Blood Orange Loaf Cake (Printable)

Vibrant loaf cake with blood orange, poppy seeds, and marzipan—moist, aromatic, and visually stunning.

# What You'll Need:

→ Cake

01 - 1.75 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 0.25 teaspoon salt
04 - 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
05 - 0.5 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 1 cup granulated sugar
07 - Zest of 2 blood oranges
08 - 2 large eggs
09 - 0.33 cup grated marzipan
10 - 0.5 cup blood orange juice
11 - 0.25 cup whole milk
12 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Blood Orange Glaze

13 - 1 cup powdered sugar
14 - 2 to 3 tablespoons blood orange juice

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan 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 well after each addition.
05 - Fold in grated marzipan until evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
06 - In a separate bowl, combine blood orange juice, milk, and vanilla extract.
07 - Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in three alternating parts 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, or 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 marzipan melts into the crumb and creates pockets of soft almond sweetness you can't quite place.
  • Blood orange juice turns the batter a subtle blush pink that deepens as it bakes, making every slice feel like a small event.
  • It stays moist for days thanks to the citrus and marzipan, so you can bake it ahead without worry.
  • The poppy seeds add a gentle crunch and a hint of nuttiness that plays beautifully against the bright, floral orange.
02 -
  • Grate the marzipan while it's cold, otherwise it turns sticky and clumps together instead of blending into the batter.
  • Don't skip the alternating wet and dry step, dumping everything in at once can make the batter dense and tough.
  • If your blood oranges aren't very red, the cake will still taste amazing even if the color is more pale peach than pink.
  • Let the cake cool completely before glazing or the icing will melt and slide right off into a puddle.
03 -
  • Weigh your flour if you can, too much makes the cake dry and too little makes it collapse in the center.
  • Use a light hand when folding in the dry ingredients, overmixing develops gluten and turns the crumb tough and chewy.
  • If the top is browning too fast, tent it loosely with foil halfway through baking to protect it.
  • Let the glaze set for at least fifteen minutes before slicing or it'll run everywhere and make a mess.
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