Raspberry Blood Orange Cake

Our contributor, Tessa Huff, is sharing a fresh summer cake recipe today…

It’s here!  It’s here!  Berry season, that is.  Summer has finally arrived and my favorite fruits are hitting the stands everywhere.  Whether it is at the farmer’s market or the local grocer, plump berries are in abundance and I could not be happier.

With their natural sweetness and vibrant flavors, berries are so easy to incorporate into desserts and cakes.  Serve them sliced with whipped cream or incorporated straight into your cake base or filling, berry cakes embody summer.  As the season heats up, I bet you’ll be craving more refreshing treats over rich decadent ones.  So whether it be sun-ripened raspberries or sweet, red strawberries, be sure to stock up on these juicy gems for all your baking needs.

For this cake, I went with luscious red raspberries.  Paired with a vibrant blood orange glaze, this cake is bright and fresh.  The tartness of both the berries and blood orange combine beautifully with the buttery cake and sweet, silky buttercream.  The glaze adds an extra punch of flavor and color that will carry you through these endless summer nights.

RASPBERRY BLOOD ORANGE CAKE
a recipe by Tessa Huff

For the Blood Orange Scented Cake:

1 cup unsalted butter
2 cup granulated sugar
zest of 2 small-medium blood oranges
1/4 cup fresh blood orange juice
4 eggs
3 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare cake pans and set aside.  This recipe will fill three 8-inch cake pans or five 6-inch cake pans or three 6-inch extra tall cake pans.  (Baked cake layers should be sliced in half to create six layers.)
2. Sift together dry ingredients and set aside.
3. Place sugar and orange zest in a mixing bowl.  Rub the zest and sugar together to release the oils of the zest to flavor the sugar.
4. Place butter in the mixing bowl of stand mixer and beat until creamy.
5. Add in the sugar and zest mixture and mix until light and fluffy.
6. Add in the orange juice and mix to combine.
7. With the mixer on medium-low, add in the eggs one at a time.
8. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
9. With the mixer on low, add in the dry ingredients and milk in alternate batches – about 2-3 batches.  Mix until flour is fully incorporated.
10. Distribute cake batter into prepared cake pans and bake until golden in color and centers are done (about 22 minutes for the 8inch round cake pans).

For the Buttercream:

6 egg whites
2 cups granulated sugar
3 cups unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons raspberry preserves
2/3 – 1 cup fresh raspberries

1. Place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Whisk to combine.
2. Fill a medium saucepan with an inch of water and place over medium heat.
3. Place the mixing bowl on top of the saucepan to create a double boiler.
4. Heat, whisking occasionally, until the egg mixture is hot to the touch (about 160 degrees on a candy thermometer)
5. Once hot, carefully transfer mixing bowl back to the mixer.
6. Beat on high with the whisk attachment until the bowl of the mixer returns to room temperature.
7. Swap out the whisk for the paddle attachment.  With the mixer on medium-low, add in the vanilla and the butter.
8. Mix until fully incorporated and smooth.
9. Remove about 2/3 of the buttercream and reserve for the outside of the cake.
10. To the remaining buttercream, add in the raspberry preserves (to taste).
11. Mix in about 1/3 cup of fresh raspberries until they break down just a bit.

For the Blood Orange Glaze:

about 2-3 tablespoons fresh blood orange juice
1-2 cups confectioner’s sugar

Combine the juice and sugar into a smooth, yet thick glaze.  The glaze should be thick enough that it does not run off the entire top of the cake, yet thin enough that it still drips a bit.  Adjust the juice and sugar quantities until desired consistency.

Assembly:

1. Torte and trim cooled cake layers.  The cake shown used five 6-inch cake rounds with four layers of filling.
2. Spread the raspberry buttercream on each cake round.
3. Chop the remaining raspberries in half, and place them within the raspberry buttercream filling.
4. Repeat with remaining cake layers.
5. Frost the cake with the reserved vanilla buttercream and chill for about 10 minutes.
6. Carefully spread the glaze over the top of the cake and let drip over the edges.

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My Raspberry Earl Grey Cake
My Lemon Meringue Cake
My Orange Creamsicle Cake
My Banana Choco Hazelnut Cake
My Rose Buttercream Cake