Cornmeal-Ricotta Upside-Down Cake Recipe
Cornmeal-Ricotta Upside Down Cake
Follow our step-by-step, photo illustrated instructions to learn how to make this unique Cornmeal-Ricotta Upside Down Cake. Printable recipe included.
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This recipe is made in cooperation with OXO and the Cookies For Kids Cancer Campaign. OXO has provided the recipe, and they have provided me with some of their products for review. All comments and opinions are my own.
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I’m honored once again this year to work with the fine folks over at OXO to bring you another recipe and share information about their Cookies for Kids Cancer program.
I believe this is the 3rd year I’ve been able to participate, and it’s always fun to see what’s new with OXO and what recipe they offer me to prepare. This one is really unique and since it calls for cornmeal, I decided to give it a try. An old Southern boy like myself uses a lot of cornmeal in the kitchen. Smile.
OXO is committed to making up to a $100,000.00 donation to the Cookies for Kids Cancer program once again this year. They will be donating $100.00 to the program because of my posting this recipe and review. They will also be donating $5.00 for each hashtag that YOU might use in your social media circles. Just use either #oxobetter or #oxogoodcookies when you share the link to our recipe. Every dollar will help a child in need.
OXO provided me with their NEW – POP Containers to use with the recipe that was originally created by Elisabeth Prueitt.
You can view her recipe for this cake if you click this link: Cornmeal-Ricotta Upside Down Cake .
And as a disclaimer, even though they provided me with the containers, the comments and opinions about their products are my own.
I’ve got a good many OXO products in my kitchen. You’ll see several of those in the post below as you read through the recipe. I’ll tell you right up front that they make great products and I use many of them each week here at Taste of Southern.
As for this cake, I was really interested to see what a cake made with cornmeal would taste like. Surprisingly, it’s soft texture will remind you a bit of a cheesecake. It’s not overly sweet at all, and it has a very nice citrus taste from the Blood Oranges, lemon zest and lemon juice. It also contains Almond Flour, something I’ve not worked with before.
I’d also never had a Blood Orange. You really have to slice any orange that you might use as thin as possible, that way, the skins will soften and slice well when the cake cools.
So, thank you for looking over the recipe. I do hope you might consider baking one for yourself, your family and your friends. It serves about 8-10 depending on the size of the slices.
Ready to give it a try? Alright then, let’s head on out to the kitchen, and… Let’s Get Cooking!
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Cornmeal-Ricotta Upside Down Cake – You’ll need these ingredients.
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OXO Pop Containers – This is the New 8 Piece Pop Container set that OXO provided for use in this recipe.
2 – 0.4-qt. Containers
1 – 1.1-qt. Container
2 – 4.4-qt. Containers
2 – 1/2 cup scoops
1 Brown Sugar Saver Terracota Disk
You’ll see these throughout the recipe below. OXO has just introduced the POP Accessories that make their Containers even more useful as they secure to the underside of the container lids.
All these pieces are airtight, stack-able, very space efficient and now they are also dishwasher safe. They’re perfect for keeping all your baking items fresh and your pantry organized. But, they’re also great in other rooms to keep craft supplies and things like that well organized.
I already had several of these containers in my kitchen, but I’m excited about the new larger sizes. I can put an entire 5lb bag of flour, or 4lb bag of sugar in one. It will stay fresh longer since it’s sealed airtight. How cool is that?
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Lets get started with the recipe. Begin by placing 1/2 cup of either Brown Sugar or Granulated Sugar in a small bowl.
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Add the Two Tablespoons of water.
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Stir this together until it makes a paste.
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Now you know that leftover brown sugar is going to get hard if you leave it in the box. It just always happens.
Here, I’ve been soaking the Terracotta stone for about 15 minutes, that will attach to the inside of the lid to my new Brown Sugar Saver Pop Container. This will keep the sugar fresh and scoop-able. No more hard bricks of sugar at my house. Smile.
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You will need a 10 inch Springform Pan to bake the cake in. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan, then coat the inside edge with butter.
