Winter for me is the time for all citrus fruits, especially oranges. On top of eating them as is, or adding them to salads, I also always try to incorporate them in cookies and cakes. Lately I’ve been experimenting with Blood oranges as well, so I’ve decided to use both in a cake, combined with tangerine juice, and the result is before you.
I was a bit disappointed by the fact that although the batter is pretty thick, the orange segments I placed on top still sunk into it. On the positive side, the taste, texture and aroma of the cake turned out great, in my humble opinion, so I’ve decided to share the recipe despite the less than optimal presentation…
If you like citrus fruits, and cakes with a coarse texture, this cake is for you.
Makes: 1 x 10” (25cm) loaf pan
Prep time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 45-50 minutes
Ingredients:
1 orange
1 Blood orange
3.5 oz (100 grams) butter, soft
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs orange zest
½ cup fresh tangerine juice *
½ cup chopped natural pistachios
1 cup flour
1 cup fine semolina
1 Tbs baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1. Zest 1 tbs of the regular orange. Remove the top and bottom of both oranges. With a sharp knife, remove the peel and carefully separate the segments. Keep aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Oil the pan and dust with a bit of flour.
3. Place the butter and sugar in a mixer bowl and cream together on medium speed. Add the eggs and mix to incorporate.
4. Add the zest and juice and mix briefly (the mixture will seem “broken” but it’s fine). Keep 1 Tbs of the chopped pistachios on the side and add the rest to the bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend to a fairly thick batter.
5. Transfer half of the batter to the pan and place ½ of the orange segments on it. Top with the rest of the batter and scatter the 1 Tbs pistachios on top. Place the rest of orange segments on top.
6. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until the cake top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs on it. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the sides with a knife and turn the cake out of the pan. Place on a rack to cool to room temperature before slicing.
*Note: tangerine juice is sweeter than orange juice. If you prefer to use orange juice instead, add 1 Tbs of sugar to the cake.
You REALLY know how to get my attention! I’ve always wanted to try blood oranges, but they are not to be had here in our desert tiny town. That’s definitely the kind of cake that would be welcome in our household!
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Glad to hear!
Blood oranges are not as readily available as regular ones, but I do manage to find them here. I hope at one point you’ll be able to get them.
If not, you can make the cake with regular oranges, or maybe even experiment with red grapefruit instead of the blood orange. I think that’s what I’ll do next time. Maybe end up with an even more interesting flavor! 🙂
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That looks wonderful! I’ll be the little burst of orange is spectacular aside from being pretty and keeping it moist.
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Thank you!
That was exactly the idea and I’m glad to say it worked. 🙂
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It looks delicious!
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Thank you! 🙂
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It’s here! Yeah 🙂 Such a beautiful cake indeed! Love the addition of pistachios with the lovely oranges. I may just head out to store to get some nuts so I can make it yet this weekend! Thanks for sharing, yet another, delicious recipe!
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Thank you Nancy – it’s my pleasure to share! 🙂
I hope you’ll enjoy the cake and will be happy to hear your comments.
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Looks great! Lovely colours 🙂
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Thank you! How great it is to have such bright colored fruits in the middle of a gray winter… 🙂
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It is 🙂
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Great shots of the step by step process.
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Thank you! 🙂
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This looks super delicious! Love the fact you’ve used blood orange 🙂
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Thank you! I too love the blood oranges in this cake. It added another layer of flavor and the color is so nice. 🙂
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Looks perfect, see no problem with the orange slices.
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Thank you, Norma. It’s nice to hear! 🙂
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Now THIS cake looks yummy 😉 Looks much juicy-er than my rhubarb cake! Gotta try!
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Thank you. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. 🙂
For an even “juicier” cake, you can also try the Semolina with milk and maple syrup:
https://ronitpenso.wordpress.com/2013/09/28/semolina-cake-with-milk-and-maple-syrup/
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Bejeweled cake!
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Thank you! 🙂
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Wow, what a great invention recipe,
such a beautifull and also healthy sweet bites!!!
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Thank you! 🙂
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Love love semolina cakes…..your fruit and citrus twist has made them even more mouth watering!! ❤ 🙂
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Thank you Ayesha.
Semolina has a wonderful texture and I too love it in cakes. It turned out really tasty. No doubt I’ll make it again. 🙂
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Wow, this looks and sounds delicious! It’s too bad the orange segments sunk in, but IMO the cake still looks beautiful! Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
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Thank you!
I think next time, I’ll add the top layer of oranges after baking the cake for about 15-20 minutes. Maybe it will prevent them from sinking in. We’ll see… 🙂
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