Blood Orange Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

The addition of olive oil adds a delightful complexity and a moist, tender texture to the cake. With each bite, you'll experience a symphony of flavors that will transport your taste buds to a world of decadence.

What you will need:

CAKE

5 blood oranges

½ cup Patricia & Paul Blood Orange EVOO, plus more for greasing

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

⅔ cup dark cocoa powder, unsweetened

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 ¼ cups organic sugar

1 cup filtered water

1 ½ teaspoons Patricia & Paul Black Cherry Dark Balsamic

GLAZE

1 cup powdered sugar

¼ cup pistachio, raw, roughly chopped

Preparation:

Zest all 5 blood oranges and divide between 3 separate small bowls: 2 bowls should contain the zest of 1 orange each, and 1 bowl should contain the zest of 3 oranges. Set aside the 2 bowls with less zest for later use.

Add the olive oil to the bowl with the zest of 3 oranges. Set aside for 30-60 minutes to infuse.

Juice 3 of the oranges and set aside 3 tablespoons of juice for the glaze. Reserve the remaining orange juice in a liquid measuring cup. You should have about ½ cup.

Preheat the oven to 350˚F

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add the sugar, blood orange olive oil (with the zest), ½ cup of the blood orange juice, water, and Black Cherry Balsamic Vinegar. Whisk until the batter is smooth with no lumps.

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of an 8-9-inch round cake pan with olive oil, and place a parchment round in the bottom of the pan.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

While the cake bakes, prepare the toppings: Cut the top and the bottoms off the 2 remaining zested oranges. Using a paring knife, carefully remove the skin and pith from the oranges until you are left with just the flesh. Turn each orange on its side and cut into ¼-inch wide rounds. Place the rounds between 2 paper towels to blot some of the excess juice. This will allow them to stick to the glaze more effectively.

Make the glaze: Sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Add the reserved zest of 1 orange, and the remaining 3 tablespoons of blood orange juice. Whisk into a glaze. It should be thick, but spreadable.

Remove the cake from the oven. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then flip onto a wire rack set over a baking sheet to cool completely.

Once the cake has cooled, pour the glaze over the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Decorate the top with the orange slices, pistachios, and remaining orange zest.

Enjoy!