3.19.19
Just like a sleepy, furry bear, I have been hibernating away from here in my figurative cave. I wish I could tell you that I have been baking all the while and have tons of fun stuff to post soon…..but I don’t. While baking doesn’t necessarily need to be hard, it does require time and patience. My schedule lately has been hectic and inconsistent and the spare time I’ve had hasn’t been enough to truly get much baking done. But I am excited to reemerge and share this recipe with you.
Tomorrow is officially the end of winter. So as a final hurrah to the season of citrus, this is the perfect time to grab the last round of fresh oranges. I saw this cast iron skillet cake recipe on Tasting Table and instantly fell in love with it. I wanted to use that recipe as a foundation for my own cake with the current seasonal flavors. It’s the type of dessert that’s great after dinner, but also the perfect companion for your morning coffee. I’ve had this recipe sitting around since I promised it on social media weeks ago, but wanted to do some experimenting first. I was testing things out and made another version with blood orange curd in the center. After trying both, I have to say that while the curd is a nice boost of blood orange, this cake is good on its own. If you do include the curd, make sure to bake the cake an extra couple of minutes to ensure the middle is baked through.
To those of you who follow this blog and continue to read new posts, thank you! As someone who is not a full-time blogger, it’s easy to fall into a guilt trip about how I should be posting like blogging is my job. It’s not. From the start, baking has been the creative space I’ve used when I feel static in other parts of my life. Recently, my life has been anything but static, so when it comes to real life obligations or a to-do list, blogging is the first to be pushed on the back burner. But it is, and always will be, something I continue to come back to in moments of free time or the need to simply feel like I’ve accomplished something.
Blood Orange Skillet Cake
Ingredients
Blood Orange Curd*
- zest and 1/2 cup juice from blood oranges (about 3 oranges)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
Cake
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar + extra for sprinkling
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 3/4 cup creme fraiche
- 2 tbsp blood orange zest
- 3 tbsp minced ginger
Blood Orange Syrup/Oranges on Top
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
- 3-4 blood oranges, sliced
Instructions
For the Curd
- Whisk together everything but the butter in a small saucepan
- On low heat gently stir until mixture begins to thicken
- Add in butter 1 Tbsp at a time until mixed in
- Remove from heat, pour through fine mesh sieve into heatproof bowl
- Allow to cool for 30 minutes, then cover with plastic directly onto curd and chill in fridge until fully cooled, overnight recommended
For the Cake
- Begin with the orange syrup by heating sugar and water in medium saucepan until dissolved
- Add in sliced oranges and bring to boil, then bring down to a simmer for 30 minutes
- Remove sliced oranges from syrup, tapping on the side of saucepan to remove excess liquid, set aside, then simmer liquid another 10-15 minutes until reduced by almost half, making a thicker syrup
- Once oranges are almost ready prepare cake batter
- Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 10″ cast iron skillet
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, ground ginger and salt in a medium bowl, set aside
- In the bowl of a stand up mixer, beat together butter and sugar
- Add in eggs one at a time, then almond extract
- Add in dry ingredients and creme fraiche, alternating, beginning and ending with dry ingredients
- Add in ginger** and zest at the end, allowing to just combine.
- Add batter into cast iron skillet
- **If using curd, pour in half of batter, then add curd, allowing a 1 inch border around batter to prevent curd bubbling up the sides. Then add remaining batter on top and spread evenly to cover curd**
- Arrange oranges in a large circle around top of the cake. I removed the rind from a few oranges to add a little variety to the aesthetic. Sprinkle extra sugar on top
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, the top should be browned and a tester out of the center should come out clean.
- Allow to cool 10 minutes, use a pastry brush to brush syrup over top of cake
- Enjoy immediately or cover with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature up to 3 days
P.S.
*This cake is just fine without the curd, but if you want to add a little something, it’s a nice flavor addition. I also think orange marmalade or preserves could be delicious as well!
**If you want, reserve a bit of the ginger, or mince a little extra to sprinkle on top of the cake (as seen in the pictures)
