BLOOD ORANGE ROSEMARY CAKE

 

SO.. i tried to make this blood orange rosemary cake back in early fall, only to find out grocery stores do not carry these oranges year round! shows how much i know about my citrus. but huzzah! it is officially blood orange season, the perfect winter citrus. the colour of these is gorgeous & they are absolutely delicious. i almost ate them all on their own before even getting to my baking! now i guess i will just have to eat all of this cake to myself too. i used a bit of the zest & juice in the actual cake batter better hoping it would give the cake a nice deep rosey tinge. it did not.. at all. however, for flavour purposes it was worth it! i left the rinds on the top slices for asethic purposes, but if you are worried about serving it that way or a touch of bitterness i suggest you peel the oranges. the shape is just so much prettier leaving the peels on! anyways, i will leave this decision up to you. if you want bonus points for asthetics, you know what to do!

ingredients

for the sauce

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 blood orange, thinly sliced

for the cake

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon, orange zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup whole milk or cream
  • 1/4 cup blood orange juice (i used the juice from one orange)

directions

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • sauce: in a sauce pan over medium heat add butter, sugar, salt, rosemary & vanilla. bring to a boil constantly stiring and remove from heat. strain the rosemary. slice oranges thinly. pour caramel sauce in an 8 or 9 inch cake pan & arrange the slices in a circular pattern.
  • cake: in a mixing bowl sift flour, baking powder, orange zest and salt. in the bowl of a stand mixer using the beater attachment cream butter and sugar. add eggs one at a time until light and fluffy. mix in vanilla, juice & milk until combined. slowly add your flour mixture and beat until the batter is smooth. carefully pour batter over the orange slices, making sure you do not alter the design of the fruit. bake for 20-25 minutes or until cake is cooked throughout. let cool completely before flipping & serving.