Citrus Olive Oil Loaf Cake w/ Rosemary

I found a few lonely blood oranges hanging around at the market, and I had to buy them. I can't resist.

Citrus cakes make winter bearable for me.

They remind me of sunshine and warmer days ahead.

I used the zest of a huge blood orange and the zest of a big Arizona Meyer lemon.

Feel free to use clementines, lemons, any citrus, I am sure lime zest would also be great.

Don't be afraid to try different things when baking....experiment with some almond flour and fresh herbs......do your thang.

This loaf cake is moist and fragrant, and keeps well. We loved it.

Citrus Cake made w/ Olive Oil & Rosemary: (my top 5 cakes)

1 cup sugar
zest of a large orange (any type, I used a blood orange here)
zest of a lemon (limes work too, it's a citrus cake!)
2 eggs
3/4 cup of sour cream (you can use full fat plain yogurt)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup of mild flavored olive oil
1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour (sometimes I do cup of flour + 1/2 cup almond flour)
1 tsp of fresh chopped rosemary
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt

Mix the sugar with all the zest (silicone spatula works best) for about 2 minutes, until the sugar resembles wet sand and is very fragrant.

Next, add in the eggs, sour cream, extracts and olive oil and mix together well.

Add in the flour, baking powder, salt & rosemary last.

I also threw in some segments of blood orange for good luck.

Mix the batter together until pale yellow and thick.

Pour into a greased loaf (I line mine w/ parchment paper for easy lift out).

Bake 45-50 minutes in a 350F preheated oven.

Brush with warmed honey (about a tablespoon heated in microwave 20 seconds) to glaze.

Let cool on a rack before slicing.

DEEEEELISH.

The second time I made these in muffin tins and reduced the baking time.....I dipped them in pink icing, which is 1 cup of confectioners sugar and a tablespoon of blood orange juice. Sprinkle w/ chopped pistachios before the icing hardens.