TO DRINK: Match these pretty cakes with a good cup of tea. Well-brewed Earl Grey tea will work perfectly.
Orange and vanilla upside-down cakes
Ingredients
- SYRUP
- 100g castor sugar
- 80ml (1/3 cup) water
- 1 vanilla pod, split
- 1 small orange, thinly sliced
- CAKES
- 2 large eggs
- 100g castor sugar
- 2,5ml (½ tsp) vanilla extract
- 70g (½ cup) self-raising flour
- 80g butter, melted
- 100g (½ cup) ground almonds
- crème fraîche, to serve
- fresh mint, to garnish
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 160ºC and lightly grease 6 x 125ml-capacity round tins.
For the syrup, heat the sugar, water and vanilla pod in a small saucepan over a low heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, then add the orange slices. Simmer until the orange slices are soft, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
For the cakes, whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until pale, thick and triple in volume.
Sift the flour over the egg mixture and fold through. Add the butter and almonds and fold through.
Place a slice of orange in each tin. Cover with the batter to about 15mm from the top.
Bake until golden and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Leave to cool for a few minutes, then turn the cakes out into serving bowls. Drizzle with the syrup and serve with crème fraîche. Garnish with fresh mint.
