If you don’t have blood oranges, just use navel or valencia or whatever you have.

Recipe by Catherine Pla, adapted from Martha Stewart

Yields one 8x8” (or 9x9”) cake

Cake

6 T unsalted butter, melted
1 1⁄4 c all-purpose flour
11⁄2 t baking powder
1⁄2 t kosher salt
1 c granulated sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
2 t blood orange zest
1 T poppy seeds
11⁄2 t vanilla bean paste, or extract
1⁄2 c sour cream

Icing

1 c confectioners’ sugar
1 T unsalted butter, melted
2 t freshly squeezed blood orange juice
1 t poppy seeds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease, then line the bottom of an 8x8” square cake pan with parchment paper. Grease the parchment, and let the excess parchment overhang.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

Beat the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, for 4 minutes, until light and thick. Add the flour mixture, beating just until combined. With the mixer on medium, add the butter, zest, poppy seeds, and vanilla. Add the sour cream and beat until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the tops, and bake for about 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. When the cake is done, let cool for 10 minutes.

For the icing, combine sugar, butter, and orange juice and whisk until smooth. If too thin, add a little more sugar. Spread over the top of the cake and sprinkle with poppy seeds.

Blood Orange Poppy Seed Snack Cake