Kumquat and Turmeric Upside Down Cake!

When I first moved to Madrid, it was a bit hard for me. I left my family, friends and country behind for the first time. That was a real challenge. However, Madrid is such a welcoming city and its people are really nice that I quickly managed to adapt. Now after all these years, I can easily say Madrid is my home. Even when I escape its hectic city-life pace, I quickly miss it and can't wait to get back.

Probably, the things that I love the most about Madrid is how cosmopolitan it is, its amazing parks, beautiful streets and its hidden little gems here and there that can be easily missed if you don't know your way around the city.  Being an international city, home to millions and welcoming millions of visitors annually, you are spoiled by the variety of ingredients you would find here.

As I walk around my neighborhood, a favorite pastime of mine,  I am always delighted to discover new shops that open up and showcase ingredients that are not readily available elsewhere.
Recently I discovered a Chinese grocery and was so glad to see a wooden box full of kumquats. Without much thinking, I went inside and bought these little nuggets of intense zesty freshness.
I ate half of what I bought and saved the rest for a recipe I wanted to test: a citrusy cake spiced with turmeric!

The end result was a cake that's easy to make, full of flavor, and quite pretty without any post-baking decoration.

For a 20 cm pan you need:

• 2 eggs (room temperature)
• 110 g sugar
• 110 g soft butter
• 120 g cake flour
• 3/4 tsp to 1 tsp turmeric 
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• dash of salt
• zest of 3 kumquats or half an orange
• 1/2 tsp cointreau (optional)
• About 10-15 kumquats for the bottom

First grease the pan, cover it with parchment paper and generously butter the bottom and the sides.

Sprinkle sugar over the butter, slice the kumquats and arrange them over the butter and sugar layer.

In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, turmeric and salt and set aside.

In another bowl, cream the butter and the sugar, then add the eggs one by one while mixing and finish with the zest and cointreau. Once everything is well combined, fold in the flour mixture.

Pour the batter in the pan and bake in a preheated oven (180C) between 25 to 30 min. Remember the baking time varies between an oven and the other, the size and the material of the pan, so always check after 20 min.

Once the cake is well baked and golden in color, take it out and let it cool for about 5 min and the flip it over the serving plater. Peel of the parchment paper and let it cool completely.

The cake is perfect with a cup of coffee or tea, you can also serve it with whipped cream or yogurt and honey. Enjoy!