January 25, 2023. Wet, rainy day. Best Creamy Rice Pudding. Updated and published October 29, 2026. When I picked up my son from school today, the first thing he asked was “Please make that yummy Colombian rice treat! Pretty please!” How can I refuse such …
December 11, 2021. Cold autumn day. Best Ever Banana Bread Muffins. Updated March 30, 2023 I wanted to share a fabulous and easy recipe that I have been making again and again for the past few weeks since the guys can’t seems to get enough …
Retro Upside Down Four Citrus Cake Originally published on Sept 10, 2020. Updated on August 27, 2021.
This Retro Upside Down Four Citrus Cake is one of the loveliest cakes I have ever made. My baking group’s weekly challenge called for an upside down cake. The first thing that came to mind was of course the popular pineapple upside down cake. I thought it might be fun to try something different and searched on Pinterest and social media for ideas and inspiration.
After browsing for a while, I came upon pictures of orange upside down cakes that use various types of oranges. I was instantly entranced by these sunny and fresh looking cakes. All that beautiful variation of oranges made me want to EAT them! That got me thinking that perhaps I can make a version using different citrus fruits. I rummaged around my fridge and found grapefruits, oranges, lemons, limes and clementines. I decided to stick with the sweet fruits and left out the lemons and limes.
This post share my efforts to put this cool retro cake together. Doesn’t it look like an orb of sunshine on a plate? How can anyone look at this and not have a smile on their face? 🌞
For this recipe, you will need to prepare the fruits that will go to the bottom of the pan, and then the cake batter that will be poured on top of the fruits. I will list out the ingredients roughly in the order in which it will be used.
Prepare the following Fruits:
1 each navel orange, cara orange, grapefruit, clementine
⅓ cup of granulated sugar
3 tablespoons of water
For the Cake Batter, you will need 1 cup of granulated sugar,
½ cup unsalted butter, slightly softened at room temperature
1 tablespoon of zested orange rind, or more if you like a stronger orange essence scent
2 large eggs
¾ cup greek yogurt or any thick unsweetened yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tablespoon of fresh squeeze orange juice
1½ cup All Purpose Flour
2 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
In addition to the ingredients, you will need a 9″ cake pan, preferably one with a detachable bottom.
Let’s gather all the ingredients. Next, preheat oven to 350° F. Brush a 9″ cake pan with butter. Line the bottom and sides of pan with parchment paper
Start by zesting the rind from the oranges. You’ll need about 1 tablespoon of zest. Once done, set it aside. Then, prepare the fruits for the bottom of the pan. Slice the grapefruit, oranges, and clementine to ¼ to ½” thick rounds.
Use a sharp knife to remove the rind from each citrus slice.
Next, heat the ⅓ cup sugar with 3 tablespoons water together for about a minute. Stir to make sure the sugar has completely dissolved.
When ready, pour this syrup mixture into the bottom of the prepared cake pan. Arrange the citrus slices in an overlapping pattern. Then set the pan aside.
Next, let’s put together the cake batter. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar, butter and orange zest until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, yogurt, vanilla and orange juice and combine until well mixed.
In a medium bowl, sift and whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Then, add the dry ingredients to the liquids ½ cup at a time. Mix until just combined. Do not over-mix the batter.
When ready, carefully pour batter over the citrus slices in the prepared cake pan. Spread the batter evenly. Gently tap the pan to remove any air bubbles. Next, pop the pan into the preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes, or until the top turns golden brown. To check, insert a bamboo skewer or toothpick into the middle of the cake. It should come out clean. If not, bake for another 5 minutes.
Remove from oven, and place on cooling rack. Wait for cake to cool before inverting onto a cake platter or stand. And you are done! Stand back and admire your cool retro upside down cake.
If you love this bake, check out my Honey Cakes with Citrus Zest post!
I am totally in love with the look and taste of this vintage cake! It made me wonder what other gorgeous vintage desserts to try next. Here are a few articles that I found that are good inspirations:
This article from Southern Living, showcases 30 different vintage cakes from the past: https://www.southernliving.com/desserts/cakes/vintage-cakes I am particularly taken by #18 the Coffee Baba au Rhum cake. It sounds tasty!
Here’s a round-up from All Recipes.com that highlights 7 Retro desserts that should make a comeback. https://www.allrecipes.com/article/retro-desserts-that-need-make-comeback/ I love the idea of a Fresh Peach Trifle. Yum!
