Lemon Caramel Upside-down Cake
Recipe by Ishay Govender-Ypma
Caramel Sauce
80g cold unsalted butter
¾ cup Selati Castor Snow
Juice of 1/2 lemon (zest lemon and set aside for cake)
1 t vanilla extract
Lemon Topping
2 medium lemons, washed, dried and sliced thinly
1 heaped tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus sprigs for decoration
¼ cup caster sugar
Cake
100g unsalted butter, chopped
1 cup (250 ml) Selati Castor Snow
4 extra-large eggs, separated
1 t vanilla extract
1 ¼ cup (310ml) cake flour
2 t baking powder
For the caramel
- Heat a 26-28 cm Teflon coated frying pan or skillet (with a metal handle) and add butter and sugar to pan on low heat. Ensure pan is dry and wiped well. Allow to melt, swirling pan gently now and then.
- Add lemon juice, vanilla and increase temperature slightly – mixture will start to bubble already. Swirl pan and watch liquid as it starts to colour. In 5-8 minutes it will turn a lovely caramel colour, and will continue to colour off the heat. Remove from heat and stir with a wooden spoon.
- Place the lemon slices in concentric circles over the caramel. Sprinkle caster sugar all over the lemon slices. Scatter the thyme leaves over the lemon and caramel.
Cake
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
- Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy in an electric mixer or by hand – 10 minutes or so.
- Add egg yolks, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix.
- Sift flour and baking flour and fold into mixture. Add lemon zest. Batter will be thick.
- Beat egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until stiff peaks form.
- Fold egg whites gently into batter in three parts, with a rubber spatula. Spoon batter evenly over lemons in caramel. Tap the pan to ensure batter is smooth and evenly spread out.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean. Cover with heavy foil after 15 minutes, and pierce foil a few times with a skewer. Bake covered until last 10 minutes, then remove foil.
- Remove cake from oven and leave in pan for 5- 10 minutes to cool.
- Turn cake over onto a wire rack carefully. Add sprigs of thyme and serve still warm
- Serve with a dollop or crème fraiche or Greek yoghurt.
Notes
- A Teflon coated pan is essential so the cake slides out easily. I use one by Le Creuset
- Covering the cake after 15 minutes is important, as it starts to brown at top quickly
-If you like marmalade, you'll like the topping on this cake, as lemons can be a little bitter. (This is what we also sprinkle extra sugar over them).
Cake is versatile and you can use oranges, or stone fruit - pitted, in season.
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