Whole Blood Orange Cake with Raspberries and Whipped Vanilla Bean Mascarpone
A sweet and tangy syrup soaked whole blood orange cake is filled and topped with wonderfully light and creamy whipped vanilla mascarpone. Then, topped with tart fresh raspberries, blood orange slices and candied blood orange peel. This delicious cake is bursting with winter citrus!
“This delicious cake is bursting with winter citrus”
With blood oranges you never know what color they will be until you slice into them. That’s part of the fun, you may have ones with just the smallest stripes of red or ones that are fully ruby. Either way the sunset hues of these oranges make them a wonderful and interesting addition to your winter citrus desserts. Winter citrus might be counter intuitive. We normally think of spring and summer with tart fresh lemonade or floral orange blossoms. Let the fresh berries shine in spring and summer and leave your desserts staring citrus for the winter months.
The candied blood orange peels really make this cake extra special and add a great texture. They take some effort but you will be rewarded! The left over candies also make a great gift. You can dip them in chocolate and bag them up for a wonder treat that your guest can go home with. If your not up to making the peels your self you can purchase then or sprinkle your cake with some almond slices (or your favorite nut) to add crunch to this otherwise smooth and creamy dessert.
Whole Blood Orange Cake with Raspberries and Whipped Vanilla Bean Mascarpone
Whole Blood Orange Cake
3 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons softened butter
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup greek yogurt
3 large blood oranges (one for cake and two for syrup)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
Whipped Vanilla Bean Mascarpone
8 ounces mascarpone
1 cup heavy whipping cream (chilled)
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Candied Orange Peel
2 blood oranges
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for coating peel
*a pint of fresh raspberries and one blood orange sliced for decoration
whole blood orange cake: Wash your blood oranges thoroughly and place 2 aside to be used for syrup. Take the remaining blood orange, keeping the peel on, cut into small chunks and remove any seeds. Place the orange chunks into a food processor or blender and puree until very finely chopped. Set the puree aside until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and line two 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper.
Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, beat the sugar and eggs together until light and foamy. Add in softened butter and beat until fully combined.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Then, gradually add flour mixture while mixing and beat until just combined. Then, fold in greek yogurt and blood orange puree.
Divided the batter between the two prepared pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Then, move the cake pans to a wire rack to cool.
Once, your cakes come out of the oven, in a small saucepan combine, the remaining 2/3 cup of sugar and the juice of 2 blood oranges over medium-low heat. Bring to a gentle boil and continue at a gentle boil for 1 minute or until the syrup just begins to thicken.
Dividing the syrup evenly between the two, gently spoon the warm syrup over the warm cakes still in the pan. Let the cakes cool completely in the pan.
While your cakes are cooling prepare the candied orange peel using the orange peels from the 2 oranges you squeezed the juice from.
Candied orange peel: Using the peel from the 2 oranges you juiced, remove the flesh from the peel and slice into thin slices.
Add the peels to a small saucepan and cover with cool water. Bring to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes and then discard the water. This will help remove any wax or buildup on the peel. Then, add 1 cup of fresh water to the peels and again bring to a boil then cover and simmer but this time for 30 minutes.
Then, add the sugar to the saucepan. Simmer uncovered for an additional 30 minutes until the peels are translucent and soft.
Remove the pan from the heat and let the peels and sugar syrup cool slightly. Then, remove the peels with a fork and place them on a wire rack to drain.
Allow the peels to dry o the wire rack (about 30-45 minutes). Then, toss in additional granulated sugar to coat.
Whipped Vanilla Bean Mascarpone: Add all of the ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk using until it reaches stiff peaks.
Assembly: Place one of the cooled cake layers on your serving piece. Then, spoon half of the mascarpone on top. Top with the second cake layer and gently press down to level the cake. Using an off-set spatula or palette knife smooth the mascarpone along the edges of the cake.
Spoon the remaining mascarpone on top and gently swirl. Top with blood orange slices and a sprinkle of fresh raspberries.
Refrigerate for 1 hour or until serving. Just before serving sprinkle the cake with candied orange peel (whole pieces or diced).
