By now you probably think I have upside-down cakes stuck in my head. Well, to some extent, you might be right. I have been trying to find new exciting ways to bake with fruit and this type of cakes are fairly straightforward, quick to make and gorgeous to look at. This recipe in particular was inspired by the back page bake on the Morrison’s magazine, where Annette from St Albans suggested using oranges to make a cake rather than jam. The original recipe called for jam to be added both to the orange layer and to the sponge, but I have decided not to use it because I am not a massive fan.
The contrast between the soft sweet sponge and the juicy tart oranges is quite something. I have used dark chocolate chips in this cake, but if you have a very sweet tooth I would suggest swapping them for milk chocolate ones. The added sweetness will marry the sourness of the oranges perfectly. This cake is perfect with a cup of tea or to end a meal. The sponge is light and crumbly and, even without the addition of yogurt/creme fraiche, it stays soft and moist.
Ingredients
- 2 medium oranges, peeled and sliced into 3mm rounds
- 2 tbsp apricot jam, warmed
- 150g unsalted butter, softened
- 150g golden caster sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 150g self-raising flour
- 100g dark chocolate chips
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Grease the base and sides and line the base of a 20cm springform cake tin with parchment.
- Arrange the orange slices to cover the base of the tin. You might need to gently squeeze them in there, but try to cram in as many as possible. Scatter half of the chocolate chips over the oranges.
- In the bowl of a freestanding mixer fitted with the leaf attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping down the sides. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in the flour and the remaining chocolate chips, then spread the mixture over the arranged orange slices and use a rubber spatula to level the top. Bake for about 30 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before unmoulding and turning upside down. Gently peel off the baking parchment and slather the top with the apricot jam to make it shiny and add extra flavour. Enjoy!
Baking with Attitude 
Good job you did not follow the recipe with 5 tablespoons of marmalade it was much too wet and like a pudding. What a waste of ingrediants