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The recipe calls for very thinly sliced Blood Oranges. I’ve never even had a blood orange before and was lucky to find them at the grocery store this time of year. I used my OXO Professional Mandolin, set on 3, to slice the oranges. I took this photo with the first orange I tried, but got much better results with the second orange. I’d never tried to slice a whole orange with peel, but the OXO Mandolin had no trouble with it at all. I’ve had this piece of OXO equipment in my kitchen for some time now.
Be sure to remove any seeds once you have sliced the oranges.
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Pour the sugar paste into the prepared pan. Swirl it around gently to fully coat the bottom of the pan.
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Place one slice of orange right in the center of the pan and syrup paste.
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Layer more slices of the orange all around the pan, overlapping as needed to fully cover the bottom. The slices will shrink some while baking so be sure you cover the bottom well.
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Go ahead and zest your lemons and squeeze the juice from them. You’ll also want to remove the seeds so they don’t end up in the cake. Set this aside for the moment.
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Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Set aside for the moment.
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To start making the batter, place 3/4 cup of Granulated Sugar and 1/2 cup of room temperature butter in a large mixing bowl.
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Use a hand mixer at Medium speed to cream the butter and sugar together for about 1 to 2 minutes.
Why yes, that IS my OXO Handheld Lighted Mixer. I just might have a LOT of OXO kitchen tools in my kitchen. I’ve been blessed to work with OXO for many years now. Great people. Smile.
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Add the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing until combined as you go.
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Add the Ricotta Cheese to the mixture.
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Add the lemon zest.
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Add the lemon juice. Be careful to not add any lemon seeds.
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Add the sea salt.
Mix everything together with your hand mixer until fully combined.
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Gradually add in the cornmeal, mixing a little in at the time until fully combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
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Do the same with the Almond Flour. Add a little at a time, mixing until everything is fully combined. Almond Flour is a bit expensive and not something I’ll be using often. I’ll seal the rest airtight in one of the smaller POP Containers.
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The batter will be kind of thick once you finish.
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Place the egg whites in either a clean glass or metal bowl. Don’t use plastic. You also need to start with clean beaters. Whip the egg whites for several minutes until soft peaks begin to form.
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Immediately add the egg whites to the batter.
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Use a spatula and gently fold the egg whites into the batter until no white streaks of egg white are visible.
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Gently pour the batter over the sliced oranges in the pan. Use the spatula to spread the batter out evenly.
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Place the pan in a oven that has been preheated to 325F degrees. Let the cake bake for 30-40 minutes until the top is no longer shiny and slight browning appears on the top.
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When done, remove the cake from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.
I agree, it does look like a pan of cornbread. Smile. Mine had started to brown around the inside edges of the pan, but I was worried I had pulled it out too soon. The edge had not started to pull away from the pan, but I also didn’t want to over bake it.
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To my surprise, after the 15 minutes of cooling, the cake had totally pulled away from the edge of the pan. But, to be on the safe side, I still ran a butter knife around the edge to loosen the cake from the pan.
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Release the clip on the Springform pan and gently remove it from the cake. The cake is sitting on the bottom portion of the pan. Be careful, it’s pretty hot.
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I used a cardboard cake circle and placed it on top of the cake before flipping it upside down. Make sure you have it centered, the cake doesn’t slide once you flip it over. At least mine didn’t want to.
When I removed the bottom metal portion of the pan, the parchment paper came off with it and revealed all those beautiful orange slices on the top, I mean BOTTOM of the upside down cake. Confused yet?
Doesn’t that brown sugar syrup look juicy?
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Enjoy!
You can see my 4.4-qt POP Container in the back left of this photo, and the Brown Sugar Saver to the back right. The lid is upside down so you can how the Terracotta stone clips on to the underside of the lid. I don’t show them, but the 1/2 cup scoops also clip on to the underside of the lids of the larger containers. How cool is that? They’ll always be right there when you need them. And, since they stay in the containers, you don’t even have to wash them after each time you use them, just clip them back onto the lid and close the container – airtight.
