BLOOD ORANGE & BLACK SESAME OLIVE OIL CAKE

Serves 9

Whether for Valentine’s Day or a birthday, make this citrusy olive oil cake to impress your loved one. This moist cake gets its flavor from blood orange juice and zest, along with nuttiness of the black sesame swirls. (If you have store-bought black sesame paste already, feel free to use that instead of making your own.) I like to finish the top with beautiful rosettes made from blood orange buttercream. To replicate this design, you’ll also need a small offset spatula, three mini rubber spatulas, three (12-inch) piping bags, an Ateco #803 round tip, an Ateco 1M tip and an Ateco #863 French star tip. Decorating is optional, however; if you decide on a simpler presentation, halve the buttercream recipe.

BLACK SESAME PASTE

• 2⁄3 cup black sesame seeds, lightly toasted

• 1⁄4 cup powdered sugar

CAKE

• 2 cups all-purpose flour • 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda • 1 teaspoon table salt

• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil • 11⁄2 cups granulated sugar • 3 large eggs

• 1⁄2 cup Greek yogurt • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract • Zest of 3 blood oranges

• 1⁄3 cup blood orange juice

BUTTERCREAM

• 3⁄4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1⁄2 teaspoon table salt • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3 cups powdered sugar • 2 tablespoons blood orange juice

DECORATION (OPTIONAL)

• Pink food gel • Dark pink food gel • Sprinkles

Make the Black Sesame Paste: In a mini food processor, add the black sesame seeds and grind until a fine powder forms, about 3 minutes. The sesame seeds will start to release their oil. Add the powdered sugar and grind until you get a smooth paste with a thick, viscous consistency.

Bake the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and make sure one rack is in the middle of the oven. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.

Add the dry ingredients — all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt — to a bowl. Whisk to combine.

In a separate large bowl, add the olive oil and sugar. Whisk thoroughly to combine. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet, whisking until just combined. Place about 3⁄4 cup of the cake batter into a bowl and set aside. Pour the remaining batter into the prepared cake pan.

If you are decorating the cake, set aside about 1 tablespoon of black sesame paste. (You’ll use it to color some buttercream.) Add the rest of the black sesame paste to the reserved 3⁄4 cup of cake batter. Mix with a rubber spatula until well combined.

Pour dollops of the black sesame cake batter on top of the cake batter in the baking pan. Using a wooden stick, make swirls or figure eights in the batter. Don’t overdo it, or else you’ll end up with a gray cake instead of a swirled one.

Bake the cake for about 50 minutes. Place a toothpick into the center of the cake to see if it comes out clean. If not, bake the cake for another 5 minutes and check again.

Once baked, allow the cake to cool completely in the pan, about one hour.

Make the buttercream: Add the butter and salt to a large bowl. Using a rubber spatula, mix it vigorously in a circular motion for about 11⁄2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, powdered sugar and blood orange juice. Slowly mix to combine, and then start mixing vigorously until cohesive and light, about 11⁄2 minutes.

To assemble and decorate (optional): If you are decorating the cake, remove about 2⁄3 cup of the buttercream and set aside. Divide the remaining buttercream into 3 bowls. (If you are not decorating the cake, skip ahead to removing the cake from the pan and proceed with your halved buttercream recipe.) Add a drop of the pink food gel in one bowl and mix with a mini rubber spatula until cohesive. Repeat with the remaining bowls, adding a drop of the dark pink food gel in one and the reserved tablespoon of black sesame paste into the third bowl. Place the piping tips in each of the piping bags, snipping the ends of the piping bag to ensure a tight fit. Place the colored buttercreams into each of the piping bags, pushing the buttercream all the way down to the tip.

Remove the cake from the cake pan. Trim the top of the cake slightly with a serrated knife to ensure it’s flat. Invert the cake onto a serving platter. Using an offset spatula, spread the original 2⁄3 cup buttercream on the top of the cake, forming a thin, even layer. Clean the sides of the cake using a bench scraper.

Take the 3 piping bags with colored buttercreams and, using your creativity, pipe rosettes, rounds and stars on the cake to form a pattern. Decorate with sprinkles for more pizzazz, if you’d like.

The cake can be sliced and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Remove from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before eating.