Blood Orange and Citrus Bundt Cake

While I was baking this cake, I had a thought come to my mind. In the winter, citrus fruits are at their peak perfection. I decided that it is because, in the winter, things are cold and dark and bland. The sun isn’t out as much, the cold chills your body, and the glorious fruits and vegetables that fill our plates in the warmer months just aren’t there. Citrus fruits are the Earth's way of providing all of the sunshine and flavor that we miss in winter.

There are a couple of things I like about this recipe. A) it is easy (peasy orangie squeezy. Okay that was pretty cheesy I know.) For the most part, you just throw everything in a bowl and then mix it all up and throw it in the oven. B) It combines two things that are perfect in the winter, citrus and baking. You know me, I love cooking seasonally, so the fact that I could do that with my love of baking made me so happy. C) It has pink icing…. what’s better than pink frosting? Also, because its pink, this is a great option for Valentine's day. Your loved ones will be so happy.

Blood Orange and Citrus Bundt Cake

Ingredients

Sponge

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

  • If you live at high altitude, I find adding 1-2 Tbsp extra to recipes helps with collapsing and rising.

• 1 Tbsp baking powder

• 2 Tsp kosher salt

• 1 cup unsalted butter (room temp, cut into cubes)

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• 4 blood oranges (zested and juiced)

• 2 oranges (zested)

• 4 eggs

• 1 cup buttermilk

Blood Orange Simple Syrup

• 3 Tbsp blood orange juice (from above)

• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar

Glaze (Optional)

• 2 Tbsp blood orange juice (from above)

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Oil and flour a bundt tin and set aside. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine zest and sugar by rubbing them together with your fingertips until homogenous. Add butter and cream, on medium speed for roughly 4 minutes until mixture is creamy and lighter in color. Scrape down sides. Add in eggs, 1 at a time, until each is incorporated. Scrape down the sides and cream on medium for 4more minutes. The mixture will be very light, fluffy, and smooth.

3. Scrape down sides again and turn to low speed. Add in the dry mixture in three sections, alternating with the buttermilk. Mix until dry ingredients and buttermilk are just combined. Give the mixture 1 final mix by hand with a spatula just to make sure everything is incorporated evenly.

4. Evenly spread mixture in the bundt pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, rotating halfway through. Take out when the cake is golden and starting to pull away from the edges of the pan. Pour blood orange syrup over the sponge and let cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.

   *In a saucepan, make syrup by mixing the juice and sugar until sugar is fully dissolved.*

5. If choosing to make the glaze, combine juice and sugar with a fork until fully combined and no sugar lumps are left. Pour evenly over cooled sponge.