This spring season the farmers’ market is flooded with various citrus. In my last visit to the market these blood oranges caught my attention. These were slightly smaller in size than the regular oranges and had tinges of red in the skin. I got quite excited and as a true citrus lover I ended up buying a whole bunch of them. When I cut one open, my excitement new no bounds. I soon fell in love with the deep red color and the sweet taste with a distinct citrus flavor. I juiced some and reserved the rest to try in some recipes. Today’s recipe is blood orange and olive oil cake.
I wanted to bake a cake and wanted to incorporate the oranges in the recipe but then was not in a mood for any rich cake. So I looked up for recipes which would suit my taste and finally got one. I liked the idea of olive oil in baking. I mostly use vegetable oil in baking when I am in a mood for something light. So olive oil in cake was not a bad idea.
The blood orange and olive oil cake was very moist, light and had great crumbs. The orange juice gave a fresh taste to the cake and it was not too sweet. I also candied some orange slices before so wanted to add as a garnish. The candied orange slices complimented the cake very well and the final result was awesome.
Tips:
The blood oranges can be replaced with regular oranges. The original recipe called for buttermilk or yogurt but I did not use it but it still came out pretty good. If the batter feels too thick you may add little bit of water to bring to the right consistency.
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BLOOD ORANGE OLIVE OIL CAKE
- YIELD: 1 loaf (10 Servings)
- PREP: 15 mins
- COOK: 55-60 mins
- READY IN: 1 hr 30 mins
The cake is very moist, light and has great crumbs. The orange juice gives a fresh taste to the cake and it is not too sweet.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons blood orange zest
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 small blood oranges freashly squeezed
- 2 medium sized blood oranges cross wise sliced (for the candied orange slices)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F and spray and line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Keep aside.
- In another big bowl add the sugar and the zest of orange and with your finger rub the ingredients so that the zest is evenly distributed in the sugar.
- Add the olive oil to the sugar and mix in well. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix in well. Add the orange juice and give a thorough mix. Finally add the dry ingredients and mix in thoroughly.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until golden in color and a tooth pick inserted into center comes out clean.
- Cool on a wire rack for couple of minutes and then unmold it and let it cool to room temperature.
- While the cake is baking make the candied orange slices. In a medium pot add the water and sugar and bring it to a boil. When the liquid starts to boil add the orange slices and simmer for 20 minutes in medium heat turning the slices occasionally. By this time the orange slices should be translucent. Simmer for another 10 minutes to get a thick syrup. Drain the slices from the syrup and cool on a wire rack for later use.
- When the cake is cool enough cut into slices and serve with a slice of candied orange and some syrup. Enjoy!
definitely craving a slice right now, looks delicious and SO moist!
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