BLOOD ORANGE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cake
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbs. Tangerine Dark Balsamic Vinegar
2 large eggs beaten with enough cold water to equal one cup
1/2 cup Blood Orange Fused Olive Oil + more for greasing pans

Blood Orange Ganache
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs. Blood Orange Fused Olive Oil
1 pinch of sea salt

Instructions:

Cake

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease two 9-inch cake pans, one muffin pan, or one 13x9-inch pan with Blood Orange Agrumato. Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Thoroughly mix together the liquid ingredients in a separate large bowl until smooth. Add the dry ingredients in to the wet and mix using a hand or stand mixer on low. Pour the mixture into the prepared pans.

Bake for 30 minutes (cupcakes will take about 15 min.) or until a cake skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Make sure to not over-bake the cake. It should spring back when lightly touched, and a cake skewer inserted in the middle of the cake should come out clean. Cool for 20-25 minutes before removing the cakes from the pans to cool completely. Apply ganache when cool.

Ganache

Place the chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl. Heat the Cream in a sauce pan over medium heat until just about simmering. Pour the cream over the chocolate and allow to sit for five minutes. Gently whisk the chocolate and cream until smooth, consistent, and free from any lumps.

Add in the blood orange agrumato olive oil to the chocolate and whisk to thoroughly incorporate. Allow to cool until it reaches a spreadable consistency. Gently spread the slightly cooled ganache over the completely cooled cake. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream and a tangerine segment as garnish, if desired. 

LEMON BLUEBERRY DONUTS with FUSED LEMON OLIVE OIL

Ingredients:

For the donuts

¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

¼ cup Fused Lemon Olive Oil

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk (not reduced fat)

1 ½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries

For the glaze

2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Finely grated zest from one lemon

Instructions:

Make the donuts

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly spray three 6-cavity donut pans with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk the butter, oil, and sugar together until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined.

In a separate bowl, add the dry ingredients: baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir with a whisk to combine.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in three additions followed by the buttermilk. Whisk just until incorporated and no dry spots remain, ending with the remaining flour. The batter will be thick. Gently fold in the blueberries, so as not to crush them.

Transfer the batter into a disposable piping bag or zip-top bag with an opening cut large enough to accommodate the blueberries. Pipe the batter into the prepared donut pans, filling each cavity ⅔ full.

Bake for 7-9 minutes, or until donuts are lightly golden and spring back when pressed with your fingertip. Allow the donuts to cool for a couple minutes before removing from the pan.

Make the glaze

In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, milk, lemon juice and zest. Stir until smooth, adding more milk if needed. While they are still warm, glaze the donuts and over a rack of parchment paper. The glaze will set as they cool.

FUSED LEMON OLIVE OIL & ALMOND BISCOTTI

Ingredients:

2 ½ Cups All-purpose Flour

1 Teaspoon baking powder

1/2 Teaspoon salt

1 Cup whole raw almonds

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup Fused Lemon Olive Oil

2 lemons, zested

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon Juice

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In one medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and almonds.

In another medium bowl, using an electric hand mixer on medium speed, beat together the eggs, sugar, olive oil, lemon zest and juice for 1 minute until blended.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and on low speed, mix just until blended.

Dump the dough onto a clean counter and knead briefly by hand until a smooth dough forms.

Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces, then shape each into 12-inch logs about 1 1/2 inch high.

Place the logs on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes or until firm to the touch.

Cool 10 minutes, then cut into 1/2-inch slices using a serrated knife.

Reduce the heat to 275 degrees F. and place the cookies flat, laying side by side on the baking sheet.

Bake another 8 minutes, carefully turn over and bake about 5 to 6 minutes.

Cool completely, then store in an airtight container.

BLOOD ORANGE DARK CHOCOLATE FONDUE

Ingredients:

1 lb. dark chocolate chips or whole bars chopped coarsely
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbs. Blood Orange Fused Olive Oil
1 Tbs. Fresh Orange Zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch kosher salt
2 tablespoons Tangerine Dark Balsamic or Traditional Balsamic
Cookies, Fruit, marshmallows, or pound cake, for serving

Special equipment: 6-quart slow cooker

Instructions:

Heat a 6-quart slow cooker with insert on high until hot. Combine the chocolate, cream, milk, vanilla and salt and olive oil in the hot insert. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes, then whisk the ingredients together and set on low. Whisk in the balsamic just before serving.

PEAR-ALMOND OLIVE OIL CAKE

Ingredients:

2 large eggs room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup Ultra-Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil

⅔ cup blanched almond flour

⅓ cup whole milk

1 tablespoon tightly packed lemon zest

¼ teaspoon almond extract

1⅓ cups all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

1 large Anjou pear

2 teaspoons lemon juice

½ cup sliced almonds

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Instructions:

Makes 1 (9-inch) cake

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

Spray a 9-inch springform pan with baking spray with flour, line bottom of pan with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat eggs at high speed until uniform in color and foamy, about 1 minute. With mixer on medium speed, gradually add granulated sugar in a slow, steady stream. Increase mixer speed to high, and beat until thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Mix on low speed, gradually add oil in a slow, steady stream, beating until combined, scrape sides of bowl. Add almond flour, milk, lemon zest, and extracts, and beat at medium speed until combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold all-purpose flour mixture into egg mixture just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Cut pear in half. Core each half and cut off the top part of pear and stem. Cut pear halves into ⅛-inch-thick slices. Divide slices into groups of 4 to 5. Fan slices, and gently place on top of cake batter. (See Note.) Gently brush lemon juice onto pear slices. Sprinkle almonds around edge of batter and between groups of fanned pears.

Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove sides of pan. Serve warm or let cool completely on base of pan on a wire rack.

Before serving, cut a 7-inch circle from parchment paper, place in center of cake. Using a fine-mesh sieve, sift confectioners’ sugar onto edges of cake, if desired.

BLOOD ORANGE OATMEAL CRANBERRY COOKIES

Ingredients:

½ cup Butter Infused Olive Oil

½ cup Fused Blood Orange Olive Oil

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

4 cups rolled oats

1 cup dried cranberries

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, mix Butter Infused Olive Oil, Blood Orange Olive Oil, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; stir into the sugar Olive Oil mixture. Mix in the oats and cranberries last. Scoop a spoonful (rounded) onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5-6 minutes and enjoy.

ALMOND & LEMON CAKE WITH STRAWBERRY PRESERVES

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour + more for flouring pan
1/2 cup blanched almonds, toasted and then ground fine in a blender, grinder or food processor
1/2 cup fresh Lemon Fused Olive Oil + more for greasing pan
4 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Fresh Strawberry Preserve Topping
4 cups washed, hulled, strawberries sliced thin
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 and adjust the rack to the middle of the oven. Using agrumato lemon olive oil, grease and flour one 9" cake pan.

Combine the eggs, sugar, lemon agrumato olive oil, vanilla, and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk to thoroughly combine.

Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk to combine.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three batches, whisking after each addition. Pour in to the prepared cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for five minutes in the pan and then gently run a knife around the side to loosen and invert on to a rack to fully cool.

Combine the strawberries, sugar, zest, and juice in a heavy saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Simmer for 7 minutes being careful that the contents do not boil over. Set aside and allow to thicken as it cools to room temperature before spreading over cake with a dollop of lightly whipped cream on each slice (optional).