Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake

A coffee time or dessert cake. On top of its lovely texture, this cake has a delightful flavor — suffused with the sweetness of freshly squeezed blood orange juice and fragrant bits of zest that edge toward bitter in the best way possible.

Yield:
about 8 slices
Category:
Bread and Baking
Cuisine:
American

INGREDIENTS:

  • Cooking spray or extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 medium blood oranges; the first for its zest and juice, the second for thin slices and possibly extra zest
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup medium-grind cornmeal
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup whole-milk plain yogurt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 thin half moon-shaped blood orange slices

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F.
  2. Grease a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray or oil; set aside.
  3. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the first orange. Cut the zest into thin strips and set aside. Juice the orange and set aside.
  4. Whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
  5. Whisk the sugar and the blood orange juice together in large bowl. One at a time, whisk in the yogurt, eggs, and olive oil. Whisk the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, giving the mixture 20 good turns with the whisk until just combined. Fold in the zest strips.
  6. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan. Top with slices from the second orange. Bake until the top is springy and golden-brown, and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 50 to 60 minutes.
  7. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minut

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