The elegant tree tomato or tamarillo is the star of this tamarillo upside-down cake. I brought back a few of these egg-shaped red fruits from Madeira. It is such a power house of taste! I really fell in love with the somewhat confusing mix of sweet and savory of the tamarillo.
The basic recipe for the cake comes from my book Dosia Plukt Bessen. The only difference is the size and shape of the cake and the type of fruit that I use. An upside-down cake is great to show off the shape and color of the tamarillo and while it bakes the tamarillo caramelizes beautifully.
Like the tomato, the tamarillo belongs to the nightshade family and is a berry! If you can, try to get hold of a few of these tropical beauties to make this cake. But if you are not so lucky, this cake is also delicious with other fruit. The polenta gives it a crunch that contrasts nicely with soft fruit.
Tip: The skin of the tamarillo is quite bitter, so peel it off before use. Use the same technique for peeling tomatoes tomatoes: dip them in boiling water for a few seconds and the skin will peel off easily.
Tamarillo upside-down cake
serves 8
preparation ± 15 min. / oven ± 45 min.
2 tamarillos
125 g (½ cup) caster sugar
90 g (2/3 cup) polenta
75 g (2/3 cup) flour
2½ tsp baking powder
80 ml (1/3 cup) neutral oil
120 ml (1/2 cup) plant-based milk, at room temperature
Juice (± 40 ml/2 ½ tbsp) and zest of 1 small (organic) orange
Also needed: baking tin ( 16 x 16 cm / 6½ x 6½ inches) greased
Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F . Line the baking tin with baking paper.
Make a cross in the skin of the tamarillos. Bring water to a boil in a large pan. Drop the tamarillos in and leave them for 30 seconds. Remove from the pan and rinse under a cold tap. This makes them easier to peel. Peel the skin off the tamarillos and cut the fruit into slices of ± 3 mm.
Sprinkle 25 grams / 2 tablespoons of the sugar over the bottom and arrange the tamarillo slices on top.
Mix the polenta with the flour, baking powder, the rest of the sugar and a pinch of salt.
In another bowl, mix the oil with the plant milk, orange juice, and zest.
Mix the wet and dry ingredients well and pour carefully over the tamarillo. Bake for ± 45 minutes. A wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake should come out dry with a few cake crumbs. Let cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn onto a rack.
Carefully peel off the parchment paper and let cool completely. Serve with sour cream.
