Carrot Upside Down Cake

Ingredients:

Topping

• 70g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the pan
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• Juice of half a lemon
• 4 small carrots, cut into strips with a vegetable peeler

Pie

• 0.5 cup pecans
• 1 and 1/4 cups premium flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 0.5 tsp coarse salt
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 110 g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 0.5 tsp lemon zest
• 2 large eggs
• 0.5 cup sour cream

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C. Grease just the sides of a 22cm cake tin.
2. Caramel topping:
   
   In a small bowl, microwave the butter, brown sugar, and lemon juice until melted. Spread the mixture over the bottom of the prepared pan. Arrange the carrot ribbons on top.
3. Pie:
   
   Place the nuts on a baking sheet and roast until toasted, 8-10 minutes. Let cool, then pulse in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl and whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and allspice.
4. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fully incorporated after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed (it's okay if the mixture looks slightly flaky). Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half the flour mixture, then the sour cream, then the remaining flour.
5. Pour the batter into the pan over the carrots and spread it evenly. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any large air bubbles. Bake the cake until golden brown and springs back when pressed, and a toothpick or tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 45-50 minutes.
6. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Let it rest in the pan on a wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 30 minutes.
7. Invert the serving platter, place it on the pie in the pan, and, holding the pan and plate together, quickly flip it over so the pie rests carrot-side up on the platter. Let cool completely. Slice and serve.