Blood Orange Poppy Seed Loaf (Printable version)

Vibrant citrus loaf with poppy seeds and marzipan, featuring ruby-red blood orange flavor and moist, tender crumb.

# What you need:

→ Cake

01 - 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 ½ 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

# Steps to follow:

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 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 grated marzipan into the butter mixture until evenly distributed.
06 - In a separate bowl, combine blood orange juice, milk, and vanilla extract.
07 - Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in three parts, alternating with blood orange mixture, starting and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined without overmixing.
08 - Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth the top surface.
09 - Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
10 - Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.
11 - Whisk powdered sugar with blood orange juice until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over cooled cake and let set before slicing.

# Expert tips:

01 -
  • The blood orange juice keeps the cake impossibly moist while the marzipan adds a subtle almond richness that feels almost luxurious.
  • Poppy seeds give you those little pockets of nuttiness that make every bite interesting, plus they look absolutely beautiful against the ruby crumb.
  • It's elegant enough for guests but straightforward enough that you won't stress while making it.
02 -
  • Don't skip the cooling step in the pan—I learned this the hard way when I flipped mine out too early and watched it crack right down the middle, though it still tasted amazing and taught me patience.
  • If your blood orange juice is very acidic or your blood oranges are particularly small, you might need juice from three oranges instead of two, so taste the batter if you can and adjust slightly.
03 -
  • When creaming butter and sugar, listen for the mixer to sound slightly different—it goes from dense and heavy to almost whispery and light, which is your signal that you've incorporated enough air.
  • If your kitchen is cold, warm your eggs slightly by setting them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes before beating them in, which helps them emulsify smoothly into the batter.
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