Blood Orange Loaf Cake
Citrus yogurt loaf cake with fresh orange zest and juice. Beautiful, naturally colored blood orange glaze. Perfect springtime treat or tea cake. Vegetarian with vegan adaptation. Serves 12.
Are citrus fruits one of your favorite foods? We go through a lot of lemons and limes every week and I even get boxes of oranges as a Christmas gift from my Grandma each year 😉 In the winter, we proudly pay a small fortune for fresh pummelos (I’m obsessed!). But only recently did I discover the magic of blood oranges. Now we have a new citrus favorite to add to the collection!
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! And they make pretty foods– like a delicious loaf cake 😉
This Blood Orange Loaf Cake is refreshing and full of bright citrus flavor.
It calls for up to 3 tbsp of blood orange zest so every bite is covered. It’s made with yogurt and blood orange juice for a light, delicate crumb. And did I mention naturally pink glaze? Uhm, yes please!
For this Blood Orange Loaf Cake, you’ll need:
- 2 blood oranges (the zest of both, plus 5 tbsp juice)
- 2/3 c plain, unsweetened yogurt or dairy-free yogurt
- 2 hours (fast prep but good bake time + resting for better glazing!)
Blood Orange Loaf Cake
Equipment
- 8 or 9 inch loaf pan
- stand or hand mixer
- Zester
Ingredients
For Orange Loaf Cake:
- 1½ c All Purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 2-3 tbsp blood orange zest from 2 blood oranges
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 4 tbsp blood orange juice
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2/3 c plain, unsweetened yogurt
For Blood Orange Glaze:
- 1 tbsp blood orange juice
- 1/2 c powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
- You'll need 2 blood oranges for this recipe. Blood oranges do not yield as much juice as regular oranges– you'll use 4 tbsp juice for the cake and 1 tbsp juice for the glaze (5 tbsp total).
Make the cake:
- 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 c sugar and the 2-3 tbsp blood orange zest. Using a pastry cutter or hands, work the zest into the sugar until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add eggs one at a time to citrus sugar mixture. Beat on high speed until fully incorporated after each addition, about 2 minutes.
- Add in vegetable oil, 4 tbsp blood orange juice, and vanilla. Beat on high speed 1 minute more, and scrape down sides of bowl.
- Turn mixer to low speed and add in half of the dry flour mixture. Mix until incorporated.
- Stir in the yogurt, then add remaining dry flour mixture until just combined. Scrape sides if needed.
- Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean and top and edges are golden brown.
- Let cake sit in pan for 10-15 minutes then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely before icing.
Glaze the cake:
- Whisk 1 tbsp blood orange juice into 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar until completely smooth.
- Place cooling rack with cake over a sheet of wax or parchment paper (the glaze will run over the sides of the cake).
- Poke a few small holes in the top of the cake and pour glaze gently over cake in a sweeping motion. Let cake sit a few minutes for glaze to set before slicing.
- Store cake covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
To make this cake as tested vegan:
- substitute eggs with 1 medium mashed banana or egg replacer. Banana imparts only a slight flavor but is still delicious and vegan!Â
- substitute yogurt with favorite vegan yogurt. We use So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk yogurt to make this either way.
Nutrition
Have other citrus on hand? Try these!
If you have a Trader Joe’s close by, you might be able to find bags of blood oranges for around $2 🙂 I snagged enough blood oranges to keep baking a while and I’ll freeze some of the zest and juice for future use.
Have you tried them yet? If you’re not finding blood oranges right now, save this recipe for later (or swap in regular OJ because it’s still a tasty cake)! Have a great week, friends!
-Emma