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June 19, 2018

Blackberry Blood Orange Breakfast Cake

This Blackberry Blood Orange Breakfast Cake is a summery twist on an Italian classic. Juicy blackberries and hints of tangy blood orange give this lightly sweet yogurt cake plenty of personality to accompany your morning coffee.

Pinnable image of blackberry blood orange breakfast cake

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I’m so excited about this recipe for so many reasons.

In 2016, I traveled with my husband, bonus parents and bonus sister to Italy. It was incredible, and I’m pretty sure I belong there. Yes, I know it’s one of the most overly-romanticized places on Earth. Yes, I know there are problems there too—I watch Last Week Tonight. But really, I’ve spent so much time since trying to replicate the feeling of being there at home.

This cake feels like Tuscany. The flavor and texture. The ingredients. The simplicity. Everything.

It was inspired by a traditional yogurt and olive oil cake made in the medieval hill town of San Gimignano in the Siena, Tuscany region of Italy. Torta allo yogurt is a classic. Don’t be afraid of the olive oil. You won’t taste it in this recipe any more than you would taste the flavor of canola oil, and it’s incredibly common in Italian baking, which is all about what’s available locally.

Part of the reason this dessert caught my eye is that the first variation of this recipe I saw in A Family Farm In Tuscany: Recipes and Stories from Fattoria Poggio Alloro by Sarah Fioroni (about a farm near where we took an agrotourism excursion) is so simple that it uses a yogurt cup as a form of measurement for the flour, oil and sugar. I just love that.

I chose not to do that here because packaging can be so different here in the U.S. and I personally buy it in bulk, but the sentiment is pretty beautiful. It honors the idea that baking is about ratios, but it’s also rustic. It’s the kind of thing my Ya-ya would teach me to do.

Making it seasonal

Yogurt and olive oil cake is also practical because it uses ingredients most people who cook regularly will already have on hand, and you can add any seasonal touches you may have. In winter you could totally make it a cranberry or rosemary orange cake. Spring? Hello, lavender and honey. Fall? Cinnamon spice sounds good!

My version, blackberry blood orange breakfast cake, plays up some of my favorite fresh flavors of summer. I’ve been very into blood oranges lately. Partially because they have folate in them which is good for pregnancy, and partially because they are DELICIOUS. They’re a little more tart than regular oranges, and I personally think they’re more flavorful in general.

It doesn’t hurt that they’re gorgeous, either.

Blackberries being rinsed in a handheld berry bowl

As for the blackberries, I have never not been into those juicy little summer candies. They’re wild and beautiful, tart then sweet. A little seedy, but in a good way. Blackberry is one of my go-to flavors, whether for preserves, compote, flavored water or sweets—but honestly none of that can compare to a gooey, just overripe blackberry baked into this cake.

Blackberry Blood Orange Breakfast Cake on a cutting board with a slice cut and laying on its side

Perfection.

Blackberries are also rich in polyphenol antioxidants, which give them their dark, jammy color. The science on just how beneficial those phytochemicals are is a little shaky, but loading up can’t hurt right? They’re also a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, and too many blackberries is probably better than other foods that tout polyphenols like olive oil and red wine, right?

This cake isn’t super fluffy like your typical dessert cake. It’s on the firmer side and light, like so many great Italian treats. Think about crunchy biscotti soaking up your cappuccino, or chewy ciabatta drenched in olive oil and dried herbs. It’s incredible with coffee or tea in the morning, but don’t rule it out for dessert.

Plus, it’s beautiful. I didn’t even work all that hard to arrange the fruit on top and look at it. I know this is almost the same as the main shot above, but seriously. STRIKE A POSE, CAKE.

Blackberry Blood Orange Breakfast Cake on a cutting board with a slice cut out laying on its side, surrounded by oranges and berries

Just like that. STRIKE IT.

Baking the cake

Making it is simple too. Totally beginner-level. If you are a true beginner, there’s one place I really want you to pay attention, and that’s when you’re beating the eggs and sugar. If you just do it quickly like with a lot of typical cake recipes, you’re not going to get the volume you need. You really do want to let it go about five minutes or until it doubles in and looks creamy-yellow and foamy, like the photo below.

