I made a cake

It's pink.  I'm quite proud of it.

It would be easy to think I only decided to make this cake after seeing other certain bloggers post similar blood-orange glazed cakes in recent days (differently shaped, but still), but in reality I've been planning on baking this for over a week and hadn't gotten around to it yet.  Just ask Ben, who has somehow been restraining himself from eating the blood oranges sitting on our kitchen counter, because he knew I was saving them for a cake.  What a guy.

I have a lot of valentine-y dessert ideas floating around in my head, but this one sort of snuck up on me as I was perusing the Smitten Kitchen archives.  I'd been wondering for a while if I could use blood oranges to make a pink valentines cake, and when I came across Deb's recipe for a grapefruit yogurt cake I was inspired to try it.

I have a mild obsession with blood oranges.  I know they're everywhere now, but somehow they still feel like a novelty to me.  My first attempt at making curd from scratch was during a kitchen adventure with my friend Amanda involving a blood orange tart.  It was delicious but for some reason the curd never set properly - someday I'll re-make that tart and show blood orange curd who's boss, but until then...there will be cake.



I made some small tweaks to the Smitten Kitchen recipe (other than the obvious swap of blood orange for grapefruit) but I'll give her credit for this cake's amazing texture.  It is incredibly moist with a fantastic crumb.  And when you add to that the jammy, almost berry-like flavor of the glaze....  OK now I need another piece of cake.



By the by, I'm pretty sure Sweetheart candies are sounding the death knell of romance in our modern age.  "Time 2 Dance"?  "Text Me"?? "High Five"???  This was the most romantic one I could find.  Whatever happened to "Be Mine?  It's just sad.  Plus they got rid of the white ones which were my favorite, and replaced them with some nasty blue fake raspberry thing.  I am officially done with you, Sweetheart candies.

Also, I'm in the middle of an epic Downton Abbey Season 2 marathon, so I'll leave you to your cake baking while I go and see what's up with Matthew and Lady Mary.  Happy weekend!

"There better be cake at this dinner."

RECIPE: BLOOD ORANGE CAKE


For the cake:
- 1.5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 4 teaspoons grated orange zest
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice

For the glaze:
- Juice of one small blood orange
- Enough powdered sugar to make a glaze consistency

Preheat your oven to 350.  Grease and flour a 9 inch round cake pan.

Sift the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.  In a larger bowl, whisk the yogurt, sugar, eggs, orange zest, vanilla extract and coconut oil together to combine.  Add the dry ingredients in three batches, stirring to combine each time with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.  When all ingredients are incorporated, pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean (but just barely!  don't overbake).

When the cake is cooled, remove it from the pan and onto a plate or serving platter.  Combine the juice and powdered sugar to make a glaze, and pour over the cake, until the whole thing is covered with a thin layer (you'll probably want to use something easy to pour from, like a liquid measuring cup).

This is seriously delicious.  Enjoy! :)