THANK YOU to our friends at OXO for this opportunity to work with you again, and for all you do to help raise funds for the Cookies for Kids Cancer campaign.
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Cornmeal-Ricotta Upside-Down Cake Recipe
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Original recipe is from Elisabeth Prueitt and used by permission from OXO in conjunction with their Cookies for Kids Cancer program. A delicious upside down cake made with cornmeal, ricotta cheese, and blood oranges.
Ingredients
1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar, firmly packed
2 Tablespoons Water
2 Oranges, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
3 large Eggs, separated
3/4 cup Ricotta Cheese
3 Lemons, zest and juice
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
1/3 cup Stone Ground Corn Meal
1 cup PLUS 1 Tablespoon Almond Flour
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325F degrees.
Line bottom of 10 inch Springform Pan with Parchment Paper
Butter sides of pan.
Place brown sugar in a small mixing bowl.
Add water.
Mix together to form a paste.
Spread paste on bottom of pan.
Slice the oranges very thin.
Arrange slices in bottom of pan, overlapping with one in center.
Place butter in a medium size mixing bowl.
Add the granulated sugar.
Beat on high speed until light and creamy, about 1 minute.
Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add the Ricotta Cheese.
Add Lemon zest.
Add Lemon juice.
Add salt.
Beat mixture to combine.
Gradually add cornmeal, mixing as you go.
Gradually add almond flour, mixing as you go. Scrape down bowl as needed.
Place egg whites in another clean bowl.
Whisk until soft peaks are formed.
Using a spatula, fold the egg whites into the batter until no white streaks are seen.
Batter will be thick.
Immediately turn the batter into the pan, spreading out evenly.
Bake for 30-45 minutes until top is no longer shiny.
Notes
Can be made with juice oranges, peaches, or other fruits. If well wrapped, this cake should keep for up to 4 days on the counter, or for up to one week if refrigerated.
Keywords: Cornmeal, Riccotta, Blood Orange, Upside Down Cake, OXO, OXO Pop Containers,
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We’ve Got A Winner – Giveaway has concluded.
Congratulations to our winner. This Giveaway has ended.
Thank you to everyone that entered. Another Giveaway will be coming soon. Stay Tuned.
Here’s how this Giveaway took place.
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WIN an OXO 4.4qt POP Container.
Just answer this question in the Comment Section below to enter.
Question: Do you have any OXO kitchen tools of your own? How will you use this one?
There is no right or wrong answer. We’ll pick one winner at random on Monday – September 30, 2019.
Rules. Rules. Rules.
Only one entry per person. You must be over 18 to enter.
Open to residents of the USA, with apologies to all our other visitors.
Contest ends at midnight Eastern time, Sunday – September 29, 2019.
Winner will be asked to submit your full name and address to us should you win.
PS: Your Comment will not appear immediately, but be assured you’ll be entered if you leave a comment before the deadline. I’ll approve and post the replies just as quickly as possible. Thanks.
This Giveaway is totally sponsored by Taste of Southern.
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Your Comments:
What do you think about our Cornmeal-Ricotta Upside-Down Cake recipe? Think you might try it? Or, do you have any OXO Kitchen Products in your kitchen?
Share your Comments with us. It will only take a minute or two for you to leave your comments in the section below.
Just remember, all comments are moderated. That just means that I personally read each and everyone before they are approved for viewing on our family friendly website. Thank you in advance for sharing.
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Be Blessed!!!
Steve
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You might also like this: Peach Delight Cobbler
Or, maybe this: Mama’s Fresh Coconut Cake
How about this one? Sweet Potato Pie
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Category: Desserts
Love the way you explain your recipes. I made your chow chow and I’m going to fix your biscuit bread for supper. I have never had any if the OXO products but I will be looking for the brown sugar keeper.
Thanks!
I have many OXO products. I love them. Oddly enough, I don’t have any of the storage containers. I would use it for flour or sugar.
No, I don’t own any I never heard of them until you wrote about them. Thanks for the many recipes. Be blessed.
