Easy Blood Orange Cake

My favourite cake is this Easy Blood Orange Cake and it's a really easy orange cake to bake, made using the creaming method. The addition of blood orange zest and juice to this light sponge cake batter results is a lovely moist sponge cake that tastes simply delicious.

I have made blood orange cake many times over the years. It's a cake that I bake regularly, almost monthly. In fact it's my favourite cake to bake (and eat).

When blood oranges are in season I use those, but at other times I use regular oranges to make this easy orange cake. The quantities of orange juice and zest remain the same whichever fruit you use.

I've used a bundt tin to bake this best orange cake recipe, but a regular 22cm x 7.5cm (9x3") round cake tin will work just as well. I use both tins regularly and they work equally well.

For such a simple bake it's utterly delicious, then again I am partial to anything citrus! I will place any cake flavoured with either orange or lemon above all others, for me citrus cakes are cake perfection!

Why you'll love this recipe:

• Uses simple and inexpensive ingredients that most of you will have in your stores at home.
• A great bake for children who are learning to bake as there's no need for technical kit, just a bowl and a electric hand mixer.
• The orange juice in cake keeps it extra moist which means the cake isn't dry and stores longer than a regular sponge cake.

How to make blood orange cake

• Preheat the oven to 170C/150CFan .
• Grease and flour your bundt tin. Or if using a 22cm (9") round, high sided tin, grease and flour the sides and line the bottom of the tin with baking paper.
• Cream together the butter and sugar for 4-5 minutes until the mixture has become creamy and really pale in colour.
• Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a spoon of the flour before the last egg is added to stop the mixture curdling.

• Beat in the orange zest, ensuring it is well combined. 
• Add in the remaining flour and give the cake batter a good mix.
• Slowly pour in the orange juice and mix gently.

• Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in the hot oven at for 45-50 minutes. The cake is cooked when you can insert a skewer into the middle of it and it comes out clean.
• Place the tin on a wire rack and allow the cake to cool completely in the tin.

Icing the orange cake

• To make the icing mix together the icing sugar and orange juice in a bowl.

• Remove the cake from the tin (and remove and baking paper if using a round cake tin) place on a serving plate.
• Pour or drizzle over the cake and allow the icing time to set.
• Once the icing has set the cake can be cut into slices and served.
• Store the cake in an airtight container or cake tin.

Orange cake recipe ingredients

• SUGAR: I use caster sugar for the cake batter and icing sugar (powdered sugar) to make the orange drizzle icing.
• BUTTER: I use salted butter, which has softened at room temperature.
• EGGS: 4 large eggs are added to the cake batter.
• ORANGES: I use both the zest and juice from blood oranges in the cake batter, and more fresh juice in the orange icing.
• FLOUR: Self raising flour is used in the cake batter.

TOP TIP: The amount of icing specified in the recipe card is ideal for drizzling over a bundt cake. If you wish to top a 22cm (9") diameter cake, I recommend increasing the icing sugar to 185g adding 8 teaspoons of fresh orange juice.

Equipment

• I've baked this cake using a 24cm (9 1.2") diameter bundt tin as it makes the cake look extra special.
• Don't have a bundt tin, no problem! I regularly use a 22cm x 7.5cm (9x3") high sided round loose-bottomed cake tin to bake this cake. A loose bottomed base make the cake easier to remove from the tin.
• If using a bundt tin I recommend using a cake release spray to grease the tin. A spray gets right into every corner of a bundt tin, and I've never had a cake stick to the tin when I use it.
• If you don't have cake release spray grease the tin well with butter, getting into every corner, and add a dusting of flour.
• When using a round cake tin, add a circle of baking paper to the base of the tin too.

Recipe variations

• If you don't have blood oranges then regular oranges will work just as well in this bake. I use both and the results are always good.
• I've also swapped butter for margarine in this cake recipe, both work well and margarine does result in a lovely light cake..

Recipe hints & tips

• Take the butter out of the fridge a good hour before you plan to bake the cake. This will allow the butter to soften, making it easier to cream together with the sugar to make the cake batter.
• When baking a sponge cake I prefer to use the conventional setting on my oven. I find that the fan setting can bake the cake a little too quickly, the conventional setting allows a slower more even bake. As a rule I use the conventional oven setting for lighter sponge cakes and the fan for a heavier cake.
• Allergy advice: this sandwich is soya free, peanut free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.

FAQs

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Additional recipe suggestions

For another recipe using this simple method of creaming together the butter and sugar try these recipes:

• Chocolate Victoria Sponge Cake
• Traditional Victoria Sponge
• Easy Chocolate Loaf Cake
• Lemon & Poppyseed Cake

If you enjoyed this bake have a look at my Fun Baking with Kids post, full of great recipe suggestions for baking with children. Alternatively have a look at my Best Cake Recipes post.