Take a moment when you open your jar of Nandini Coriander. Get close, breathe in (yes, you can nerd out over spices...lean in, okay?)—what do you smell? When I opened my first jar of this single-origin coriander it was love at first smell. First, the warming aroma of orange peel welcomed me, opening to the clean scent of fresh linen and closing with a long, lingering note of jasmine flowers blooming at dusk. You can see why I was so enchanted.

But, how to transform this traditionally savory spice into a dessert? Here, I've paired the coriander with both orange zest and orange juice in an olive oil-rich cake, playing up Nandini's inherent citrus notes. Add in late summer stone fruit, brown sugar and butter and you've got a dessert that is sure to wow. While I love this dessert with allll the stone fruit (nectarines! plums! peaches! pluots, you name it!), the cake base works wonders with any seasonal fruit, such as figs, rhubarb, blood oranges and even mangoes.

Genius brown sugar and butter hack from Vallery Lomas!

Check boxes to add ingredients to cart

Ingredients

1 1/2 teaspoons whole Nandini Coriander
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing
1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
1–1 1/2 pounds stone fruit, pits removed, cut in half for smaller fruits like plums, or cut in large wedges if larger like nectarines and peaches
1 orange
2/3 cup granulated cane sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup mild extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons orange blossom water

For serving:

Lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Methods

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a 9-inch round baking pan and set aside.
Heat a small skillet over medium high heat. Add the Nandini Coriander seeds and toast until fragrant and just turning golden, about 1–2 minutes. Transfer the toasted coriander to a spice grinder or mortar and grind into medium-fine powder. Mix the ground coriander with the flour, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside.
Combine the melted butter, brown sugar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt in a medium bowl and whisk until it forms a smooth paste. Pour the mixture into the reserved baking pan, spreading it into an even layer. Arrange the cut fruit on top in concentric circles, or your preferred design, on the butter and sugar mixture. Set aside.
Zest the orange into a large bowl. Halve the orange, squeeze 3 tablespoons of juice into a small bowl and set aside. Add the granulated sugar to the orange zest and mix with your fingers, rubbing the zest into the sugar (this will infuse the sugar with tons of orange-y goodness). Add the eggs and whisk until the mixture has thickened and lightened in color slightly, about 2 minutes.
Add the reserved orange juice, yogurt, extra virgin olive oil and orange blossom water and whisk until smooth.
Add the reserved dry ingredients to the wet mixture and gently whisk until smooth, making sure not to over mix. Pour the batter into the pan, gently spreading it evenly over the fruit. Place the cake pan on a sheet pan and bake until golden on top and a toothpick can cleanly be inserted into the middle, about 40–45 minutes.
Let the cake cool for 10 minutes. While the cake is still warm, place a plate on top of the pan and carefully flip upside down to release the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Asha's Stone Fruit Upside-Down Cake with Coriander & Orange

Recipe by: Asha Loupy

Serves 8

Genius brown sugar and butter hack from Vallery Lomas!

Ingredients

1 1/2 teaspoons whole Nandini Coriander
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing
1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
1–1 1/2 pounds stone fruit, pits removed, cut in half for smaller fruits like plums, or cut in large wedges if larger like nectarines and peaches
1 orange
2/3 cup granulated cane sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup mild extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons orange blossom water

For serving:

Lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Methods

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a 9-inch round baking pan and set aside.
Heat a small skillet over medium high heat. Add the Nandini Coriander seeds and toast until fragrant and just turning golden, about 1–2 minutes. Transfer the toasted coriander to a spice grinder or mortar and grind into medium-fine powder. Mix the ground coriander with the flour, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside.
Combine the melted butter, brown sugar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt in a medium bowl and whisk until it forms a smooth paste. Pour the mixture into the reserved baking pan, spreading it into an even layer. Arrange the cut fruit on top in concentric circles, or your preferred design, on the butter and sugar mixture. Set aside.
Zest the orange into a large bowl. Halve the orange, squeeze 3 tablespoons of juice into a small bowl and set aside. Add the granulated sugar to the orange zest and mix with your fingers, rubbing the zest into the sugar (this will infuse the sugar with tons of orange-y goodness). Add the eggs and whisk until the mixture has thickened and lightened in color slightly, about 2 minutes.
Add the reserved orange juice, yogurt, extra virgin olive oil and orange blossom water and whisk until smooth.
Add the reserved dry ingredients to the wet mixture and gently whisk until smooth, making sure not to over mix. Pour the batter into the pan, gently spreading it evenly over the fruit. Place the cake pan on a sheet pan and bake until golden on top and a toothpick can cleanly be inserted into the middle, about 40–45 minutes.
Let the cake cool for 10 minutes. While the cake is still warm, place a plate on top of the pan and carefully flip upside down to release the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.