Blood Orange Yogurt Loaf Cake

March 26, 2014 at 4:01 pm | Posted in cakes & tortes, simple cakes, sweet things | 14 Comments
Tags: baking, cake, citrus, dessert, fruit

It might technically be spring, but it sure doesn’t feel like it yet. I’m still wearing a scarf inside, my down parka outside, and there was even talk of pulling snow boots out again last night. Oh, bother. A bright spot here, while I wait for spring to really show up, is that the citrus is still good. I think we’re at the tail-end of the preciously short blood orange season. Blood oranges are so sweet and vibrantly colored– I still feel surprised every time I cut one open.

I’ve made lots of yogurt cakes here (and even yogurt cupcakes, too). They stay moist for days, feel less guilty than pound cakes and they’re a great match for citrus, so I looked around on-line to see if anyone had a good one using blood oranges. Most cakes that I saw seemed to resemble another one I’d made, Ina’s Lemon Yogurt Cake, swapping out the lemon zest and juice for blood orange. At its core, so did this one but it has a few tweeks that set it apart for me. Subbing some of the AP four with cornmeal gives the cake a more rustic taste and texture. Swapping the plain vegetable oil for olive oil adds to its fruitiness. Cutting out just a bit of the sugar and forgoing the powdered sugar glaze keeps it from being overly sweet. Don’t worry– a jewel toned blood orange juice soaking syrup drenches the top and seeps into the cake, so you still get enough of that sticky sweetness to call this dessert.

P.S.: If you like cocktails, add a little vodka and a splash of simple syrup to blood orange juice, top it off with seltzer and ice, and you’ll have the most brilliantly colored drink you’ve ever seen.

Blood Orange Yogurt Loaf Cake-makes an 8 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ loaf cake
adapted from Ina Garten and foodonfifth.com

for the cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal,
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
zest of two blood oranges
1 cup yogurt (Greek or regular, but preferably not non-fat)
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup olive oil

for the soaking syrup
1/3 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice (from the two zested oranges)
2 tbsp. granulated sugar

-Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

-In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, rub the 3/4 cup sugar and the blood orange zest together with your fingers until fragrant. Whisk in the yogurt, eggs, vanilla and olive oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, switching to a spatula, if needed. Mix until just fully combined.

-Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Start checking for doneness at 40 minutes.

-When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. While you’re waiting, make the soaking syrup by combining the 1/3 cup blood orange juice and remaining 2 tbsp sugar in a small pan. Bring it up to the boil and simmer until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear, about a minute. Set aside.

-Carefully place the cake on a baking rack over a sheet pan. Use a skewer to poke holes in the top. While the cake is still warm and the syrup is hot, pour the syrup mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. (You can get all the syrup to absorb into the cake or reserve a little bit of it for drizzling over the cut slices, if you’d like).

-Cool completely before slicing.

14 Comments »

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Your version of this cake looks just amazing. Thanks for the shout out as well. It is so nice to have blogging buddies isn’t it? Beautiful shot!

Comment by Teresa Blackburn— March 26, 2014 #

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- thank you! we’re having our last delicious slice tonight.
  
  Comment by steph (whisk/spoon)— March 26, 2014 #
  
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I love blood oranges and can’t get enough of them when they’re in season. This loaf cake looks divine!

Comment by Gabriella— March 26, 2014 #

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this looks so good! i love blood oranges. i just made a citrus yogurt cake recently, too! http://retrolillies.wordpress.com/2014/01/22/grapefruit-yogurt-cake/

Comment by Chaya— March 26, 2014 #

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I’ve never used blood oranges before, how do they taste compared to regular oranges?

Comment by Sweet Cinnamon— March 26, 2014 #

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- I think they are sweeter than regular oranges…I’ve never had one that I though was too tart.
  
  Comment by steph (whisk/spoon)— March 27, 2014 #
  
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This looks so nice and moist!

Comment by liztiptopshape— March 26, 2014 #

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Eating a cake like this can be the only reason to do not freak out for this incredibly long winter… it looks so good!

Comment by lapetitecasserole— March 27, 2014 #

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looks so yummy!

Comment by juliemason5— March 27, 2014 #

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Oh I also love blood oranges (in cocktails and in life haha!). This looks wonderful.

Comment by saffronandhoney— March 27, 2014 #

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That looks perfect!

Comment by Vasun— March 27, 2014 #

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This looks delicious! Although it’s not citrus season, I may still need to give this a go!

Comment by saucygander— March 29, 2014 #

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A Must Try recipe! Much lighter than a pound cake and your tweaks are great.

Comment by Simply Splendid Victorian Afternoon Teas— April 4, 2014 #

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Okay, now I know what I’ll use my half-full bag of cornmeal on. Thanks!

Comment by agentjustyna— June 12, 2014 #

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