Blood Orange Morning Cake
I’ve been making variations on this Morning Cake for years now. It’s based on the sponges you find across Italy for breakfast, served up with strong, thick espresso. It’s my kind of baking, totally faff-free, just a simple 1-bowl method of stirring yoghurt, oil, flour, eggs, sugar, vanilla and citrus zest together. The shape of tin you use really doesn’t matter. And you definitely don’t need any fancy kit. A bowl, a wooden spoon and you’re good to go.
For minimal effort, the result that comes out of the oven in this recipe is incredible; a light, fluffy sponge with the subtle flavour of grassy oil and your chosen citrus. One of those classy, unassuming bakes that reminds you that less is often more.
Thanks to the oil, this Morning Cake keeps really well for a couple of days too. So a nice one to make for the weekend perhaps, when you can keep slicing thin bits off every time you wander into the kitchen.
Here I’ve used blood oranges, but just use regular oranges if that’s easier.
Serves 8
Takes 10 minutes, plus 35 minutes cooling time
-
150 ml (5 fl oz/scant 2/3 cup) olive oil, or cold-pressed rapeseed oil, plus 1 teaspoon for greasing
250 g (9 oz/2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
250 g (9 oz/generous 1 cup) caster sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
150 g (5 oz) plain natural yoghurt
grated zest of 1 lemon
grated zest of 2 blood oranges
1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste
3 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons icing (confectioner’s) sugar, for dusting
First, preheat the oven to 180C fan (400F/gas 6) and, using a pastry brush, grease a 23-cm (9-in) springform cake tin with oil.
Next, place the flour, sugar and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon, fork or balloon whisk, thoroughly mix together all the ingredients to ensure the baking powder is evenly distributed.
Next, throw in the yoghurt, oil, citrus zests and vanilla. Crack in the eggs and then stir until just combined.
Pour the batter into the greased tin and bake for 35 minutes, or until springy to the touch. While still warm, turn out the cake onto a large plate and, using a small sieve (strainer), dust with the icing sugar. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
This cake keeps well for a couple of days when stored in an airtight container. Enjoy with thick, dark espresso.
-
The red dress image at the top is from my latest book, Lazy Baking, shot by my friend Matt Russell.