Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake
Blood oranges arrive in the market at exactly the right moment — when citrus season has been going on long enough that navel oranges feel ordinary, and the eye wants something dramatic. The blood orange delivers: its skin looks like an ordinary orange but cut it open and you get flesh ranging from deep ruby to almost violet, with a flavor that is more complex and slightly more tart than a regular orange, with a faint berry note underneath.
This cake is one of the best things you can make in February. It is simple enough to make on a weekday evening, beautiful enough to serve to guests on a weekend afternoon, and it keeps well for several days on the counter — improving, if anything, as the olive oil settles and the orange flavor deepens overnight.
Olive oil cakes have the texture that butter cakes can only aspire to: dense without being heavy, moist without being wet, with a crumb that is simultaneously tender and substantial. The olive oil flavor should be present but not aggressive — use a good-quality extra virgin, fruity rather than grassy, and you'll taste it underneath the citrus in a way that is genuinely lovely.
Serves 8–10 · 1 hour
INGREDIENTS
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
¾ cup good-quality extra virgin olive oil (fruity, not grassy)
½ cup whole milk
Zest of 2 blood oranges
— For the glaze —
3 tablespoons fresh blood orange juice (from about 1 orange)
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Pinch of salt
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment and grease the sides.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until pale and slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Whisk in the olive oil, milk, and blood orange zest.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined — a few streaks of flour are fine. Do not overmix.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35–40 minutes, until the top is deep golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Let the cake cool completely in the pan before unmolding — at least 45 minutes.
7. Make the glaze: whisk together the blood orange juice, powdered sugar, and salt until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Add more juice a teaspoon at a time if needed.
8. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake and let it set for 20 minutes before slicing. The glaze will deepen in color as it sets, turning a beautiful blush-to-rose. Serve as is, or with a small spoonful of whipped crème fraîche alongside.
