Orange Yogurt Cake with Olive Oil

 When winter has arrived full force, or you just like the orange flavor in a cake, you have to make this cake. This cake has a bright burst of orange flavor from orange juice and zest, plus Blood Orange Greek Yogurt.  (Honestly, you could just use plain Greek yogurt, because the Blood Orange Greek yogurt, didn't add that much flavor.)  This is a Cooking Light recipe that I adapted,  and  is wonderful cake that has olive oil in it. The recipe also called for saffron, which I didn't have. With all of the orange flavors, I don' think that you would taste the saffron anyway. The cake is dense and moist with a great orange flavor. After the cake is baked and  cooled, you make a glaze of orange marmalade, and Grand Marnier or Triple Sec, which is heated and poured over the cake. Wow!  The orange flavor just jumps out.  It is so good! Garnish with any fresh fruit that you like or is in season.

Orange Yogurt Cake with Olive Oil Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh orange juice (I used  Simply Orange Juice)
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed saffron threads, optional I didn’t use
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• zest of 1 orange
• Cooking spray
• 3 tablespoons sweet orange marmalade
• 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur I used Triple Sec

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

*If you aren’t using the saffron, just add the unheated orange juice with the olive oil and orange zest.

Place the juice in a small saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; stir in saffron, if used. Let stand 10 minutes.

Lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt, stirring well with a whisk. Set aside.

Place sugar, egg, and egg white in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed for 5 minutes or until thickened. Add yogurt, beating well. *Gradually add olive oil, orange juice, and zest, beating until well blended. Add half of flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat just until blended. Repeat procedure with the remaining flour mixture.

Spoon batter into a 9-inch round cake pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Place cake on a serving platter. Combine marmalade and liqueur in a small saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Spread marmalade mixture evenly over top of cake, allowing excess to drizzle down sides of cake. Garnish with any fresh fruit in season.

I am limking this recipe to Akheela@ Torview's Tea Time Snack Event-

 

I am alsolinking the recipe to Brandie's Weekend Potluck@The Country Cook.  Hop on over there and check it out~  So much fun!