Blackberry Blood Orange Breakfast Cake batter in a standing mixer


Sweetening the deal

I love serving this cake with whipped cream. Even better? Blood orange whipped cream! It only takes a few minutes and one extra ingredient to whip up, and you’re already zesting oranges, so it’s honestly crazy not to. Besides, if you’ve never made whipped cream, learning how allows you to level-up approximately 1,000 desserts.

Blood orange whipped cream in a bowl

Just do it, okay?

A slice of Blackberry Blood Orange Breakfast Cake with more cake in the background

Seriously, I hope you make this and I hope you love it as much as we do over here! If you do, let me know by sharing a photo with the hashtag #whipsmartkitchen and tagging me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. You can also use the “tried it” feature on Pinterest to help out others looking for a tasty seasonal cake!

Sharable Facebook image of Blackberry Blood Orange Breakfast Cake on a cutting board with a slice cut out, surrounded by oranges and berries

Print
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Blackberry Blood Orange Breakfast Cake with Blood Orange Whipped Cream and Fruit

Blackberry Blood Orange Breakfast Cake


  • Author: Leannda
  • Total Time: 1 hr and 10 min
  • Yield: 8 servings
Print Recipe
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Description

This Blackberry Blood Orange Breakfast Cake is a summery twist on an Italian classic. Juicy blackberries and hints of tangy blood orange give this lightly sweet yogurt cake plenty of personality to accompany your morning coffee.
Time: 1 hr 10 minutes including bake time. About 20 minutes to cool.
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

Ingredients
For the cake
• 1-2 teaspoons butter
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups all purpose flour, plus more
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 2 Tablespoons blood orange zest (from about 2 blood oranges)
• 1 Tablespoon blood orange juice
• 1 cup blackberries, halved
• Additional orange slices and more blackberries for serving as desired.
For orange whipped cream (yields 2 cups)
• 1 1/2 cup cold heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon blood orange zest
• 2 Tablespoons blood orange juice
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
Special equipment:
• Standing mixer or hand beaters

Instructions

Instructions
To make the cake
1. Arrange a rack in the center of your oven and preheat it to 350º F. Meanwhile, butter and lightly flour a 9-inch, round cake pan.
2. Beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for about five minutes, or until the mixture has at least doubled and turned light yellow and extremely foamy.
3. As you continue beating, add the yogurt a little at a time until combined, then add the orange zest and juice and scrape down the sides.
4. Still beating, add the flour gradually (about 1/2 cup at a time), scraping down the sides as needed.
5. Beat in the olive oil, then stop the mixer and add the baking powder. Beat again for about 3 minutes.
6. Toss blackberries with about a teaspoon of flour to coat and gently fold them into the batter.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Cool on a wire rack for about ten minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and allow it to cool completely.
9. Serve with blood orange whipped cream and fresh berries and orange slices.
To make the blood orange whipped cream
1. Chill a mixing bowl in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes (not strictly necessary unless it’s fairly warm).
2. Combine all ingredients in the chilled bowl and beat on high speed until the cream forms stiff peaks, about 1 minute.*
3. Store loosely covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Notes

  • * If the whipped cream gets clumpy, you’ve gone too far—but you can fix it by adding a little extra cream and beating for a few seconds until it smooths out.
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Category: Breakfast, Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: blackberry blood orange breakfast cake, breakfast cake, olive oil cake, italian yogurt cake

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @leanndacavalier on Instagram and hashtag it #whipsmartkitchen

Blackberry Blood Orange Breakfast Cake on a cutting board with a slice cut out laying on its side, surrounded by oranges and berries from above

Filed Under: Baking, Breakfast, Dessert, Italian, Recipe, Summer

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About Leannda

Hey, I'm Leannda! I love to cook and I'm always down for some tiramisu. When I'm not cooking I'm probably teaching or sideline reporting. DWest Virginia native. Lover of mountains and rivers. Currently living in Tennessee with my husband, Adam; daughter, Siena; and our cats, Professor and Steely. read more

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Hey, I'm Leannda! I'm into healthy eating, but I'm always down for some tiramisu. When I'm not cooking I'm probably teaching or sideline reporting. I live outside Knoxville, Tennessee with my husband Adam, and our cats Professor and Steely. Read More…

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