In celebration of citrus...

A lot of people don't realize this, but citrus is seasonal. We've become so accustomed to having oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit available year round, that I think some people think that it must grow and ripen year round. The truth is that the vast majority of citrus is a winter/spring fruit, with the season generally starting in November and running through April. That's when citrus is truly at its best, and certain varieties are only available at the market during this timeframe. One of my favorites is the blood orange.

Blood oranges are usually a little smaller than standard navel oranges. The outer skin may be completely orange in color, or it may be a mixture of red and orange. Depending on the variety of blood orange, the flesh might be deep orange flecked with red, or a deep, purply maroon. But what makes a blood orange truly special is the flavor. Orange mixed with raspberry, very sweet, very low acid. Be careful, though---the juice does stain!

So, in celebration of the blood orange, I decided to play with a classic--upside down cake. I hope you enjoy!

Blood Orange Cardamom Almond Cake

Makes 1 9-inch cake

You can make this cake with just flour, but I like to mix in almond meal for this recipe. It gives a nice texture to the cake as well as a delicate nuttiness that goes nicely with the blood orange and cardamom.

¼ cup blood orange juice

¼ cup light brown sugar

1 to 2 blood oranges sliced thinly

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

²/₃ cup sugar

1 egg

zest of 1 blood orange

½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste

²/₃ cup almond meal

²/₃ cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon cardamom

pinch of Kosher salt

²/₃ cup whole milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix the blood orange juice and brown sugar together in a 9 inch round cake pan. Stir until the brown sugar begins to dissolve. Arrange the orange slices in an even layer over the bottom of the pan.

Place the butter and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment. Mix the butter and sugar together on medium speed until well creamed--light and fluffy in texture and pale in color, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add the egg, zest and vanilla, and mix until combined, stopping and scraping down as necessary.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond meal, flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the stand mixer bowl and mix through. Add the milk and continue to mix. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and finish mixing by hand.

Pour the batter into the cake pan, being careful not to dislodge the orange slices. You may need to use a spatula to gently spread and smooth the batter. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool enough to handle, then run a paring knife round the edge of the cake pan to loosen. Place a serving plate on top of the cake pan and quickly invert the cake. Lift off the pan, slice and serve.