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Last week I moderated an amazing panel for Pineapple Collaborative here in SF! The panelist included badass lady bosses, one of which was Sana Javeri Kadri of Diaspora Co. Her business sells direct trade, single origin, organic turmeric powder from India. Her turmeric is made with heirloom turmeric seeds that she was able to get from the Indian Institute of Spices Research. To show off her beautiful product, I made a turmeric cake!
At the panel, I learned that the farmer who Sana works with was able to profit for the first time in 4 generations from their own land! My family still owns farms to this day and seeing farmers able to survive and thrive off their hard work and land is important to me. A lot of blood, sweat, and thought is put behind growing their crops and they should be paid at least a living wage.
On to the recipe, I greased the pan with a ridiculous amount of butter. It might look like a lot, but you’ll need it all, trust me! The earthiness of the turmeric and the bright tartness of the orange is the perfect example of when opposite flavors work together! I used 3 teaspoons of turmeric in the recipe, which might look like a lot, but I promise it’s not overpowering. I ended up topping my cake with turmeric whipped cream, which was heavy cream, powdered sugar, and turmeric powder whisked into a fluffy whipped cream.
The cake turned out super rich and had a beautiful bright yellow hue! I really like to use ingredients that are ethically sourced because I’ve seen first hand how much work farmers put into their crops and it’s important that they are supported by the community through fair pay. Yes, the products are a little more expensive, but I believe it’s worth it! Farming is a thankless job, and your purchase is a small way of telling them their work was appreciated! (Ok I’ll step off my soapbox now, go make some cake!)
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Upside Down Orange Turmeric Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 4 – 5 oranges
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp orange zest
- 6 tbsp milk
- 3 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp freshly ground cardamom powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 6 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Yuzu extract (optional)
- 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Use the 1 1/2 tbsp of softened butter to grease the sides and bottom of a 9×13 baking pan.
- Zest the oranges until you have 1 1/2 tablespoons of orange zest. Then peel and slice the oranges into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place the slices onto the bottom of the greased 9×13 pan in a single layer. You want as little open space as possible. Set aside.
- Add orange zest and sugar to a bowl and use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar turns orange and is super fragrant. Set aside.
- Add milk to a small saucepan over medium heat. Add turmeric powder and stir well. Heat for 30-40 seconds until the milk is warm. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, ground cardamom powder and salt.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, add eggs, orange zest sugar, vanilla extract and yuzu extract. Whisk until well incorporated. Add turmeric milk and whisk well. Sift in the dry ingredients and whisk until the flour is just mixed in. Pour in the melted butter and fold until you have a smooth batter. (It’s a lot of butter, but trust me, it’ll all mix into a smooth batter as you fold!)
- Pour the batter over the sliced oranges. Tap the baking pan a few times on the table to get rid of any air bubble. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning out onto a rack. Cool completely and enjoy!