I don’t have many OXO products, but I do have a utensil that I use in my non-stick copper coated frying pan. Would Love to have a canister like this one. Still using tupperware canisters, and have some lids that are not great anymore. The recipe looks great, not too sweet, think I might give it a try!
Hope you feel great again soon, go fishing.
No, I don’t own any OXO products. I’d use mine to store flour or sugar.
OXO makes quality products. I own several gadgets and have admired the containers but do not own any myself. Have bought some for gifts. I would love to have one large enough to hold a bag of flour! Thanks for all you do Steve! Love your newsletter each week. God bless!
I have several OXO Good Grip products. Two favorites are the potato peeler and the OXO pizza cutter and wheel.
Beautiful cake!
What a beautiful cake and such an interesting recipe. This is a must try dessert! I even own a spring form pan I have never used so now I can. Love your recipes, step but step instructions and your stories. I look forward to your posts every week and keeping up with everyone.
I have been cooking for so long (55+years since I started at about 14) that I don’t buy too many new things but I have many OXO products because they are well made, reasonably priced and easy for these “old hands” to use. These larger containers to hold an entire bag of sugar and flour may just make it to my cabinets. And I love the brown sugar one! Thank you for the pictures and descriptions of them. I see a shopping trip in my future!
Glad Jan and Billy made their trip. They have certainly been through a lot and a Happy Birthday to your brother!
Yes, the first ‘good grips’ item led to the second and a third…
Looking forward to eating some cornmeal cake! One of my favorite foods is ricotta and my fave cornmeal was what I used to get from the steam driven mill at the Malcolm Blue Farm Festival over in Aberdeen every September. It breaks my heart that I can’t get that where I live now!
★★★★★
No I don’t have any of their products but would certainly use the brown sugar keeper. My brown sugar is always (packed). smile
I have a potato peeler. Can’t beat it. Works like a charm. Their name is a gold standard when it comes to kitchen products!
No, I do not own any. I know they make quality products.
I have owned OXO products for years and traveled overseas and back to the states with them. I love mine.
Your picture of the Cornmeal-Ricotta Upside-Down Cake looks delicious! Your instructions are easy to follow and the pictures show me how it should look along the way. You make it look easy!
I’ve read you can make almond flour in a food processor. I have a number of Oxo kitchen tools including both sizes of the salad spinner, slanted measuring cups, measuring beakers and their easy grip can opener. I would use the 4.4 POP container to safely store flour. Thank you for your wonderful newsletter!
I will probably not try the recipe. We have diabetes and weight issues, so I bake very few desserts–even though I love to bake!
I own a few OXO gadgets, but I have never purchased any containers. I will definitely consider them now. The brown sugar container particularly looked like something I would use.
Hi Steve, love all of you recipes !! This is an interesting recipe and one I will most certainly try !! I don’t currently own any OXO products but would love to. If I don’t win this, I will surely check out their website and look around. If you say they are good, well….. I KNOW they must be good !! Thank you for sharing …. and as always… GOD BLESS YOU !!
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Hi Steve! Very interesting recipe. Enjoy your newsletter & website!
I knew I had a lot of OXO gadgets, but didn’t realize how many til I went to answer this question! I keep my sugar in a POP container that I’ve had for years. I have a mandolin slicer, gravy separator, can opener, stainless steel measuring cups & spoons, veggie peelers, and various other gadgets. It seems to be a weakness of mine. Lol. My favorite is my salad spinner! If you don’t have one, I highly recommend it! I’ve found through the years OXO is a very dependable brand. Blessings & Smiles!
Love OXO products, great quality.
I have several OXO tools. I love the can opener. I would use
the OXO 4.4qt POP Container to store cornmeal.
I own the peeler and the pizza cutter, both great products and sharp as the day they were purchased. I will have to see where to get these containers. They’ve thought of every things, haven’t they. Thanks for the opportunity, Steve. Love your newsletter every week. Hope you are feeling better soon.
No,do not own any. I would use mine for flour.
No I don’t have any. I would store pasta in it.
