Orange and chocolate upside-down cake {vegan}

(cliccate qui per la versione italiana)

Happy Monday friends! Today I’ll share with you a personal (but super easy!) gem. This dessert combines my two favorite sweet flavors: chocolate and orange. It’s such a winning duo! I am a bit obsessed. During the winter I eat way too many oranges (once I was gifted a bag full of just-plucked-from-the-tree-in-front-of-my-eyes blood oranges and, fearing they would go bad soon, ate up to 10 per day. No I didn’t feel sick but yes I may risk developing a citrus intolerance in a few years’ time. It’s true!) I also help myself to way too much extra dark chocolate for my own good, in various declinations – homemade truffles, granola, cacao nibs or just straight from the bar. I like extremely bitter chocolate (up to 95%!).

This cake is moist and citrusy. Don’t be put off by the cooked orange rinds because they will cook in the oven, slowly, for a long time, covered in maple syrup, and will turn out absolutely soft and caramelized without any bitterness left to them. Remember to let it cool completely before turning upside down and slicing! The secret to most cakes, in my opinion, is using a flavorful liquid (here orange juice) instead of milk, or at least half half.

For this I used the same batter as for my Chocolate and poached pear bundt cake + spiced caramel, Chocolate layer cake with raspberry chia jam and coconut whipped cream and Pineapple, ginger and chocolate upside-down cake.

ORANGE AND CHOCOLATE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE {vegan}
by Marta Giaccone

Recipe
yields one 26cm/10in cake
prep time: 10 min, cooking time: 45 min, total: 55 min

1 cup / 130 gr oat flour (you can make it by grinding/pulsing rolled oats)
1 + ½ cup / 200 gr spelt flour (or other flour)
2/3 cup / 60 gr cacao powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1/3 cup / 80 ml + 1 tbsp maple syrup, divided
1/3 cup / 80 ml light vegetable oil
1 + ½ cups /375 ml plant-based milk
½ cup / 125 ml orange juice
about 8-10 orange slices
seeds from 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp orange zest, grated

Method

1. Preheat oven to 175°C/350°F.
2. In a large bowl sift and mix the dry ingredients; in another bowl mix the wet ingredients and then add to the dry ones.
3. Stir well until you have a smooth batter (it will be quite liquid).
4. If you use a 26cm/10in pan with the removable bottom I find it convenient to line the bottom with parchment paper and lightly grease the sides with coconut oil.
5. Spread 1 tbsp of maple syrup on the bottom (it will be difficult/ridiculous/nearly impossible as parchment paper is very! waterproof, but don’t worry, do what you can).
6. Arrange as many orange slices as you can on one single layer on the bottom of the pan, then pour batter over them.
7. Bake for about 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick in the center until it comes out clean.
8. When ready, leave out to cool completely on a wire rack.
9. Now there’s a problem: the top of the cake will be round, so if you turn it upside down the bottom (or top) will crease or anyway look very weird. So what I did, once the cake was cold, is I very carefully sliced the round “dome” off with a long sharp knife, just enough so the top was flat (I ate the “discarded” bit of course!).
10. Then I opened and removed the sides of the pan, placed a flat plate over the cake, turned it upside down and slowly peeled off the parchment paper (my favorite part!).
11. The inside should be really moist. After the first day I put it in the fridge and it was actually way better! I finished mine off in just 3 days (I had guests over!) but it should keep for about a week in the fridge. Enjoy!