Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake

Ingredients:
3 blood oranges
1 cup white granulated sugar
buttermilk or plain yogurt
3 large eggs
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

lazy whipping cream

Optional: honey-blood orange compote

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Ingredients for whipped or lazy cream:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 T powdered sugar

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Ingredients for honey blood orange compote:
3 blood oranges
1 to 2 teaspoons honey

Preparing honey blood orange compote:
Supreme 3 oranges, drizzle honey over top. Let sit and macerate for 5 minutes, then stir gently.

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Preparing the whipping cream:
Whip the cream until it begins to thicken. Add the vanilla and the sugar, and continue whipping until the cream holds soft peaks. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

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Preparing the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan.

Grate the zest from 2 oranges and place in a bowl with the sugar. Rub the ingredients together until the orange zest is evenly distributed throughout the sugar.

Supreme 2 of the oranges. Juice half of the third orange, to get about 1/4 cup of juice. Add enough buttermilk or yogurt to the orange juice to make 2/3 cup liquid total. Pour the mixture into the bowl with the sugar and whisk well. Whisk in the eggs.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gently whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ones. Switch to a spatula and fold in the oil a little at a time. Fold in the orange segments. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.

Bake for about 55 minutes, or until it is golden and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then unmold and cool to room temperature right side up.

Serve with a dollop of lazy whipped cream.