Blood Orange and Dark Chocolate Loaf Cake
There comes a certain point in winter when all my tricks and tips for beating the winter blues are exhausted. Yes, I will still go for walks outside pretty much every day. Yes, I’ll (somewhat grudgingly) continue to make healthy homemade food and try my best to get enough sleep.
A few other tools in my toolbox I use in the winter: special scented hand lotion and lip balm perfect for beating chapped winter skin, fires in the fire place just about every night for maximum coziness, big pots of soup made at the beginning of the week for easy and warm lunches, spending a borderline inappropriate amount of time searching Airbnb and VRBO for vacation rentals I will likely never rent, and lots and lots of books checked out from the library along with a running list of shows and movies to watch on recommendation from friends.
And of course, without fail, as much time as possible at White Pass Ski Area. A few hours on the slopes, no matter the conditions, does wonders for fighting off the winter blahs. Snow shoeing, sledding or cross country skiing can easily be swapped for the downhill skiing.
Eventually winter just drags, and the hope for spring is just barely out of reach. While we all wait for a few warmer longer days, my best and most favorite trick for waiting out the last of winter is to use all the citrus cooking. Doesn’t matter what kind, just buy a bag of oranges and eat them. I’m telling you, it’s a game changer.
I was at the grocery store and noticed a big bag of blood oranges on special for $5. I didn’t think twice before throwing them in my cart. We ate lots of oranges as snacks the next few days, dripping bright pink juice down our arms every time we ate them. But I couldn’t resist turning a few of them into a sweet dessert. I had a bar of dark chocolate lingering in the pantry which was the inspiration for this recipe. Orange and chocolate are a favorite combination for me and I couldn’t resist the beautiful dark red color of the blood oranges. A simple yogurt loaf cake turns into something truly special with blood oranges and slivers of dark chocolate bar. An easy glaze of orange juice and powdered sugar makes the prettiest pink frosting and what takes just a few minutes to throw together ends up a special and super delicious treat.
Blood Orange and Dark Chocolate Loaf Cake
1 1/2 tablespoons blood orange zest
3/4 cup blood orange juice, divided
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
4 ounces dark chocolate bar, broken into small pieces
1 cup powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine the orange zest and granulated sugar, whisking until the zest incorporates into the sugar and the sugar looks slightly damp.
To the sugar, add the eggs, whisking vigorously until the eggs and sugar are pale yellow and combined. Stir in the olive oil, 1/2 cup orange juice and greek yogurt. Whisk until well-combined and the batter is smooth.
In a separate bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine and then slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring gently until just combined. Stir in the dark chocolate.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the 350 degree oven for about an hour or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. If the top begins to brown too much, lightly cover the cake with a piece of parchment paper or tin foil for the remaining bake time.
When the loaf is done, carefully remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes. Carefully transfer to a cooling rack with parchment paper underneath the rack.
In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 1/4 cup orange juice with the powdered sugar until a smooth glaze forms. Pour evenly over the top of the cake. Allow to finish cooling before slicing into pieces and serving.