It’s citrus season! Which means we get an abundance of colourful citrus fruits to bring us some joy during these gloomy winter months. We’re starting the citrus celebration with this Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Curd. it’s Paleo, refined sugar free, and the yummiest slice of heaven to ever hit your palate.
It’s only February, which means winter is at its peak, and so is Valentine’s Day, and also Family Day (yay!). So far, we have already had four snowstorms (plus another one scheduled for this evening), and two ice rain storms…yay.
However, I find some comfort in the vibrant colors that citrus fruits offer during this time of year. With bright yellows, greens, oranges and reds, I become beguiled by the beautiful colors and how much it enhances my mood. Not only do I love the taste of citrus fruits, but the amount of Vitamin C they provide is almost enough to keep your immune system alert during the cold winter days and nights.
The first time I tested this blood orange olive oil cake, I had no idea what to expect. I love olive oil, and I have previously used it in a gluten free brownie recipe which came out totally delicious. That’s why I was confident to take the risk with this citrus loaf, but of course, you need to know how you use it. Also, paleo recipes usually require a lot of eggs, and sometimes the end result can be well, quite eggy.
The verdict? A moist, citrusy, fluffy and mildly sweet cake that didn’t even last a day before it was devoured…mostly by me. This blood orange olive oil cake with lemon curd is an amazing way to combine gorgeous citruses with the olive oil from your pantry. So go ahead and give your palate a happy beginning.
- Lemon Curd:
- 2 lemons (zest + juice)
- ⅓ cup golden monk fruit sweetener
- 4 egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons grass fed unsalted butter
- A sprinkle of sea salt
- Cake:
- 4 eggs
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons madagascar bourbon vanilla
- Zest and juice from 1 small blood orange (or ⅓ cup Grand Marnier)
- ⅓ cup coconut flour
- ⅓ cup + 3 tablespoons almond flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Prepare lemon curd overnight. Combine all lemon curd ingredients in a double boiler or glass bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and coats the whisk. Pour the lemon curd into a heat-proof storage bowl and cover with cling wrap, pressing down against the edges. Refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper, or grease/spray the pan with oil.
- In a large bowl, combine eggs, maple syrup, olive oil, vanilla, blood orange and zest and whisk until smooth. Sift coconut flour, almond flour, baking soda and sea salt fold into the wet ingredients. Batter will be quite thin.
- Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, testing the batter with a toothpick. Cool for 10 minutes in the loaf pan, then gently turn out onto a wire rack until completely cooled. Top with lemon curd and additional blood orange slices. Serve.
This looks and sounds divine! Making the curd now and the cake tomorrow 😋
Made the lemon curd…chilling till tomorrow; just finished taking out the citrus cake out of the oven; my kitchen smells like spring. Can’t wait to put it all together. I could just tell by the ingredients in this recipe how fresh and light and full of flavour this cake will be. Thank you for another great recipe.
I’m glad you made it and loved it! Happy Spring Piera <3