Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake
This time last year, my mom was constantly raving about this blood orange olive oil cake that she saw posted on The Kitchn. She made it multiple times and always said - "I bet there's a way for you to make it healthier and fit in with the rest of your recipes."
Well, a year later, challenge accepted! I swapped out a number of ingredients to make this cake lower in sugar, gluten free, and dairy free. AND, it's still insanely delicious. I've been enjoying a slice topped with coconut yogurt and pistachios for breakfast or toasted with a cup of tea in the afternoon.
Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake
Serves 12
1 medium blood orange
1 1/4 cups 1:1 gluten-free flour (I used Arrowhead Mills)
1/2 cup medium-grind cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon coconut sugar, divided
1/2 cup coconut yogurt
3 large eggs
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 paper-thin half moon-shaped blood orange slices (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and arrange a rack in the middle of the oven. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with coconut or olive oil - set aside. (Side note: I also like to line my loaf pan with parchment paper for super easy removal.)
Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the orange in long strips. Cut the zest into think strips and set aside. Juice the orange and reserve 1/4 cup.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
In a separate, large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup coconut sugar and the 1/4 cup blood orange juice. One at a time, whisk in the yogurt, eggs, and olive oil. Gently blend in the flour mixture into the wet ingredients - about 20 good turns until just combined. Fold in the orange zest strips.
Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of coconut sugar.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the top is springy and golden-brown. A wooden skewer inserted into the center should come out with only a few crumbs attached.
*If using orange slices on top as garnish, I let the cake bake for 10-15 minutes and then add them to the top. Otherwise, they tend to sink into the cake.
Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then carefully un-mold the cake and return it to cool completely on the rack. (This is where the parchment comes in handy as you can simply lift it out of the pan without having to flip it over.)
Store the cake, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Recipe adapted from The Kitchn.
