The past few years have taken it out on all of us. And some of us more so than others.

Among my friends are two who ended 2022 having to deal with several bouts of COVID in the family, including one round that bumped up against a family wedding. These two also had to navigate aging parents, nursing homes, cleaning out a lifetime of stuff from the old family home.

They are from Connecticut. Much of this took place in Texas. So this all involved multiple plane flights, along with getting caught in the Southwest Airlines meltdown of December 2022. Once, due a confluence of airline problems and illness, they just rented a car and drove home to Connecticut. From Texas. Just as they crawled on their bellies, fingernails bloody, across the finish line of 2022 into 2023, a member of their family died, and they had to return to Texas to make final arrangements and for the funeral. The day of their flight, the Federal Aviation Administration pilot alert system failed, flights were grounded all across the country, and they once again found themselves stuck in the airport on the way to Texas.

They can be forgiven if it was, to them, starting to feel personal.

Beleaguered as they were, they were so happy to come back home to Connecticut and so we all decided to celebrate. My friend Ed, host extraordinaire, and his husband Joe, co-host extraordinaire, organized a dinner where we each brought something to share. I brought the wine (with an assist from Madison Wine Thief), appetizers (my mom’s artichoke dip), and a charcuterie board (with an assist from Madison Cheese Shop). Ed and Joe offered cocktails, seafood chowder, standing rib roast, delicious sides, and their impeccable, radical hospitality in their cozy and beautiful home.

Our friend Theresa signed up for dessert. Come dessert-time, she unveiled this gorgeous polenta almond upside down citrus cake. I mean, how pretty! And with an adorable flower garnish! There was lots of love and laughter all around the table, fueled by friendship and all of this delicious food. We drank a toast to more of all of that in 2023.

One of the things I loved best about this cake is that it uses one of the highlights of the winter produce season: blood oranges. Now ‘tis the season, through April, for these tart orange beauties with a touch of a floral scent. Another blast of sunshine in the form of citrus that you should not miss are cara cara oranges. They are sweeter than your average navel orange and they often have cranberry, blackberry, or strawberry playing in the background. They are pretty, all cut up on a plate, and also should be available through April. I mean, I’ll eat cake any day, especially one made by Theresa, but in the absence of cake, a cara cara and a cup of coffee leaves me perfectly content as well.

Blood Orange Upside Down Cake (Gluten-Free)

From Kitchen Ventures By Adrienne

(Visit www.kitchenventuresbya.com/post/blood-orange-upside-down-cake for notes and customization tips)

Ingredients

For the topping

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 blood oranges, cut into 1/4” thick slices

For the cake

2 cups cornmeal

1 cup almond meal

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoons salt

3/4 cup salted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup Greek yogurt

Zest of 1 blood orange

2 tablespoons blood orange juice

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9" springform pan with non-stick cooking spray, then line the bottom with parchment paper. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with the brown sugar and layer the blood orange slices in a spiral or fun random pattern, then set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the cornmeal, ground almonds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a separate large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer), cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Turn down the speed then add eggs one at a time until each is combined before adding the next. Add vanilla, Greek yogurt, blood orange zest and juice and combine. Then add cornmeal mixture and combine until fully incorporated.

Dollop mixture onto prepared pan and spread carefully, smoothing the top. Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 40-45 minutes or until top is golden and when cake tester is inserted comes out moist but not wet.

Once cake is baked, place on cooling rack and loosen the edges with a small knife. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before carefully flipping onto a platter. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!