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Blood Orange Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

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Ingredients
  

For the Blood Orange Cake

  • 2 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 cups (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cup blood orange juice about 6 oranges
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 tbsp blood orange zest

For the Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 16 ounces cream cheese room temperature
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
  • 3 tbsp honey

Instructions
 

For the Blood Orange Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Prepare three 6 inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray and lining the bottom with parchment paper.
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.  Mix till combined, about 15 seconds.
  • Add the butter in small pieces and mix on low until combined and the mixture is the consistency of bread crumbs.
  • In a separate bowl, whish the eggs, blood orange juice, milk and blood orange zest.
  • Add half of the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Scrape the bowl as needed since the dry ingredients will stick to the bottom of the bowl.  Add the remaining wet ingredients and mix the batter until it is smooth and fluffy.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the three cake pans.  Tap the pans on the counter to remove any air bubbles in the batter.
  • Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
  • Let cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes and then remove to cool on a wire rack.

For the Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth.
  • Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time.  Occasionally scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
  • Add the softened cream cheese and mix until smooth and there are no lumps.  Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
  • Add the honey and mix on low until combined.  Increase speed to high and whip for about 5 minutes, stopping once or twice to scrape the bowl.

Notes

If blood oranges are out of season or you are unable to find them, you can substitute with navel oranges or your preferred variety.