By this time of year, I’m ready for spring to come. However there’s one thing that I look forward to…the arrival of all kinds of delicious and exotic citrus in the stores. Things like meyer lemons, sweet Cara Caras, plump Tangelos, and of course blood oranges. With their mottled color orange and red skin, along with the deep red colored flesh…they make for such a special treat that I can never pass up when I come across them in the store.

My favorite thing to do with them is usually make margaritas, but since that’s out for me this season I’ve had to turn to other things. I’m freezing some juice, by the way, so that I can enjoy some of those delicious cocktails come summertime! I’ll probably need a margarita or two with 3 little boys to to look after…Ahhh, fun times ahead.

Anyways, this cake. Yogurt cakes are one of my favorite baked goods on the planet. So much moisture and they love to take on the flavor of whatever fruit you want to throw into them. Case in point – blood oranges. The cake itself is studded with plenty of fresh zest and juice, and then topped with a gorgeous glaze simply made from some confectioner’s sugar and a bit of additional juice from the orange. Can you believe that color? So gorgeous.

I topped with candied orange slices for a garnish that is almost too pretty to eat. Almost. So, if you’ve seen these funny looking oranges in the store, but weren’t quite sure what to do with them – this easy cake is a great place to start. It’s wonderful for dessert, or a slice with your tea or coffee in the morning, or even for a fancy brunch…t’s sure to please everyone.

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Blood Orange Yogurt Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
zest of two blood oranges
1/3 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2-3 tbsp. freshly squeezed blood orange juice

For the candied orange slices:
1 blood orange
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 8.5 inch x 4 inch loaf pan and set aside.

In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment combine the yogurt, sugar, eggs, orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla. Whisk to combine. With the mixer on running on low, add in the dry ingredients into just combined. Then pour the vegetable oil into the batter and mix until it’s combined well.

Pour batter into loaf pan and bake in preheated oven for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

To make the candied orange slices, wash and dry the orange thoroughly. Cut the orange in half lengthwise, then use a sharp knife to make very thin slices of orange. Poke out any seeds using a toothpick. Combine the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves. Add the orange slices to the mixture so that they are in a single layer, reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer about 20 minutes, turning the slices at least once so both sides are candied. Remove from the heat. Let air-dry on a cooling rack (place some paper towels underneath the rack to catch the syrup drips) until ready to garnish.

When the cake is completely cool, combine the confectioners’ sugar and orange juice in a small bowl and whisk to blend until smooth. Adjust the consistency as needed with additional juice or confectioners’ sugar. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake and garnish with the candied orange slices. Let stand briefly until the glaze sets. Slice and serve.

Cake can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Source: cake adapted from Picky Cook, glaze and candied oranges from Annie’s Eats

While I’m no stranger to sharing various recipes for loaf cakes on my blog, I’d not yet shared the recipe for my favorite loaf to date – Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Bread. And, loving you guys the way I do…I figured that was a situation that needed to be remedied immediately.

A tender moist loaf cake, studded with sweet juicy blueberries and bright sunny flecks of lemon zest. It’s the perfect accompaniment with tea or coffee in the morning. Or, for a little something sweet in the evening – chances are it won’t make it that long, though.

Yogurt and sour cream add a good dose of moisture and density, as do the blueberries. I like to use fresh berries when they’re in season, but I’ve used frozen many times too. Just add them in right from the freezer, no need to thaw them.

After baking, a sweet lemon glaze is poured onto the warm cake – allowing it to seep in, and really solidify that tart lemon flavor. It really makes the cake, ya’ll. And, this recipe is guaranteed to take the cake when it comes to loaf breads! Try it soon.

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Blueberry-Lemon Yogurt Loaf

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus additional for tossing blueberries)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon extract
1 lemon, zested
1 1/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
butter or spray, for greasing pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×4 inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchement paper and set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium size bowl. Whisk to combine.

In a large bowl combine yogurt, sour cream, sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla and lemon extracts. Whisk to combine. Pour in the flour mixture, and fold in using a rubber spatula until almost combined.

Toss the blueberries with 1 Tbsp flour, and add that to the batter – as well as the lemon zest. Carefully fold a few more times to combine. If there are a few clumps of flour left in the batter – that’s a good thing!

Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55 minutes, or until golden brown. While the cake bakes, whip up the glaze.

Combine the confectioners sugar and the juice of the lemon. Whisk to combine. Pour over cake after removing from oven, while cake is still warm.

Place on a cooling rack and let cool for at least 2 hours before removing from loaf pan.

Slice and serve. Store in airtight container, or wrapped in aluminum foil.

Source: adapted from Barefoot At Home by Ina Garten