Blood Orange Loaf with Marzipan (Print View)

Vibrant blood orange loaf enriched with marzipan and poppy seeds—moist, aromatic, and perfect for afternoon tea.

# Components:

→ Cake

01 - 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ¼ teaspoon salt
04 - 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
05 - 8.5 ounces unsalted butter, softened
06 - 7 ounces granulated sugar
07 - Zest of 2 blood oranges
08 - 2 large eggs
09 - 2.8 ounces marzipan, grated
10 - 4 fluid ounces blood orange juice
11 - 2 fluid ounces whole milk
12 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Blood Orange Glaze

13 - 4.2 ounces powdered sugar
14 - 2 to 3 tablespoons blood orange juice

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and poppy seeds. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, cream the softened butter, sugar, and blood orange zest until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
04 - Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
05 - Fold in the grated marzipan until evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
06 - In a separate bowl, combine blood orange juice, milk, and vanilla extract.
07 - Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in three alternating additions with the blood orange mixture, starting and ending with dry ingredients. Fold until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
08 - Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the surface.
09 - Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean.
10 - Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
11 - Whisk powdered sugar with blood orange juice until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over the cooled cake and allow to set before slicing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The crumb stays tender for days thanks to the marzipan, so you're not wrestling with dry cake by day two.
  • Blood orange flavor runs through the entire cake, not just the frosting, which means every bite actually tastes like the fruit.
  • It's striking enough to impress at brunch but simple enough that you won't stress the night before.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients cream together properly and create that light, fluffy base—if your butter or eggs are cold, the batter will break and your cake will be dense and crumbly instead of tender.
  • The alternating wet and dry method prevents overmixing and keeps the crumb delicate; there's a reason this technique matters, and it's the difference between a cake that feels cake-like and one that feels gummy.
03 -
  • Grate marzipan on the large holes of a box grater, not the microplane, so the pieces stay visible and distribute evenly instead of turning into paste.
  • If your kitchen is warm, chill your mixing bowls for five minutes before you start; cold surfaces help the butter and eggs emulsify better and prevent the batter from breaking.
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