Upside-down orange cake

Do you remember the episode "Desperate housewives" in which Gaby bakes pineapple upside-down cake with Bree's help? From the very first time I watch that iconic scene I just wanted to bake that cake. Maybe not pineapple, but still very good. The delicate taste of orange combined with a mild hint of cardamom. Very moist in taste with a beautiful pattern of oranges that top the cake.

INGREDIENTS (for a 26cm springform tin)
6 oranges
250g flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cardamom
290g sugar
1 tbsp orange zest (from 1 orange)
1 tbsp grated coconut
200g soft butter
3 eggs (medium or large)
80ml orange juice for the dough (about 2 oranges)
40ml milk

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (bottom and top heat). Butter the springform tin on the sides and bottom and then line it up with a large piece of baking paper.
2. Wash all oranges. Wipe off the zest of one orange. Squeeze 3 oranges to get 20ml juice for the top and 80ml juice for the dough. Peel off the rest oranges (leave only a thin layer of white skin) and cut them into 15 slices, each of them 5mm thick.
3. Melt 50g butter in a saucepan, stir 20ml orange juice and 90g sugar. Mix until the sugar has dissolved. Put orange slices and press them gently. Spread the butter, sugar mixture and oranges on the bottom of the springform tin.
4. Mix the remaining 200g of soft butter with cardamom, salt and vanilla and beat them all together in a large bowl. Add the sugar and beat for about 5 minutes. Beat in one egg after the other for 30 seconds at a time. 
5. Sift flour and baking powder to the butter mixture. Add orange zest and grated coconut. Stir with spatula. Add milk and 60ml of orange juice, mix gently. 
6. Pour the dough into the springform tin and bake for 45-50 minutes. Make a wooden skewer test to see if the cake is done. 
7. Cool the orange upside-down cake in a springform tin for about 20 minutes and then flip the cake carefully onto a cake plate and peel off the baking paper. Top the upside-down orange cake with icing sugar.

Bon Appetit!