Happy Halloween!!

This past weekend I made a blood orange olive oil cake. Seemed somewhat apropos for Halloween and I also wanted to incorporate the beautiful Autumn colors into our breakfast. I love blood oranges and slicing into one is an explosion of those colors on your cutting board. The oranges distinct citrus flavor is a perfect complement to the flavors of the dense and moist olive oil cake. The cake is almost pudding like, with a wonderful heady olive oil aroma and dotted with oranges ,the colors of the leaves outside your kitchen window.

Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
butter for greasing pan
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 blood oranges
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/3 cups extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 cups whole milk
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons grated blood orange zest
1/4 cup fresh blood orange juice

Heat oven to 350 F degrees and butter a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan.
Grate zest from one blood orange and place in a bowl with the sugar. Using your fingers, rub the zest and the sugar together until zest is evenly incorporated.
Supreme an orange: begin by trimming off the very top and bottom of the fruit with a sharp knife. Next, set the fruit on end, and carefully cut the skin and pith from its flesh, beginning at the top and following the curves down. Then, carefully cut out each section of the fruit by inserting the blade of the knife between the flesh and the membrane on both sides. The wedges should come out easily, leaving only the membrane intact. Repeat with the 2 remaining oranges. Break up segments with your fingers to about 1/4-inch pieces.
In a bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and powder.
In another bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, and blood orange juice. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.
Add olive oil, a little bit at a time and with a spatula fold into batter.
Fold in blood orange segments.
Poor batter into buttered loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. The top should be golden brown and your tester should come out clean.
Cool on a rack for 5 - 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, unmold the cake onto the rack and let cool to room temperature.