Coffee-Caramel Eggplant Upside-Down Cake

tastecooking.com

Rieneke

subheading: FOR THE EGGPLANT:

¼ C olive oil, plus extra for brushing

2 medium unpeeled eggplant, roughly 2 lbs, or 8 cups diced

1 ¼ C sugar

½ C black drip coffee

subheading: FOR THE CAKE:

3 egg

1 ½ C brown sugar

1 C sugar

1 ½ C olive oil

1 ½ C buttermilk

3 lemons, zested

2 C all-purpose flour

1 TSP Diamond Crystal kosher salt

½ TSP baking powder

½ TSP baking soda

Whipped cream for serving

This recipe from Jesse Martinez’s Portland, Oregon, restaurant, Gumba, tweaks the classic Italian citrus and olive oil upside-down cake to boldly feature eggplant. Where other vegetable cakes might sneak their namesake into batters by shredding and pureeing, Martinez’s cake proudly displays the vegetable on its good side: a caramel-slicked top layer. Diced eggplant is sautéed, then tossed in a rich coffee-tinged caramel to substitute for the traditional poached citrus slices, and the addition of brown sugar to the cake’s batter follows the tone set by the sweet caramel flavor of roasted eggplant. Tangy buttermilk and the light acidity of coffee help to cut through the dessert’s decadence. The recipe calls for a 10-inch springform pan, as Martinez has found it the easiest vessel to bake the cake in, but he advises that a 10-inch cast iron skillet or standard cake pan will work in a pinch. This recipe from Jesse Martinez’s Portland, Oregon, restaurant, Gumba, tweaks the classic Italian citrus and olive oil upside-down cake to boldly feature eggplant. Where other vegetable cakes might sneak their namesake into batters by shredding and pureeing, Martinez’s cake proudly displays the vegetable on its good side: a caramel-slicked top layer. Diced eggplant is sautéed, then tossed in a rich coffee-tinged caramel to substitute for the traditional poached citrus slices, and the addition of brown sugar to the cake’s batter follows the tone set by the sweet caramel flavor of roasted eggplant. Tangy buttermilk and the light acidity of coffee help to cut through the dessert’s decadence. The recipe calls for a 10-inch springform pan, as Martinez has found it the easiest vessel to bake the cake in, but he advises that a 10-inch cast iron skillet or standard cake pan will work in a pinch.

Directions at tastecooking.com

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