If you love this retro cake, how about trying out a gorgeous-5 tier pink meringue cake? It is so light and delicious, it feels like eating a cloud. That’s why I called it the Pavlova Cloud Cake. You can read all about it here => The Astonishing and Delightful Pink Ombré Pavlova Cloud Cake
If you in the mood for something savory, have you seen my Zucchini and Cheese Galette? You can see how I put it together here => Quick Zucchini and Cheese Galette
Or for a quick baked fun size casserole cups that bakes up in under an hour, check out this link =>Quick Fun Size Baked Veggies Cheese Casserole (Bacon Optional) You can make both vegetarian and non vegetarian cups in one pan at the same time!
June 28, 2021. Sunny summer day. Giant Spicy Potatoes Nest & Eggs. I love spicy potato nest eggs and this is one of the recipes that I’ve been obsessing over for the past few weeks. The inspiration recipe is from Yotam Ottolenghi’s website and I …
May 19, 2021. Sunny Spring Day. Scrumptious AND Easy Shrimp & Grits, Having lived here in the southern part of the US for over a dozen years now, I have really grown to love delicious classic Southern cooking. The food tends to be unapologetically authentic …
April 8, 2021. Sunny Spring Day. Matcha Mille Crepe Cake.
Jump to RecipeThis Matcha Mille Crepe Cake has been on my bucket list for a very long time. It’s a very distinctive looking cake and has gained more popularity after it was featured on one of the episodes of the Great British Bake-Off show. The gorgeous green is from green tea powder or called matcha (抹茶) also sometimes called maccha, traditionally used in Japanese Tea ceremony. The French word “mille crêpe” literally translates to “thousand crêpes”. Well, not that I’m about to make a thousand layers of anything 😂. This show stopping cake simply looks fabulous with its multi-layers (usually between 15 to 20 layers) of crepes and cream when cut.
Overall, this no bake cake is really straight forward – I start by making the crepes, then the freshly whipped filling and finally, layering and stacking them thus forming a many layered crepe cake. In my version, instead of simply dusting the top with matcha powder, I decided to create a pretty pattern on top.
If you know how to make crepes, this should be a cinch to make. Reflecting back on this particular recipe, I find that the most time consuming part of this recipe, believe it or not, is actually waiting for the crepe batter to rest in the fridge! That, AND just patiently waiting for the assembled crepe cake to set. Both of these steps are hands-off time that are important for the success of this recipe.
This is probably one of the prettiest non traditional cakes I’ve made in a while, maybe a tad bit more unique compared to my favorite beautiful pink strawberry ombre pavlova cake, or the delightful retro upside down citrus cake.
Ready to make this show stopper? Let’s go!
Crepe batter
1 3/4 cup (400ml) whole milk
3 Tbsp. (45g) sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 Tbsp. (25g) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup (125g) all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. (16g) cornstarch
1/2 tsp (2g) baking powder
2 Tbsp. (12g) Matcha green tea powder, plus extra for dusting
Vegetable or Neutral oil, for cooking
Filling
2 cups (480ml) fresh whipping cream
6 Tbsp. fine sugar
In addition to the ingredients, you will need several mixing bowls, a non stick frying pan to cook the crepes, parchment paper and plastic cling wrap. Plus a whole lot of patience, for waiting. 😊
Note: if you have never bought matcha before, this is what I used for this recipe. Due to the rising popularity of this ingredient, there are many blended matcha powder used for beverages. It’s important to use pure matcha, not the stuff with sugar and flavors added!
Gather the ingredients.
Start by making the crepe batter. In a small saucepan, combine milk and sugar on low heat until the sugar dissolves. Do not boil the mixture! In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Slowly drizzle the warm milk sugar mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly to combine. Add melted butter and continue whisking until well incorporated.
Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and matcha powder into the egg mixture. Combine until the batter is completely smooth. Strain into a large measuring cup to remove any lumps. Repeat the straining one more time, to make sure. Cover and chill in fridge for an hour.
Note: Important to let the batter rest for at least an hour, otherwise your crepes will be rubbery. Time saving tip – you can make the batter ahead of time, and let it rest overnight and then cook the crepes in the morning!
When the batter is chilling, let’s make the filling. In a large bowl (or measuring cup) placed on top of a bowl filled with ice, whisk together the heavy whipping cream with sugar until stiff and well combined. Place into the fridge to keep cold.
