The sponge in this cake is flavoured with zest and a little of the juice of blood orange, however it’s the syrup drizzled all over the cake which is really strong in flavour and makes it very moist. The icing dripped on top is made purely of juice from the orange and icing sugar and adds a final burst of flavour to the cake.
Blood Orange Drizzle Cake
- 150g unsalted butter
- 150g caster sugar
- 165g self raising flour
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp baking powder
- zest of 2 blood oranges
- 1 tbsp blood orange juice
Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan oven). Grease a 2 lb loaf tin with butter and line the base with baking paper.
Begin by sifting together the flour and the baking powder into a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and the sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until fully incorporated (add a spoonful of the flour with each egg to stop the mixture curdling). Then finally fold in the remaining flour, orange zest and juice. Once all the ingredients have been incorporated, pour the batter into the prepared tin. Bake in the oven for approx 30 to 40 minutes (check the cake is cooked all the way through using a skewer).
Orange syrup
- 50g caster sugar
- 75ml of water
- 25ml of orange liqueur
- juice of 1 blood orange
Make the syrup whilst the cake is baking. Weigh out the sugar and the water into a small saucepan. Heat slowly until the sugar is completely dissolved and then bring to the boil. Take off the heat once the syrup reaches a good boil and then add the liqueur and the orange juice. Stir and leave in the saucepan to cool until needed.
When the cake is baked, remove from the tin and place on a wire rack with foil underneath (to catch any drips from the syrup). Using a skewer, make a few small holes all over the top of the cake to help the syrup through. Use a pastry brush to brush the syrup all over the top of the cake.
Once all the syrup has been brushed on to the cake, leave to cool.
Blood Orange Icing
- 80g icing sugar
- 2 tbsp blood orange juice
Sift the icing sugar in to a bowl, then add the orange juice. Whisk together until smooth. If you want a runnier consistency add a little more orange juice.
Once the cake has cooled, spoon over the icing, allowing it to drip down the sides.
