Amid the bleakness of winter comes a colorful and sweet gift to tide us over till spring- winter citrus. I grew up in Florida surrounded by fields of orange trees. On the very, very rare occurrence that we'd have a cold night, the smell of oranges overwhelmed our little town. I will never forget the distinctly tart smell of cold weather oranges and as a result, citrus will forever pair well with my definition of winter. Especially January because, come on, we ALL need a reminder that this too shall pass, this too shall pass. This sweet little loaf transported me from a cold January day in Brooklyn to a warm summer night in June. The cake is perfectly coconut with pops of poppy seeds running throughout. Spooned on top is a beautiful and delicious glaze made with blood oranges so it magically strikes the balance of sweet and tart, pink and white. Top with luscious flakes of coconut for a treat perfect for any time, anywhere; even surrounded by the doldrums of January.
Large bowl
1 stick (113 grams) butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (160 grams) granulated sugar
Small bowl
2 whole eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
Measuring cup
3/4 cup (175 grams) coconut water
Medium bowl
1 3/4 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
On the sidelines:
Blood Orange Glaze, recipe as follows
1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a standard loaf pan with butter or nonstick spray and set aside. I like to line my loaf pans with parchment paper to make removal easier but it's totally not necessary.
2
In the first bowl, cream together the butter and sugar for a few minutes until it's light and fluffy.
3
Add in the eggs and the extracts and mix until combined.
4
Slowly add in the coconut water until well mixed.
5
Lastly, add in the flour mixture from the medium bowl and mix until just combined but ensure that all ingredients are well incorporated.
6
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake in the preheated oven until baked through and the top springs back when touched lightly- about one hour. Let cool and drizzle with glaze.
Blood Orange Glaze
Medium bowl
1 1/2 cups (200 grams) powdered sugar
A few tablespoons of blood orange juice (about one medium blood orange squeezed)
Pinch of salt
1
Whisk all ingredients together until thoroughly incorporated. You can make this glaze as thin or as thick as your little heart desires.
