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Blood Orange Drizzle Cake

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With blood orange juice in both the cake and drizzle, this Blood Orange Drizzle Cake makes the most of the beautiful blood orange.      

What are blood oranges?

Blood oranges are a variety of orange with deep red flesh, which is where they get their name from. Depending on the variety, they can have this crimson colour on their skin too. 

As well as their citrus flavour, they also have subtle raspberry flavours. 

Blood oranges are really popular so make sure you get your hands on them if you can! They aren’t always available in the first supermarket you come across, but keep looking. 

When are blood oranges in season?

The blood orange season isn’t particularly long. Depending on the variety you can find them between December and May.

Unlike some other fruit, I believe you will struggle to find these outside of their season which is a good thing in my opinion.

So make sure you get them while you can! If you can’t find them, try my Double Orange Cake instead. 

Different blood orange varieties 

I must admit when I cut into the blood oranges for the first time I was expecting them to be a deeper red. I’ve since realised that there are three different blood orange varieties and they can vary in their redness. 

The blood oranges I used had a lovely mottled red colour that had a beautifully vibrant pink juice. The flavour of the blood oranges will also vary depending on which you use. 

The three most common varieties are Tarrocco, Sanguinello and Moro. All options will work perfectly for this cake. 

Using the all in one method

When making a cake, there are two common methods if you are using butter and sugar.

The first and possibly most common method is to cream the butter and sugar together until combined and fluffy before adding the rest of the cake ingredients in steps.  

The other is the all in one method. As the name suggests, for this method you add all of the ingredients to the bowl and mix until combined. 

Although the all in one method isn’t the best for all cakes, it works perfectly for this Blood Orange Drizzle Cake. It also makes this cake even easier to make! 

using Butter or margarine?

I tend to use margarine in cakes because it can be used straight from the fridge. With butter, you need to wait for it to soften. This is especially important for cakes that use the all in one method. 

This cake will be perfect whether you use butter or margarine so use whichever is your preference. 

Simple decorations 

I decided to decorate the Blood Orange Drizzle Cake very simply with the drizzle and some dehydrated blood orange slices.

The vibrant colour of the juice created such a vivid pink drizzle that you may think that food colouring has been used.

The dehydrated blood orange slices are very simple to make and add a lovely and natural decoration. Sew White has a guide on how you can make these yourself. 

However you can decorate the cake with some finely grated blood orange zest. 

Getting the right consistency for the drizzle

I was watching Pioneer Woman’s cooking show the other day and she described a drizzle as ‘a living breathing thing’. This couldn’t be more true. 

But what she means by this is, you can’t judge exactly how much liquid you will need to make the drizzle the perfect consistency. 

Always start by adding a small amount at a time and stirring it in thoroughly before adding more. 

If you do become a little heavy handed with the blood orange juice, just add a little bit more icing sugar to thicken it up slightly. 

Can different sized cake tins be used?

For this cake, I do recommend using a deep cake tin rather than a sandwich tin. 

If you don’t have an 8″ deep cake tin, you could use a 7″ tin instead. This would make a slightly thicker cake so you could need to bake it for a few minutes longer. 

If you don’t have either of these tins, you could use a 8″/20cm square tin. As long as it has deep sides this will work just as well. 

How many people will this cake serve?

This cake will easily serve 12 people and would make a lovely treat with a cup of tea. 

However if you’ve got a bit more of a sweet tooth, you might want a slightly larger slice. In which case, it will serve less people. 

How long will this cake keep for?

This cake will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days. 

If you want it to keep for longer, the cake can be frozen. Make sure you wrap it thoroughly and it can be frozen without the drizzle for up to three months. 

Defrost at room temperature before adding the drizzle. 

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4.8 from 15 votes
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Blood Orange Drizzle Cake

With blood orange juice in both the cake and drizzle, this Blood Orange Drizzle Cake makes the most of the beautiful blood orange.

Course Cake
Cuisine British
Keyword Cake, Blood Orange
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 271 kcal
Author Curly

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 175 g margarine
  • 175 g caster sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 175 g self raising flour
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • 70 ml blood orange juice (1 orange)
  • 1 blood orange zested

For the drizzle

  • 100 g icing sugar
  • 2 tbsp blood orange juice
  • Finely shredded rind or dehydrated orange slices to decorate

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan assisted, 180°C non fan) . Line a 20 cm (8 inch) deep round cake tin with baking parchment

  2. Measure all of the ingredients into a bowl and beat until thoroughly mixed

  3. Pour into the cake tin, level the surface and bake for 30-35 minutes until a cocktail stick comes out clean

  4. Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before turning out of the tin. Allow to cool on a wire rack

  5. When the cake has cooled, make the drizzle by gradually adding the blood orange juice to the icing sugar. Add enough juice until you have a thick but drizzle-able consistency

  6. For dehydrated blood orange slices preheat the oven to it’s lowest temperature. Finely slice blood oranges and dab away excess juice with a paper towel. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place the oranges. Put them in the oven for 6-8 hours until they are hard

Recipe Notes

Nutritional information is given as a guide only and can vary.

Nutrition Facts
Blood Orange Drizzle Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 271 Calories from Fat 117
% Daily Value*
Fat 13g20%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 52mg17%
Sodium 158mg7%
Potassium 120mg3%
Carbohydrates 35g12%
Sugar 23g26%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 615IU12%
Vitamin C 5mg6%
Calcium 42mg4%
Iron 0.4mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  6. Angela says

    5 stars
    Such a beautiful cake. I haven’t seen any blood oranges yet, but I need to get hold of some to do my own baking.

    This looks like there is a slice with my name on it.

    Reply

    • Curly says

      Thank you 🙂 I think a lot of people are struggling to find them at the moment. Hopefully you’ll find some soon!

      Reply

  7. Michelle Rolfe says

    5 stars
    Wow, I love the look of this cake. I think I usually clear the shops locally of blood oranges at this time of year so I’ll definitely be adding this to my list. Thanks for sharing, Michelle x

    Reply

  9. jenny walters says

    5 stars
    I’ve never had a blood orange either! I adore these sort of cakes. So much simple flavour they taste incredible! Great photos too. Will have to look out for them. Thank you so much for bringing it to #BakingCrumbs

    Reply

    • Curly says

      I’m glad I’m not the only one! I love a simple cake. Sometimes you just don’t have the time to be messing around with layers and decorations!

      Reply

  10. Jenny Paulin says

    5 stars
    I love the look of your cake – its such a wonderful mix of colours and I love a drizzle cake. I must admit I also have never eaten a blog orange, but they always look so good. x

    Reply

  11. Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder says

    5 stars
    What a gorgeous cake Cat! Drizzle cakes are one of my favourites and whether they are lemon or orange I really adore them. I love the colour of the drizzle and how beautifully you’ve decorated the cake with dehydrated orange slices – perfection! Thank you for sharing this beauty with #BakingCrumbs 🙂 x

    Reply

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