Note: You can easily swap out the filling, and use your favorite buttercream or custard filling too!
When the batter is ready, heat a 10 inch (25cm) non-stick pan on low. Brush the pan with oil and blot any excess oil with paper towel. Pour batter into the pan and quickly swirl around to spread out thinly and evenly, approx 1/4 cup. Cook for about 1 1/2 minute or until the edges begin to crisp. Flip and cook the other side for another half a minute or so. Transfer the crepe to a cooling rack. Repeat until all the batter is done. You should end up with about 15-16 crepes. (I always end up eating the first crepe! Well, someone’s got to taste test it, right? Lol)
Note: If you want a taller cake, simply double the recipe!
Optional step: if your crepes are not evenly round, you can place a plate on top and trim off any excess. This will make your cake look neater when assembling.
To assemble, put down a piece of parchment paper, larger than the crepe, approx 12 inch (30cm) diameter. This will be the base and makes it easier to handle the cake. Optional: put 2 strips of parchment paper on the bottom (creating an X sling) of the first piece of crepe, to make lifting and handling easier. Not necessary, but might come in handy when transferring the completed cake from work space to plate before chilling.
Put down the first layer of crepe. Add the freshly whipped cream and spread evenly. Repeat until the layers are stacked. Finally add the whipped cream to the top layer. Wrap with plastic cling wrap and chill for at least 2 hours to set the cake.
When the cake is chilling, you can make the stencil that will create the pretty design on top of your cake. Cut out your favorite design on parchment paper and set aside. To serve, remove the plastic cling wrap, place paper stencil over the cake, generously dust with matcha powder. Note: place the stencil with the pencil/ink mark up, and not touching the cake. You don’t want to transfer any pencil lead or ink onto your cake!
Remove the stencil and your elegant Matcha Mille Crepe Cake is ready!
Your elegant Match Mille Crepe Cake is ready. It looks wonderful for company, and delightful as a special everyday treat. Here are more pictures of the cake:
Bon App! いただきます! Let’s eat!
Check out this other elegant layer cake using refreshing citrus slices – Retro Citrus Cake!
If you are new to Matcha, here’s a short article that gives an overview on Matcha => https://time.com/5188377/matcha-tea-benefits/
More fun with bunny buns => Let’s Make Easy Adorable Strawberry Bunny Buns
Have you ever made colorful veggie focaccia? See how to make it step by step =>Let’s Make Colorful Garden Focaccia!
My new favorite fun pouffy bread to make! => Let’s Make the Unusual Cool Wool Bread
When I’m in the mood for something spicy, there are like mini hand pies => How to Make Spicy Potato Samosas
March 25, 2021. Beautiful Spring day. Strawberry Bunny Buns. As the weather is getting sunnier and warmer, I really wanted to make something fun and spring-like. I was scrolling through Pinterest and these cute bunny buns caught my eye. The inspiration recipe was from BHG.com …
March 20, 2021. First day of Spring. Colorful Garden Focaccia. It was a beautiful day and I wanted to make something colorful and happy to welcome the first day of spring. Since I have been making all these King Arthur’s Extraordinary Bread recipes, I thought …
March 13, 2021. Warm winter day. Cool Wool Bread.
Jump to RecipeThis ring bread that looks like pouffy skeins of sheep 🐑 wool has been making its round on social media recently. I saw it posted in one of the Baking groups I follow on Facebook. I thought it looks fun, plus it reminded me of the Asian-inspired filled crescent rolls I made a while back. It also has the loft of the easy pouffy popovers my kiddo loves, the texture of a milk bread, AND it’s also easy to pull apart, like my yummy garlic rolls.
I decided to check out the popular Wool Roll Bread video on YouTube posted by Apron. The video was clear and easy to follow along. I also read a few similar recipes. Then, today, I recreated the recipe and made a few tweaks to suit.
Overall, it’s a pretty straightforward recipe – make the dough, shape it and finally bake it. In between, you let the dough rest and rise. Lots of patience with bread! Hands-on time is not too long. I think the trickiest part is shaping the bread, which requires lots of cutting!
Let’s get to it!
1 tsp (5g) Active Yeast
1/3 cup (80ml) Milk, warm
2⅛ cup (300g) Bread Flour (high protein flour)
1 tsp (9g) Salt
2½ Tbsp. (30g) Sugar
1/2 cup (100ml) Cream
1 large egg, at room temperature
2/3 cup (100g) dried cranberries (craisins)
Melted butter to grease pan
Milk or cream to brush on top of dough
You will need a Stand Mixer to do the mixing and kneading, a rolling pin, a sharp knife or bench scraper, and a parchment-lined 8″ (20cm) round pan to proof and bake the bread.
