It's a wonderful thing when a pretty cake actually tastes good. I grow weary of the "food porn" pictures of overly frosted confections with ridiculous combinations. Form and function should work together! That's why this little number from The Boy Who Bakes is such a welcome recipe.
It was serendipitous that I had bookmarked this cake on my to-do list when I happened upon some blood oranges at the market. Who am I to question such an obvious sign?
This adorable pound cake does an elegant job of balancing flavor. The cake itself contains blood orange zest and melted white chocolate. The sugar to flour ratio is even - incorporating a little almond flour to give a very subtle nutty flavor. I'm sure those with an almond nut allergy could omit it all together but it offers some balance to the sweetness.
What puts the cake over the moon is the blood orange simple syrup that is brushed all over the baked cake. I was concerned of the cake being too sweet because of the confectioners sugar based frosting so I reduced the amount of sugar in the syrup by half. The syrup wasn't as thick as a traditional simple syrup, which is a one-to-one ratio of liquid to sugar, but it worked fine! It kept more of the blood orange's tart punch.
For those not familiar with blood oranges, they are an interesting citrus. Their color is dramatic - resembling the hue of a grapefruit. It's super pretty and bold. The flavor is difficult to describe. I'm not sure I would peel these back and eat them straight like a traditional orange because they're more tart. The best way I can put it is imagine the love child of an orange and raspberry.
Lastly is the adorable frosting. I was expecting this to be royal icing but it's thick confectioner's sugar. For me, that's exciting because it reminds me of a childhood Portuguese dessert called cavacas. I love the simplicity - sugar, milk, and the flavor of your choice. Boom.
The pink in this frosting is more blood orange juice. The white frosting is vanilla. Pipe alternating straight lines and you get this fun design! Honestly, don't look for perfection. My frosting had a few tiny air bubbles and there are a few subtle bumps from the baked top. Don't sweat it. The source site provides a helpful video for baking and frosting this recipe!
The next time I bake this cake, I plan on using a square baking tin so I can cut out bite-sized pieces and serve with tea. The density of the pound cake makes this ideal for cutting and serving small slices. Perfect for an afternoon of gossiping about the neighbor's garden with the rest of the Downtowne Abbey Crew.
The recipe for this glorious Blood Orange, White Chocolate Pound Cake is from The Boy Who Bakes.
