I found blood oranges, when I went shopping today. I was on point in getting ingredients for a good and healthy dinner, and then I came across the blood oranges. And I'm sure they screamed "buy me" and "lets bake a cake" at me. So what is a girl to do?

For the longest time I have been wanting to make an almond blood orange cake, so today was the day.

Makes one 9-inch cake.

Ingredients:

Oranges:

3 small blood oranges, sliced thinly
100 g sugar
120 ml water

Cake:

200 g butter, room temperature, salted
200 g sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
200 g almond flour
50 g all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
100 g creme fraiche or sour cream

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325℉ (160℃). Line a 9-inch springform with parchment paper, and set aside.

Slice the oranges thinly with a sharp knife or on a mandolin. Heat water and sugar in a saucepan. When the sugar is dissolved place the orange slices in the syrup, and let them simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the peels get semi translucent. Remove the slices with a slotted spoon. Boil the syrup and reduce it to half. Let it cool.

Pour half the syrup in the prepared springform, and brush the parchment paper sides with the syrup. Place the orange slices in the springform, arranging them in a decorative manner. Set aside. Reserve the rest of the syrup to brush over the cake once baked.

Cake:

Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in one egg at a time. Stir in vanilla, flour, baking powder and creme fraiche, mix until just combined. Gently spoon the cake batter into the springform, trying not to break up the placement of the orange slices.

Bake the cake for about 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the springform for 10 minutes. Carefully turn the cake out onto a cake stand. Gently remove the parchment paper. Brush the cake with the remainder of the syrup.

Serve the cake with a dollop of cream fraiche or whipped cream.

Enjoy!