Blood Orange Cardamom Black Sesame Cake (vegan options)
I got a few blood oranges in my grocery delivery, and for some reason, just peeling and eating them all seemed like it wouldn’t quite be doing them justice. I had seen some blood orange recipes floating around the food space online and was feeling inspired.
This cake sounds a little more sophisticated than what my kids usually love to eat for dessert (ice cream with sprinkles or the buttercream off of cookies), and when they asked for a slice, I thought for sure they just wanted to lick that pretty pink glaze off the top. I was shocked that they ate the whole piece. Like my 9-year-old, 6-year-old, 4-year-old, and 2-year-old ALL ATE THE WHOLE CAKE. And they wanted more. I promise you that NEVER happens.
The next morning they were begging to finish off the cake, and I was still so shocked. My 6-year-old even asked that this cake be his birthday cake this year. If that isn’t a testament to just how good and moist and delicious this cake is, I don’t know what is.
Blood Orange Cardamom Black Sesame Cake (vegan options)
Makes two 6-inch cakes
Ingredients
½ cup butter (vegan butter or coconut oil)
½ cup coconut sugar (or granulated sugar)
½ cup honey
1 tbsp blood orange zest
2 ½ tbsp blood orange juice
2 eggs (can be flax eggs 2 tbsp flax meal + 6 tbsp water)
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 cup dairy-free yogurt (or sour cream)
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cardamom
¼ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp black sesame seeds
Blood Orange Glaze
⅓ cup juice from blood orange
2- 2/12 cups powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla
½ tsp blood orange zest
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º. If using flax eggs, mix the flaxseed with the water and set aside for at least 5 minutes. Line bottom of cake pans with parchment and optional grease and flour.
Cream together butter, sugar, honey, and orange zest in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add in orange juice, eggs, vanilla, and yogurt
In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda cardamom, cinnamon, salt, and black sesame.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the stand mixer and combine until no streaks of flour.
Divide batter evenly between pans. Cook for 25-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan and putting it on a cooling rack.
Mix glaze ingredients and pour over cooled cake.
BLOOD ORANGE CARDAMOM BLACK SESAME CAKE (VEGAN OPTIONS)
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter (vegan butter or coconut oil)
- ½ cup coconut sugar (or granulated sugar)
- ½ cup honey
- 1 tbsp blood orange zest
- 2 ½ tbsp blood orange juice
- 2 eggs (can be flax eggs 2 tbsp flax meal + 6 tbsp water)
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla
- 1 cup dairy-free yogurt (or sour cream)
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp cardamom
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp black sesame seeds
- ⅓ cup juice from blood orange
- 2- 2/12 cups powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp blood orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º. If using flax eggs, mix the flaxseed with the water and set aside for at least 5 minutes. Line bottom of cake pans with parchment and optional grease and flour.
- Cream together butter, sugar, honey, and orange zest in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add in orange juice, eggs, vanilla, and yogurt
- In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda cardamom, cinnamon, salt, and black sesame.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the stand mixer and combine until no streaks of flour.
- Divide batter evenly between pans. Cook for 25-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan and putting it on a cooling rack.
- Mix glaze ingredients and pour over cooled cake.