I do own a few OXO products, started to buy them for my mom who’s 85 and has bad arthritis. After using them at her house I can see how much more stable and comfortable they are in your hands ( especially hands with arthritis!) so they are now what I buy to replace my own. I would use the container for my flour as I am using a canister that is not airtight and not the best to keep it fresh. I haven’t made the recipe yet but plan to in the future
I have quite a few OXO products. My favorite is the 1tablespoon cookie dough scoop. I had an old cheap plastic one that didn’t work very well at all. Then it broke. After watching some cooking shows in TV where they use cookie dough scoops and their dough just slides right out, I bought a new OXO scoop. Now my cookie dough slides right out just like theirs. I highly recommend this if you’re having trouble getting your cookie dough onto the sheet. It is stainless steel. I think all OXO products are high quality products. (Do you eat the orange peel when you eat the cake?)
Recipe sounds intriguing—would have never thought to combine those ingredients. Looks delicious! Love your step by step directions w/ pics!
I own OXO pop-up containers, zester, peelers, potato masher—-all cool stuff
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Be still my heart! I have to be gluten free, not by choice. And this recipe is gluten free! I couldn’t be happier. I can’t usually make the baked goods you post. There’s often just too much flour to convert to a gluten free recipe. I practically cried over your coconut cake recipe, just because it’s my favorite kind of cake, and I couldn’t convert it. So I will be making this one, for sure! I use lots of OXO tools. I have their hand can opener, their potato peeler, and I recently bought their biggest pop up container, which I use for sugar. It easily holds up to 8 lbs of sugar. I love it, and it keeps it safely sealed in my pantry. I would use a second one for my husband’s pasta collection, none of which I can eat!
No I do not own any OXO products. I am still using the old Tupperware I received more than 40 yrs ago. It would be nice to have some new containers.
All my gadgets are Oxo, but my favorite one has to be the Chinois strainer they used to make (it is discontinued as far as I know). Great for straining the seeds out of blackberries and other fruit. Sadly it got left behind in my storage unit in North Carolina when I moved so I haven’t seen it in a few years.
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I sure do need some of those products. They sure look like they would help me get more organized. Take care and mama ( Connie ) says hi and hopes you are better soon.
I do not have the first piece of any OXO kitchen supplies and I don’t know why I haven’t invested in them.
I don’t have any OXO products and I have always wanted one of the little disk that you put in your brown sugar to keep it from getting hard. I am going to try the cake recipe it looks great but,I have never seen this combination of ingredients before.
I have several OXO products. They are excellent. I will definitely take a look at these storage containers.
I have several OXO products. To name a few – potato masher, 5 pop containers (2 of which I use for dry cat food), mixing bowls, pastry brush, garlic press, 2 vegetable spinners. Have never gone wrong ordering OXO products. Most of their products are designed for stability and grip which I like.
I have 1 decent size OXO container for my brown sugar. Have had it for many years and it still functions as brand new! Wanted to add to the one years ago, but has never been in the budget.
Gorgeous looking cake! I do have OXO tools…love this brand. The new containers look great for storing many different things.
I have many OXO products but none of these storage containers. I am definitely going to try the Cornmeal-Ricotta Upside-Down Cake . I think my grandsons will love this!
I have several OXO products and love them all! My OXO mandolin is my favorite. I would use the canister for cornmeal,as being a good southern girl, I take my cornbread seriously!
I have one OXO product which is a 1 cup measuring cup. The storage containers look very efficient for kitchen uses. I’m using 40+ year old orange tupperware canisters. Might be a time for a change!!
I have several OXO cannisters of various sizes. I first discovered them at Bed Bath and Beyond. Love them.
The only OXO product I currently have is a 3-pieced peeler. Since my home burned down, I’ve slowly started buying the necessary items I need in the kitchen.
Interesting recipe. I once bought blood oranges by mistake and the color was unexpected and off-putting. But that would be a spectacular cake to present at a holiday dinner.
This is the first time I’ve heard of this OXO company, so sadly I don’t own anything from them. I still have my tall Tupperware containers with the blue lids, which they don’t make any longer, and are cracking at the corners. These containers seem like a better option. I’ll be looking into these containers. Thanks for sharing these new products & recipes with us! You’re a blessing Steve!
