Pretty-In-Pink Blood Orange Bundt with Blood Orange Glaze
Make the most of seasonal blood oranges with this picture-perfect Bundt cake. The blood oranges give the icing a delightful pink hue but you can always use regular oranges if you're struggling to find them or they're no longer in season.
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Bundt
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Introduction
I remember eating my first blood orange when I was nine and I’ve been hooked ever since. My sister cut one in half to show me and I remember that sense of wonderment, the shiny blush centre of so many crimson shades, and then the taste – the tartness, the zing, the extra-ness that they bring compared to a normal orange. Also in their favour is the fact that their ruby-coloured juice makes icing the prettiest shade of pink and as they can only be enjoyed when they’re in season, we have to make the most of them.
Ingredients
| For the 10-cup Heritage Bundt® pan: | |
|---|---|
| 15g (1 tbsp/½oz) | butter |
| 15g (1 tbsp/½oz) | plain flour |
| For the cake: | |
| 250g (1¼ cups/9oz) | caster sugar |
| zest of 2 | blood oranges, plus extra to serve (optional), plus 3 tbsp juice |
| 3 | eggs |
| 125ml (½ cup/4fl oz) | vegetable oil |
| 100ml (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp/ 3½fl oz) | soured cream |
| 1 tsp | vanilla bean paste |
| 250g (1½ cups/9oz) | self-raising flour |
| A pinch of | salt |
| For the vanilla blood orange sugar syrup: | |
| 50g (½ cup/1¾oz) | caster sugar |
| 1 tsp | vanilla bean paste |
| 100ml (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp/3½fl oz) | strained blood orange juice |
| For the blood orange glaze: | |
| 45ml (3 tbsp) | strained blood orange juice |
| 125g (1 cup/4½oz) | icing sugar, sifted |
Essential kit
You will need: a 10-cup Heritage Bundt pan.
Method
Preheat your oven to 160°C fan/180°C/350°F/gas 4.
Add the sugar and blood orange zest to a medium bowl. Rub the zest into the sugar to release its flavour and set aside to infuse.
Melt the butter, then use a pastry brush to brush it evenly over the inside of a 10-cup Heritage Bundt pan, being careful to get into every nook and cranny. I find it easier to brush from the base up to prevent any butter pooling. Sift over the flour, moving the pan from side to side to coat it evenly. Turn it upside down and give it a final tap to remove any excess, then set aside.
Add the flavoured sugar, eggs, oil, soured cream, vanilla and orange juice to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the flour and salt and mix again until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
To make the sugar syrup, place the sugar, vanilla and blood orange juice in a small pan over a medium heat and once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat and simmer until the syrup has reduced by half. Set aside until ready to use.
While the cake is cooling in the pan, pierce holes with a toothpick and brush the base with the sugar syrup. Once cool enough to handle, invert the cake onto a wire rack and brush the syrup all over the top.
When the cake has completely cooled, make the glaze by simply mixing the blood orange juice into the sifted icing sugar. Pour the glaze over the Bundt and then leave for 10 minutes to set. You can also decorate the top with extra zest, if you like. This cake will keep for a few days in an airtight container.
Tip – If blood oranges aren’t in season, you can use regular oranges. They won’t turn the glaze pink but it will still taste deliciously fragrant.
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