Dessert | Cakes | Sweet Treats

Blood Orange Cake

Name: Blood Orange Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 200 g Sugar; 3 Eggs; 200 g All-purpose Flour; 5 g Salt; 210 g Cream; 3 Blood Orange Zest; 50 ml Blood Orange Juice; 40 ml Water; 40 ml Blood Orange Juice; 80 g Sugar; 75 ml Blood Orange Juice; 250 g Powdered Sugar

This blood orange cake moist and fluffy, scented with blood orange zests and glazed made with freshly squeezed blood orange juice. It can be made into any citrus cake you like.

Belula January 19, 2017 February 25, 2021

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Sliced blood orange cake seen from above with a knife on the side and a bowl with glaze on the top right corner.

I love cake. Such an easy and delicious treat. And citrus cake holds a special place in my heart. And blood orange is just irresistible. First time I ever saw a blood orange was when I was working at Hotel Meurice in Paris. It was my first day and chef said to get all the citrus in the fridge (probably 150 give or take): "make juice", said the chef. So, I started, and when I got to my first blood orange, I got scared and thought I got the wrong fruit, and the chef might kill me. Juice was not orange, but pink/purple. Happy I can laugh about it now! I have been a fan ever since. They taste so good. Hope you like this blood orange cake recipe.

What is a blood orange?

A blood orange is a variety of orange that has almost a red flesh. To know more about them check What is a Blood Orange. Blood orange season goes from December to April. My favourite one is the Sicilian blood orange. Best orange juice I have ever had!

Can blood orange be replaced?

Yes! You can use any other citrus like lemon, mandarin, grapefruit and regular orange. They will all work super well with this cake.

I already have a killer lemon cake recipe on the site though!

Sliced blood orange cake seen from the front.

Sliced blood orange cake seen from the side with some leaves in the back and jar on the side.

What cake pan to use and how to use it.

I used a regular loaf pound cake. Dimensions: 20 cm long x 7.5 cm high x 11 cm wide.

Spray with baking spray and line with parchment paper. Then spray again. You can also butter and flour the cake pan, the classic way! Make sure to use softened butter.

Blood orange cake inside the cake pan ready to be baked.

How to make blood orange cake?

Blanch eggs and sugar and the blood orange zest: this is a key step; it will give all the sponginess to your cake. You need to whisk them about 10 minutes, until you can make a little drawing of batter using your whisk. This is called "ribbon stage".
Fold in the flour until properly mixed in and then add the blood orange juice.
Finally fold in the whipped cream: do this in 2 additions. Be gentle so that the cream and the batter do not deflate.
Transfer to the greased and lined cake pan and bake at 170 C° for 45 minutes.

Blanched eggs and sugar plus blood orange zest in a white bowl.

Blanched eggs and sugar plus blood orange zest in a white bowl with the flour and a wooden spatula.

Blood orange cake batter in the making inside a white bowl with the juice on the side.

Cake batter in a white bowl with the added blood orange juice.

Blood orange cake batter with the added whipped cream on top.

Blood orange cake batter ready inside a white bowl with a wooden spatula on the side.

Be prepared: make ahead

You can make the cake one day ahead and refrigerate properly covered in the cake pan. Before baking, let it sit at room temperature for about 30/40 minutes.

Baking & unmoulding this blood orange cake

Estimate baking time: 35/40 minutes, until golden. I say estimate because baking time varies with each oven and place. If this the first time making it, be attentive, and write down how long it took with your oven. It will be the same after that.

To test if the cake is ready simply insert a skewer, cake tester (I love mine, and they cost nothing!) or knife at the centre. If it comes out clean, remove from oven. If there is a little crumb on there, bake for a few extra minutes.

Unmould the cake when it is still hot! Run a knife between the cake and the pan, and finally use the flaps of parchment paper to remove from the mould (flip the cake pan on to a wire rack until the cake falls off, if you simple buttered your loaf pan).

Let it cool down completely before glazing!

One hand folding in the whipped cream to the batter.

Blood Orange glaze

In my opinion glaze is a personal thing. Some people like it on the thicker side, others prefer it lighter. I am right in the middle.

To get the consistency you like: add the juice to the sugar slowly (not the other way around), mixing constantly until you are happy with the glaze.

Once you are, cover the blood orange pound cake with the glaze and let it set at room temperature before slicing it!

One hand pouring over the blood orange glaze on the blood orange pound cake.

The whole glazed blood orange cake seen from the front.

About freezing this cake

Blood Orange cake can be frozen before glazing. Just let it cool down completely, cover in plastic wrap 2 or 3 times and place in the freezer. It keeps for up to 3 months.

To defrost: let it sit at room temperature overnight. Glaze. Enjoy!

The ingredients used in all recipes on this site are measured using the metric system. I use a scale to be precise with my measurements and ensure good results. If you would also like to use a scale, here are some: USA, Canada, UK, Australia, France.

Blood Orange Cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 12 servings

Nutrition: 298 cal

Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Cake

Sugar 200 g
Eggs 3
All-purpose Flour 200 g
Salt 5 g
Cream 210 g
Blood Orange Zest (zest of 3 oranges) 3
Blood Orange Juice 50 ml

Blood Orange Syrup

Water 40 ml
Blood Orange Juice 40 ml
Sugar 80 g

Glaze

Blood Orange Juice 75 ml
Powdered Sugar 250 g

Procedure

1. Prepare the mould: Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Butter the cake pan and line with parchment paper. The butter the parchment paper. Use softened butter.
2. Prepare the cake batter: In the bowl of stand mixer using the whisk attachment mix the eggs and the sugar until it has doubled or more in volume, changed colour to pale yellow and is has become fluffy. Whisk in the zests. Fold in the flour using a spatula and make sure it has been properly mixed. Add the blood orange juice and mix until incorporated. Finally fold in the cream very gently.
3. Bake the blood orange cake: Transfer the batter onto the cake pan bake for about 45 minutes. To verify if the cake is ready, insert a skewer into the cake. If it comes out dry it means you can remove the cake from the oven. Otherwise continue to bake.
4. Prepare de blood orange syrup: Bring the water, the juice and the sugar to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Unmould the cake: Unmould the cake as soon as you remove from the oven. Transfer on to a wire rack and using a skewer pinch holes along the cakes surface. Then immediately brush with the blood orange syrup, several times making sure the cake absorbs it. Let it cool down at room temperature.
6. Glaze the blood Orange cake: Add the juice to the powdered sugar and whisk using a hand whisk until the sugar has absorbed the liquid. Do not add the juice all at once. Go little by little until you obtain the desired consistency. Cover the cake with the glaze. Let it set before slicing the cake.

If you made this recipe I would really appreciate it if you leave a rating or comment below! Also, if you share on social media please use #cookwithbelula, I would love to see what you create!

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