Tuesday, 17 March 2015

Blood orange drizzle cake

It doesn’t get much more humiliating than having your last post be festive themed… Trees are blossoming and British men are shorts-clad in 10-degree weather. Then there I am, blogging an out of season drizzle cake. 
Cakes that require baking in rectangular tins get my vote. They can be iced, without all the fuss of splitting, straightening, filling, crumb coating and sweating. This is the sort of baking I want to do in the middle of the night because I'll wake up to a cooled cake which I can slice up and toast. It also requires just the right amount of elbow grease… i.e. not much at all. 

Blood oranges are tangier than your regular variety, adding their fresh juice to icing sugar makes for an addicting tangy topping. The sponge will taste as if it is an orange cake (a moist one at that, thanks to the ground almonds) but the flecks of blood orange zest are worth the change of fruit. 
Blood orange drizzle cake

Ingredients
  • 200g unsalted butter, softened 
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 2 blood oranges
  • 3 eggs
  • 75g ground almonds 
  • 125g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder 


For the syrup 
  • Juice of 1 orange
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar 


For the icing 
  • 250g icing sugar 
  • Juice of 1 orange


This cake works well with 2 fat lemons or ordinary oranges. 

Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Grease and line a 1 lb/500g loaf tin. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl with an electric whisk (or freestanding mixer) until pale and doubled in volume. Grate in the zest of the oranges and set them aside for the toppings. Add the eggs one by one, mixing after each addition until well combined. Pour in the almonds, flour and baking paper and mix until just combined, and then fold the mixture using a spatula until there are no white streaks.  Bake for 45/50 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
  2. Whilst the cake is baking make the syrup. Pour 1 tbsp boiling water over the sugar  and stir until the sugar dissolves, then add the orange juice. While the cake is still hot, poke holes in several places and carefully pour the syrup evenly over it, then leave to cool.
  3. Add 2 tbsp orange juice to the icing and stir vigorously, then slowly add a drop at a time, until you have a thick, pourable consistency (you may not need the whole orange). Pour the icing over the cooled loaf, garnish with sliced oranges then leave to set and serve immediately. 
  4. I hope my lack of posting doesn't deter you from swinging by, because I’m still baking like a maniac and feeling the need to share it. 

Love Em xx

7 comments:

  1. A gorgeous cake and even more beautiful photos. I LOVE cakes with almonds in =)

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  2. Glad to see you back blogging. I am enamored by the beauty of this blood orange drizzle cake.. LOVE IT!

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  3. Gorgeous photos, I love the colour of blood orange!

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  4. When your bakes look as delicious and gorgeous as this it doesn't matter if your posting is sporadic. It's always worth coming back a visit :)

    Love the simplicity of your styling here, that orange colour really zings. Yum!

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  5. This is SO beautiful. Those bright oranges on that snowy icing - just gorgeous.

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  6. You're back! I've missed your beautiful photography and elegant treats. Especially when they require "just the right amount of elbow grease… i.e. not much at all." I haven't had the time or energy for much more than stir-pour-bake.

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  7. I love this! So, so gorgeous.

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