Blood Orange Cake Recipe
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Recipe Overview
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Serves: 10 people
Ingredients Needed
- 270g/9.5oz cake flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 150ml/5floz milk
- 110ml/3.9floz blood orange juice
- 300g/10.6oz caster or superfine sugar
- 180g/6oz butter, very soft but not melted
- 2 tablespoons finely grated blood orange zest
- 60ml/2floz neutral oil (eg avocado or canola)
- 4 eggs, room temperature
For Frosting
- 200g/7oz butter, softened
- 450g/1lb icing sugar mixture
- 2-4 tablespoons blood orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1 BATTER - Line a 20x30x5.5cm/8x12x2inch rectangular baking tin on the base and sides. Preheat oven to 140C/284F fan forced or 160C/320F conventional (low). Sieve the flour (270g/9.5oz cake flour), baking powder (3 teaspoons) and salt (1/2 teaspoon) together in a bowl. In a jug, mix the milk (150ml/5floz) and blood orange juice (110ml/3.9floz) and allow to curdle. Fit a mixer with a beater attachment and beat the sugar (300g/10.6oz caster or superfine sugar), butter (180g/6oz), oil (60ml/2floz avocado or canola oil) and zest (2 tablespoons finely grated blood orange zest) together on medium speed for 3 minutes. Then add the eggs (4 eggs) in one at a time beating well between each addition.
Step 2 BAKE - Fold in the flour mixture in 2-3 lots alternating with the milk mixture. Do not overmix, just bring the mixture together until there are no streaks. Rest this mixture on the benchtop for 5 minutes, then bake for 35 minutes or until the centre springs back when pressed or a skewer comes out clean. Cover immediately with foil or another baking tin upside down (not touching the cake's surface) and trap the steam into the cake (aka steam cool the cake).
Step 3 BUTTERCREAM - Once the cake is completely cooled, it is ready to ice. Fit the mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk the butter (200g/7oz) for 2 minutes on medium speed until pale. Sift the icing sugar mixture (450g/1lb) into the butter and set on lowest speed for the first 30 seconds or so until all of the icing sugar is incorporated. Add in the blood orange juice (2 tablespoons) and vanilla (1 teaspoon). Then increase speed to high for 2 minutes. Check the colour and if you want a more pronounced pink, add more blood orange juice (up to 2 tablespoons more). Spread over the surface of the cake. Cut into squares.
Personal Note
I always look forward to blood orange season and when they leave it means that it is early spring and it's really warming up. Speaking of the seasons, I mentioned a few months ago about getting solar batteries installed. Well, I may have spoken too soon because they worked for about a month and then they stopped working completely.
And for the last few months we've been trying to get them to come out to fix it but they just ignore our phone calls and emails.
We had one last resort after having no use for two months. Thankfully, Mr NQN had paid for them on our credit card. So we had no choice but to start the process for a chargeback. It's funny how fast the company sprung into action. They went from months of ignoring us to a phone call the next day.
But of course it wasn't quick. So far we've had half a dozen visits from various people with varying levels of competence. One completely made up what he was doing which just blew our mind that he was holding down a job as an electrician. I wondered how he goes to work every day to just lie to people.
After the sixth visit from technicians we finally had it fixed (well it is early days, I'll wait at least a couple of months to see if it sticks). It was actually my priority to have it fixed before summer as I needed air conditioning at night. Well actually the plan was to get it fixed before winter but that didn't happen!
So tell me Dear Reader, is there a seasonal food that you like? Have you ever had to struggle with getting something installed?