Fall in love with this blood orange cake

You don’t need a stand mixer for this elegant Valentine’s Day dessert with black sesame swirls

Blood oranges are one of my favorite winter fruits, especially for desserts. They’re pretty, from the crimson-red interior to the orangeto-red ombre exterior. And the zest has a lot of flavor.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I am excited to share this lovely recipe: Blood Orange and Black Sesame Olive Oil Cake. Olive oil cakes are light, moist and slightly fruity in taste. But most importantly, they come together easily and don’t require a stand mixer.

As I developed this recipe, I thought of the first Valentine’s Day I celebrated with my now-husband. We had been dating for 10 months, and I wanted to make it special. He loves miniature things of any kind. So I went to World Market and made him a little basket from their mini food section.He knows I love stationery, so he gave me a beautiful photo album featuring handmade paper. It was thoughtful and sweet.

Now, we’ve been married for 18 years, and we have built a beautiful family together, with two kids. Time sure does fly.

Back to the cake: I love the combination of black sesame and blood orange. The citrus imparts brightness and the black sesame brings nuttiness. You can make the black sesame paste a day in advance (or use a store-bought version). Simply grind the black sesame seeds, then add powdered sugar and process until it forms a smooth paste. Be sure to lightly toast the black sesame seeds first, so that they release their oils in the food processor.

You don’t need a stand mixer for this recipe. You simply mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. To get an attractive marbled look, you’ll remove some of the cake batter and mix in black sesame paste, then swirl that into the rest.

The blood orange buttercream can be made while the cake bakes in the oven. Decorating is totally optional, but if you plan to, prep the different colored buttercreams and piping bags while the cake cools.

If you decide not to decorate, the buttercream recipe can be cut in half. Simply layer the buttercream on top of the cake; a few sprinkles on the top can give it a festive look. The cake can be stored in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to one week.

Photos by Amisha Gurbani/Special to the Chronicle This blood orange olive oil cake features marbling from black sesame paste, which also lends a nutty flavor.

To achieve a pretty swirl, you’ll add a black sesame-infused batter to the rest of the cake batter. Be sure not to mix too much.