Blood orange drizzle cake

To be honest this cake was a slight mistake, but a happy one at that! I had decided to make an orange drizzle cake and was just about to squeeze my oranges when I realised they were blood oranges!

I love the flavour of blood oranges, they have a slight raspberry hint to the flavour. When used to make the drizzle for this cake it created a pink glittery topping and definitely one I will be replicating again for some of my pink crazy female friends.

The cake is a normal sponge cake mix with the added zest of the orange. The sugar orange syrup is poured onto the cake when hot, and then sets as this sparkly topping.

Ingredients

• 175g (6oz) softened butter
• 175g (6oz) granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 175g (6oz) self-raising flour, sifted
• 1tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
  
• zest of one blood orange

For the sparkly topping

• 150g (5oz) unrefined caster sugar
• 50ml (2fl oz) water
• Juice of 1 lemon 

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C 
   
2. Lightly grease a round cake tin with a little butter  and line the bottom with grease proof paper.
3. Put all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon or a hand-held mixer for 1 minute, or until just combined.
4. Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for about 45-50 minutes. To see if the cake is baked test it with a skewer - it should come out clean.
5. When the cake is cooked prick it all over with a fork. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then carefully remove the tin.
6. Mix together the juice of the blood orange, the sugar and water and pour over the cake.

I'm entering this into Ren Behan's Simple and in Season link up which this month is hosted by Cake, Crumbs and Cookies.

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