Blood Orange Olive Oil Loaf Cake

Blood Orange Olive Oil Loaf Cake

Yield:8 to 10 servings

What you will need:

Butter for greasing pan

3 blood oranges

1 cup sugar

Buttermilk or plain yogurt

3 large eggs

1¾cups all-purpose flour

1½teaspoons baking powder

¼teaspoon baking soda

¼teaspoon salt

⅔cup Patricia & Paul Blood Orange extra virgin olive oil

Patricia & Paul Pomegranate Balsamic, for drizzling

Whipped cream, for serving, optional

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Grate zest from 2 oranges and place in a bowl with sugar. Using your fingers, rub ingredients together until orange zest is evenly distributed in sugar.

Supreme an orange: Cut off bottom and top so fruit is exposed and orange can stand upright on a cutting board. Cut away peel and pith, following curve of fruit with your knife. Cut orange segments out of their connective membranes and let them fall into a bowl. Repeat with another orange. Break up segments with your fingers to about ¼-inch pieces.

Halve remaining orange and squeeze juice into a measuring cup. You will have about ¼ cup or so. Add buttermilk or yogurt to juice until you have ⅔ cup liquid altogether. Pour mixture into bowl with sugar and whisk well. Whisk in eggs.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently whisk dry ingredients into wet ones. Switch to a spatula and fold in olive oil a little at a time. Fold in pieces of orange segments. Scrape batter into pan and smooth top.

Bake cake for about 55 minutes, or until it is golden and a knife inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then unmold and cool to room temperature right-side up. Serve with whipped cream and Patricia & Paul Pomegranate Balsamic.