Blood Orange Loaf Cake
Blood Orange Loaf Cake features fresh orange zest, juice, and yogurt. Simple cake is topped with a beautiful, naturally colored blood orange glaze. Perfect springtime treat or tea cake. Serves 12 to 16.
This citrus loaf cake is a delicious pick me up perfect for any time of day! The blood orange flavor is bright and refreshing, and the pink glaze is pretty to look at, too.
Blood Oranges are a little sweeter than regular oranges– with a hint of berry flavor and a beautiful red color inside.
They’re, in my experience, a little more fragile and yield less juice but they’re unmistakably gorgeous and unique!
Ingredients:
- Blood oranges – depending on size and yield, you’ll need 2 or 3 blood oranges (the zest of at least 2, plus 1/3 cup juice total)
- Sugar
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- 2 Eggs
- Vegetable Oil – baking orange loaf cake with oil instead of butter keeps the flavor focused on the oranges and it makes the cake moist and tender. You’ll need 1/3 of a cup.
- Vanilla
- Yogurt – use 2/3 cup plain, unsweetened yogurt for this recipe, or substitute regular sour cream.
How To Make this Recipe:
Prep: Grease or spray a loaf pan (an 81/2 x 41/2 or 9 x 5 inch) and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prep: Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
Add 1 cup granulated sugar to a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer). Zest 2 blood oranges and add the zest to the sugar (you should have between 2 and 3 tablespoons of zest). Rub the zest into the sugar until the mixture is fragrant (about 1 minute).
Juice the blood oranges into a measuring cup and set aside. Depending on the yield of the oranges, you may need to use a third blood orange. You need 1/3 cup juice total (to be divided between the cake and glaze).
To the sugar mixture, beat in the eggs on medium-high speed, one at a time, until fully incorporated after each addition.
Add in 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) of the blood orange juice, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat on high speed for about one minute, until everything is well blended. Scrape down the bowl.
Stir in half of the flour mixture and use low speed to incorporate until just mixed.
On low speed, mix in all of the yogurt (2/3 cup), then add in the remaining flour until combined. Scrape down sides of bowl and stir for 5 seconds more, if needed.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and edges are golden.
Let cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely before icing.
Glaze the blood orange loaf cake: whisk together the remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons blood orange glaze with 1/2 to 1 cup powdered sugar (or as needed for desired consistency).
Poke a few small holes in the top of the cake and pour glaze over, starting from the center and working outward. I like to work over a sheet of wax paper in case the glaze runs, but this is optional.
Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days, or freeze cooled cake for up to 3 months.
Blood Orange Loaf Cake
Equipment
- 8 or 9 inch loaf pan
- stand or hand mixer
- Zester
Ingredients
For Blood Orange Loaf Cake:
- 1½ cups All Purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 to 3 Tablespoons blood orange zest from 2 blood oranges
- 1/3 cup blood orange juice divided; see below
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2/3 cup plain, unsweetened yogurt or sour cream
For Blood Orange Glaze:
- 1/2 to 1 cup powdered sugar as needed for consistency
Instructions
- Depending on size and yield, you'll need 2 to 3 blood oranges for this recipe: 2 to 3 Tablespoons of zest total and 1/3 cup juice total (1/4 cup juice into cake and remaining for the glaze).
Prep work:
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease or line an 8 or 9 inch loaf pan. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl (or stand mixer bowl), combine the 1 cup sugar with the zest of 2 blood oranges. Rub the zest into the sugar by hand until mixture is fragrant, about 1 minute.
Make the cake:
- Juice blood oranges into a measuring cup until you have 1/3 cup juice. Set aside.
- To the large mixing bowl, beat in the eggs on medium-high speed, one at a time, until fully incorporated after each addition, about 2 minutes total.
- Add in 1/4 cup of the orange juice, the 1/3 cup vegetable oil, and the vanilla. Beat on high speed for one minute then scrape down sides of bowl.
- Turn mixer to low speed and add in half of the dry flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated.
- Stir in all of the yogurt until combined, then add in remaining flour mixture and stir together until just combined. Scrape down sides of bowl and mix an additional 5 seconds if needed.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean and edges are golden brown.
- Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove to a rack to cool completely before icing.
Glaze the cake:
- Whisk together the remaining 1 to 2 Tablespoons blood orange juice with 1/2 to 1 cup powdered sugar (or desired amount) until completely smooth.
- Poke a few small holes in the top of the cake and pour glaze gently over cake to cover. Let cake sit a few minutes for glaze to set before slicing.