Orange and Olive Oil Cake with a Blood Orange Glaze and Toasted Pine Nuts

Makes 1 9-inch Cake

I like to make this cake with different varieties of oranges that the winter months offer.  The blood orange glaze and fresh sliced oranges are a sweet addition to this simple cake.

Ingredients

• 2 Cara Cara or Blood oranges , sliced thin

• 1 cup pine nuts , toasted

• Unsalted butter for buttering the pan

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 5 large eggs

• Juice and zest of 1 Cara Cara orange

• 1 teaspoon orange blossom water

• Glaze

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup fresh blood orange juice

• 3 tablespoons water

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and set aside.

• In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt. Set aside.

• In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the sugar and olive oil until combined. Add the eggs one at a time and mix for 1 minute. Add the orange juice and zest, and orange blossom water. Mix for an additional minute. Add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix until combined.

• Transfer the batter to the cake pan and place in the oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

• While the cake is cooling, make the glaze. In a small saucepan, add the sugar, orange juice and water and cook over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat.

• Remove the cake from the pan and transfer to a serving plate. Arrange the orange slices over the top and sprinkle with the pine nuts. Spoon half of the glaze evenly over the cake. Transfer the remaining glaze to a serving bowl and serve the cake with the glaze on the side. Serve.