stick Butter, melted