Orange Olive Oil Cake with (Orange) Curd

Spring break has finally arrived. Gracias a Dios. I thought you would never come. And with spring break also comes the arduous five hour hike through mountains and over rivers to get home. Just kidding. More like a forty-five minute drive through the flat-land I lovingly know as Chicago.

Ever since my sophomore year, going home has felt kind of weird. I guess its because I’m really not “going home”, I’m visiting the place I grew up and sleeping in my once childhood bedroom now dad’s office. It’s kind of an eerie feeling realizing how things can change. But then again, some things really never do change.

Take for example, Friday night. Brian (once best friend from high school now still best friend) came over and as per usual sat on one side of my kitchen island devouring pizza and the remains of a box of Godiva chocolate while I baked. He gave me dubious looks doubting my ability to supreme an orange until youtube (see below) verified I was in fact doing it correctly. We chatted about life, his lack of a major…still and my looming entrance into the working world. And when the cake had cooled around 2am and I asked, “Do you want a piece?”, he responded, “Well, do you want to try it?”. Hint hint: Yes, he wanted a piece. Just like old times. Repeat tonight?

Orange Olive Oil Cake with (Orange) Curd

adapted from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite via the Smitten Kitchen

Sadly, I couldn’t find blood oranges even though I saw them about a million times last week. I used naval oranges instead and the result was still absolutely delicious. I also substituted the original blood orange honey compote for orange curd. If you’d prefer compote, click on the link above to be directed to the recipe.

Makes 1 loaf cake and over a cup of curd

For the cake:

3 navel oranges

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup plain yogurt

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

For the curd:

3 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

2 oranges

2 lemons

1 stick unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a 9-by-5 inch loaf pan. Grate zest from two oranges and place in a bowl with sugar. Using your fingers, rub ingredients together until orange zest is evenly distributed in sugar.

Supreme an orange: Cut off the bottom and top so fruit is exposed and orange can stand upright on a cutting board. Cut away peel and pith, following curve of fruit with your knife. Cut orange segments out of their connective membranes and place them in a bowl. Repeat with another orange. Break up segments with your fingers to about 1/4-inch pieces.

Halve remaining orange and squeeze juice into a measuring cup; you’ll have about 1/4 cup. Add yogurt to juice until you have 2/3 cup liquid all together. Pour mixture into bowl with sugar and whisk well. Whisk in eggs and olive oil.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently stir dry ingredients into wet ones. Fold in pieces of orane segments. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake cake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until it is golden and a knife inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then unmold and cool to room temperature right side up.

While the cake is cooking, prepare the curd. Grate zest from both oranges and both lemons. Squeeze 1/4 cup of orange juice and 2 tablespoons lemon juice into a bowl.

In a heavy saucepan, whisk together the egg and egg yolks. Whisk in the sugar, then whisk in the citrus juices, 2 teaspoons orange zest and 2 teaspoons lemon zest. Add the butter and whisk constantly over moderately low heat until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Strain the curd immediately into a bowl and whisk in the remaining orange and lemon zest. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate.