Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake

Dear Devon,

Last year on Valentine’s Day, slightly blue scones— made with blood oranges— appeared on your kitchen table. I thought I’d pick up where you left off. This morning, I threw together a blood orange and olive oil cake. Blood oranges are in season. And the fiery skinned fruits are all over the market stands.

These oranges were bursting with juice and color. The smell was completely intoxicating. I felt a bit wasteful using the juice to flavor my cake. It seemed much more appropriate to drink the sweet and slightly acidic juice. I called the still groggy eyed boy into the kitchen to share in the sweet flowery smell of freshly squeezed juice.

I have tried to keep kitchen equipment and utensils to the bare minimum. Not an easy task, given my love of smooth ceramic mixing bowls, enamel coated Dutch ovens, and silicon molds. I am now forced to be a bit more resourceful. This is how I ended up using my terracotta cazuela as a baking dish.

A traditional cooking vessel, the cazuela is used for just about everything: roasting, boiling water, stewing…the list continues. Baking a cake seemed a natural extension. The thick clay walls would act almost like an oven within the oven, insulating the cake nicely and providing even heat. I suspected that these same properties would result in a beautiful crunchy crust. (I was not disappointed).

In general, it is good practice to measure the capacity of the baking vessel before filling it with batter. I only wish I had thought to measure the capacity of my mixing bowl too! Half way through the recipe, I realized that it was not possible to mix the liquids and the flour in my medium sized bowl. A bit frantic, I had to press my aluminum pot into service.


Mixing the blood orange juice into the batter, I issued a silent prayer that my cake would not turn out that light blue color of your scones. I reread your post before starting for some advice. To try to avoid the blue effect, I mixed in tangy yogurt instead of lowfat milk. I hoped the acid from the yogurt would help balance the pH of the batter.

As I poured my gooey batter into my lightly oiled cazuela, I admitted my doubts aloud. My remarks were answered with an eager request to lick the sides of “mixing bowl.” The largest spoon in the house was plopped into the mixing bowl and handed over.

The cake emerged from the oven golden on top with a wonderful crusty edge. It was moist and light with the subtle orange flavoring. The cazuela baked the cake evenly and a bit surprisingly, released the cake easily and in one piece. I cut two generous slices and served the cake with a cup of strong dark coffee. My slice wasn’t quite generous enough and as I rose to cut myself another piece, a bright voice asked for a second slice even though there was still half a slice remaining on the plate!


Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake
Makes one 10 inch round cake or one 12-cup bundt cake

2 ¼ cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp blood orange zest and lemon zest
2/3 cup blood orange juice (roughly 3 oranges)
3 eggs, beaten
8 oz olive oil
1 cup yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil the baking round. I used a 12-cup capacity baking dish. The recipe is styled for a 12-cup bundt pan or equivalent round cake pan.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, and salt.

Zest one blood orange and half a lemon. Juice three blood oranges. In a second mixing bowl, mix citrus zest and sugar. Whisk in three beaten eggs, olive oil, orange juice, and yogurt.

Pour wet ingredients into the flour mixture. The mixture will look a bit curdled but it will be fine. Gently whisk until combined. Transfer batter to the prepared baking dish. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.

Note: my baking time may vary from the standard metal baking dishes. Clay cazuelas generally take longer to heat up and probably take a bit longer when baking. I advise checking the cake at the 45-minute mark.

Kale and Avocado Salad

Dear Devon,

Ever since trying kale and avocado salad at the uptown Whole Foods, I've been obsessed with this salad. I immediately bought the requisite ingredients, and began tinkering in the kitchen. My first two attempts were good, but I knew I could improve it. Two weeks later, I have what I think is a pretty darn good salad. Since the salad consists of only a few ingredients with minimal seasoning, fresh, high-quality vegetables are a must. Try to pick kale and avocados at the peak of ripeness. Avoid wilted leaves, limp stalks, and bruised fruits. Limp greens are not appetizing.


Some diners might object to the coarse and chewy texture of raw kale. I find that once you get over the sense that you are a horse chewing on straw, it's not so bad. To avoid this unsavory texture, allow the kale to marinate in the dressing for about 20 minutes before serving. The citrus juices will break down the tough fibers of the kale, softening the leaves. Stalks with smaller leaves yield a tenderer bite. The nutritional benefits of kale are numerous, running the gamut from lowering your risk for certain types of cancer to preventing rheumatoid arthritis or cataract disease. These health benefits are pretty convincing, but in the end, I eat kale mainly because I love the taste.

Blood oranges are a recent, happy discovery. I have eaten them before, but only in Europe. I don't often see them here in the States, so when I saw some plump blood oranges at the market, I grabbed them. Unfortunately, I don't think the season for blood oranges is quite here. The oranges brightened the flavors and freshened the salad significantly, but they weren't as juicy as they will probably be later in the summer. Nonetheless, I would still advise using some sort of citrus fruit, whether it be pink grapefruit, tangerine, or orange. The citrus brings nice color to the plate and when mixed with a lime juice based dressing, produces an unusual flavor, light with a sweet tang.

I like to segment my oranges directly over the salad bowl so that I can collect all the precious juice. After removing all the segments, I give the pulpy membranes a hearty squeeze, to extract every last drop. On top of the fresh juice, a squeeze of lime, olive oil, sesame oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Kale and avocado are added directly to the serving bowl and gently tossed. Be careful not to bruise the avocado. While the dressing sets, I cut up some bread and pass out napkins. Allowing the salad to rest is important. It helps break down the leaves while also encourages the avocado to melt into the dressing. The end result is a subtle citrus-avocado infused dressing, studded with vibrant red-orange fruit, dark green kale, and chunky avocado bits. When I look at my salad, I think that summer must be calling.

Kale and Avocado Salad
serves 2

4 stalks fresh kale
1 avocado
1 blood red orange
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sesame oil
juice of 1/2 lime
large pinch of salt

Segment one blood orange over your serving bowl. To segment, remove the top and bottom of the orange. With the orange sitting upright on its cut end, run the edge of the knife down the length of the orange to remove the rind and white pith. Holding the orange in the palm of your hand, run the edge of your knife in between the white membranes. What should emerge is a clean orange slice, free of any white pith or rind. Give the resulting membranes a hard squeeze. Add the juice of half a lime. Whisk in sesame oil, olive oil, and a large pinch of salt and pepper.

Thoroughly wash kale leaves. Sometimes dirt and mud cling to the leaves and stalks. Don't want that in your salad. Remove the leaves from the stalks and cut into 1 1/2 inch wide strips. Cube avocado. Add the kale, cubed avocado, and segmented oranges into the serving bowl. Gently toss with a large wooden spoon. Set aside for 20 minutes before serving.