Skip to content
Open menu Close menu

Feed your appetite for cooking with Penguin’s expert authors

penguin logo

Pretty-In-Pink Blood Orange Bundt with Blood Orange Glaze

by Melanie Johnson from Bundt

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.

From the book

Melanie Johnson

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.

Read more Read less

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.

Reviews

Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how it went by leaving a comment below.

Please note: Moderation is enabled and may delay your comment being posted. There is no need to resubmit your comment. By posting a comment you are agreeing to the website Terms of Use.

There are no comments yet

Be the first to leave a review

newsletter

Subscribe to The Happy Foodie email newsletter

Get our latest recipes, features, book news and ebook deals straight to your inbox every week

From the book: Bundt

Close menu