Pretty in Pink: Chocolate Snacking Cake with Blood Orange Glaze

I bought some blood oranges on a lark and then needed to find a baking project for them. I decided to try Melissa Clark's Chocolate Snacking Cake with Tangerine Glaze, using blood oranges instead of tangerines (a substitution specifically suggested by Clark, who says any type of orange will do).

This is an oil-based cake that comes together quickly and doesn't require a mixer. You simply combine flour, Dutch cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, sour cream, oil, eggs, vanilla, and melted bittersweet chocolate that has been mixed with hot coffee. You pour the mixture into a parchment-lined pan and bake.

After the cake is cooled, you pour on a glaze made from blood orange zest, blood orange juice, lemon juice, and powdered sugar. I also added a little bit of salt. The glaze was light pink in color with orange flecks from the zest. It set semi-firm and stayed in place when I cut the cake. 

 

I loved this cake. The cake itself was basically an old-school devil's food cake -- dark, rich, and deeply chocolate-y, with a light and springy texture. The orange glaze worked so well with the chocolate and added the perfect touch of brightness. The pretty pink color was just a bonus -- I'm sure this would also be delicious with tangerines or a regular navel orange. It's nothing fancy, but the cake produces a wonderful result for minimal effort.
 

Recipe: "Chocolate Snacking Cake with Tangerine Glaze" by Melissa Clark, from The New York Times.