Let’s start by gathering all the ingredients. First, we bloom the active dry yeast by adding the teaspoon of yeast to warm milk. Stir and let it rest for 5 minutes. Note: This step is to make sure the yeast is still good. If after 5 minutes you don’t see any foaming on the surface of the liquid, toss away the mixture and try again. This happened to me during this bake, and I had to repeat this process. If the yeast is not active, your bread will not rise and you will end up with a flat and dense bread.
In the mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and sugar until well combined. Then, add in the cream, egg and yeast mixture. Note: best to use these wet ingredients at room temperature for optimal results.
Use the dough hook attachment on your mixing stand to combine the ingredients until a dough ball is formed, about 2 to 3 minutes. Knead for another 6 to 8 minute until it is smooth. When ready, shape dough into a ball, place in lightly greased bowl, cover and let it rest a in warm spot for about 60 minutes, or until the dough is puffy and has doubled in size.
When the dough has doubled in size, tip it onto a lightly floured work surface. Then, carefully deflate the dough. Using your bench scraper or a sharp knife, divide into 5 equal pieces. Form the dough pieces into balls. Roll them on the surface to create a taut surface. Then, cover and let them rest for 15 minutes.
When waiting, chop up the dried cranberries. If you plan to use any other filling, this is when you would prepare it – best to have filling that is not too wet (we don’t want to change the composition of the bake) and not too lumpy (difficult to roll up). Set aside. Next, prepare the pan. Brush melted butter generously all over the inside bottom and sides of the pan. Line pan with parchment paper and brush with melted butter, also.
After resting for 15 minutes, take one of the dough balls, and roll it out into a long oval approx. 12″ (30cm) long by 5″ (12cm) wide. I used the lines on my pastry board as a rough guide. Tip: Very lightly score a line across the middle of the oval, as if you are dividing it in half. This will be a guide when you cut the top part of the dough.
Then, using a very sharp knife or your bench scraper, cut long thin lines from middle to the top of the dough piece.
Here’s a short clip on how I cut the dough:
Next, scatter about a tablespoon of chopped dried cranberries to the bottom uncut part of the dough. Fold in the sides and (confidently!) start to roll up the dough from the edge closest to you. Placed the rolled up piece onto the prepared round pan. Rest the rolled up piece on its seams. Repeat with all the other 4 pieces of dough.
Another closer look at the cool shape
Cover the shaped dough with plastic cling wrap and let it rest for about 60 minutes until it looks pouffy. When waiting, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C)
When ready, brush the top of bread with cream (or milk). Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Remove pan from heat. Let it cool in pan for 10 minutes before inverting and popping out of pan. It’s ready!
This is such a fun bread to make! The finished product is lots of fun to eat too. I think it looks like a cooler version of the Japanese Milk bread with filling that is easy to pull apart! If you are not a fan of dried fruits, simply swap out the filling and add things you enjoy. Just make sure the filling is not too wet or too lumpy or large.
Ideas for Savory filling: Shredded cheese, cream cheese, spicy cooked minced meat, chopped up ham, bacon bits
Ideas for Sweet filling: Cinnamon sugar, Nutella spread, chocolate chips/flakes, coconut flakes, dried fruit mix
I was researching online and found more ideas on what to stuff or add to your bread. Here are a few articles to help get your creative juices flowing:
https://www.brit.co/stuffed-bread-recipes/
https://food52.com/blog/21470-stuffed-bread-recipes-for-winter
So many possibilities! Happy tinkering!
Check out this delicious Crusty Golden Rolls!
Do you like cool and unusual shaped bread? Check this out => How to Make a Classic English Cottage Loaf!
How about this gorgeous 16-Point Star Bread? => How to Make 16-Point Star Bread
Fancy something elegant for company? Check out these => How to Make Elegant Russian Lace Rolls!
Something Quick and Easy AND fancy? Check out this => How to Make Quick & Delicious Chinese Twirl Flower Buns
March 10, 2021. Sunny winter day. Spicy Potato Samosas. My family loves Indian food, so much so that both of my kiddos requested Indian meals for their birthdays! One of the items we enjoy tremendously is the little packets of stuffed pastries called Samosas. The …
