Cheers to Happy: Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake.....

Blood Oranges....aren't they beautiful? People are turned off by them because of the name...blood...no one wants to eat blood....so lets call them Sangria oranges....doesn't that sound better? and sangria is spanish for blood...they are sweet and taste like orange/raspberry juice....they are only available December through March..I love this recipe for blood oranges....it is so good and rustic, very moist, best to make the day before....great to share with a bottle of wine, or morning coffee....

Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake
Butter for greasing pan
3 blood oranges
1 cup sugar
Buttermilk or plain yogurt
3 large eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Grate zest from 2 oranges and place in a bowl with sugar. Using your fingers, rub ingredients together until orange zest is evenly distributed in sugar.

2. Supreme an orange: Cut off bottom and top so fruit is exposed and orange can stand upright on a cutting board. Cut away peel and pith, following curve of fruit with your knife. Cut orange segments out of their connective membranes and let them fall into a bowl. Repeat with another orange. Break up segments with your fingers to about 1/4-inch pieces.

3. Halve remaining orange and squeeze juice into a measuring cup. You will have about 1/4 cup or so. Add buttermilk or yogurt to juice until you have 2/3 cup liquid altogether. Pour mixture into bowl with sugar and whisk well. Whisk in eggs.

4. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently whisk dry ingredients into wet ones. Switch to a spatula and fold in oil a little at a time. Fold in pieces of orange segments. Scrape batter into pan and smooth top.

5. Bake cake for about 55 minutes, or until it is golden and a knife inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then unmold and cool to room temperature right-side up. Serve with whipped cream and honey-blood orange compote, if desired.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

grate the orange rind of 2 of the oranges into the sugar.....

like this....

cut the oranges segments......

fresh squeezed blood orange and measure yogurt to 2/3 cup

add to orangey sugar....

whisk together, with the 3 eggs too.....

mix dry ingredients together.....

whisk dry ingredients with the wet......

slowly add olive oil and fold together....

folding.....then add orange segments, folding them in....I know it looks way to oily...but the cake just tastes moist. I used a Sicilian olive oil, that has citrus notes as well as a peppery finish...the flavor does come out in the cake, very delicious....