Yes, I do. Love OXO products! Would love to have the set to store sugar, flour, cornmeal and coffee in.
Also, look forward to your newsletter every Monday. I tried several of your recipes. All good! Thank you for the time you take every week to send it out.
I don’t own any oxo products but they look to be very useful. I would use mine for storage.
I absolutely do and love the product.
I do not have any OXO Kitchen Products in my kitchen. I don’t know how that is possible since l have been cooking for years. Would love to win this container to keep my flour safe and dry!
The recipe looks very interesting; however, l don’t think l would like the “pudding-like” consistency. Just me. Thanks for everything Steve!
Hi Steve,
Thank you for your contribution to the Cookies for Kids Cancer program. I don’t own any OXO products and would love to use this 4.4qt POP container in my kitchen. Also, can’t wait to try a blood orange.
No, I do not have any but would love one.
I have a lot of their products, some of them recommended by you. that cake looks amazing!
I have a smooth edge OXO can opener. I have arthritis in my hands and this can opener makes it easy to use.
I enjoy my oxo equipment. I’m always looking forward to new ways of storage. The recipe also is very interesting. I’m going to try it
I am not sure if I will try this recipe for myself because I have such a sweet tooth. However, I think it would be a great recipe to share with a large group, like at Thanksgiving.
I don’t currently have any of these products but would love to have one. I would store flour in it.
This recipe sounds delicious. It’s a little too complicated for me, but I might give it a shot. I love my OXO Good Grip can opener so much I have one at home and one at work. Take care and keep those recipes coming!
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I have several OXO kitchen tools but the ones that come to mind are two different sizes of whisks and salt and pepper mills. The POP container would be great for one of the various flours I keep on hand for baking biscuits, cookies, cakes, pies, and breads.
Yes, I have several of the OXO kitchen tools and gadgets. The containers look interesting. I like the fact that are airtight for flour and see through.
I have several OXO products in my kitchen. I love all of them.. If I am in the market for kitchen tools I look for the OXO brand. I know I can rely on them for a quality product every time. I don’t have any POP containers though. I need some to replace my 1970’s canisters.
No, I don’t have any of their gadgets.
Yes – I have a lot of them storing pasta, rice and other dry goods. I will probably use it for flour since it will hold the whole 5 pound bag (air tight). It’s that time of year to make an apple cake and think about Christmas cookies.
I do enjoy the newsletter each week. I really enjoyed the link to the Tar Heel Traveler as I watched several of them and now want to check out the places they talked about. I love day trips around the state! (especially when I can get back home to MY BED by night time.
God bless you and keep you in his care,
Ann
I love OXO and have a number of their items and love their Good Grips but have not seen the canisters. I have been storing my flour, sugars, rice, etc. in zip lock bags which don’t store well. You have been blessed to be able to test these products.
I’ve never used blood oranges and wonder if they are sweeter than regular oranges.
Yes, I have 2 mandolins and given them to my daughters, potato peelers, silicon measuring cups…they were stocking stuffers a few years ago. I have worked at Sur la Table and always felt comfortable recommending OXO.
I do have some of the OXO products. Mostly because you recommended them.
I would probably store either sugar or flour in this container if I win it.
Thanks for your weekly letter and recipes. It is a good way to start my week reading your information.
The recipe looks interesting! Not sure I would try it with oranges, as I’m not a big fan, but I think it would be good with peaches or apples.
I do own some OXO tools, namely a can opener, which I love 🙂
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No, I do not have any OXO Products in my kitchen by would love to have one!!!
Thanks
my OXO can opener works on every can. I will store flour of course.
I have two of these containers and I love them. I keep sugars in them. If I had more I would use for flours or pasta or corn meal, stuff to keep the little mealy worms out.
I own 2 oxo tools, a potato masher and a spiral/grater convo, and love both.
I would use my OXO container to store my Sugar or Flour for baking or even Grits.
Nope, I don’t own any.