Recipe Review: Ina Garten's Lemon Yogurt Cake (with a twist)

Obviously, I'm a huge fan of Ina Garten, but I'll try to keep my fangirling to a minimum in this post. Ina's lemon yogurt cake has been heavily represented in my recipe rotation for years: the pages of Barefoot Contessa at Home which contain the classic recipe have been stained and covered in crumbs - the sign of any well-loved cookbook.

I made a few adjustments to celebrate winter citrus and showcase one of my favorite ingredients - blood oranges.

I first encountered blood oranges in the 9th grade on a school trip to northern Italy (which, as a teacher now, seems like a ridiculously lavish statement). That trip and and many family trips before and after are such privileges I don't think I fully appreciated at the time. I am incredibly grateful to my parents for giving me so many experiences that opened my eyes to other cultures and perhaps, more importantly, other foods. I remember being served blood orange juice on the Alitalia flight from New York to Italy. The flavor was new yet strangely familiar - I remember thinking it kind of tasted like Hawaiian Punch. My eyes were opened to citrus other than lemons, limes, and navel oranges.

Venice, February 2007.

For my blood orange spin on Ina's cake I used: 2 teaspoons each of lemon zest and blood orange zest and 1/3 cup of lemon and blood orange juice combined. I used 2% greek yogurt instead of traditional yogurt, mainly because I had it on hand. For the glaze, I replaced the lemon juice with blood orange juice which gave the glaze its lovely pink color. Finally, I made one last addition: topping the cake with slices of candied blood oranges. This final touch made the cake incredibly beautiful and I think, pretty impressive. I followed Simply Sated's recipe exactly (beautifully detailed and very easy to follow) and they turned out perfectly.

I brought this cake to lunch at a friend's house and it was a huge hit. It's the perfect cake to make quickly and bring to an event or serve with tea at lunch or as I usually prefer, breakfast. Try this cake with other types of citrus, the flavor combinations are endless, and let me know how it turns out!

P.S. Is anyone else using Instagram's multiples feature? It's even more self-indulgent than regular Instagram and I am loving it.