Orange You Glad There's Cake?

This bittersweet beauty flips winter baking on its head.

Hi everyone and welcome to ‘Kitchen Extra…’.

This week has flown by! I have only been by the sea for a couple of weeks now but it already feels like home.

It’s been super busy… we held our second (of four) ‘Bake Like A Pro’ hands on cooking class at SMEG in Melbourne. It was so awesome and I’ll post more on that later. Also I am preparing to leave for Sydney in a month to shoot a new season of the Great Australian Bake Off, I think I am allowed to say that 🤷🏼‍♂️ but we are all friends here and I know you won’t tell.

Today’s dish is winter sunshine in edible form — bold, bright, and just the right amount of bitter.

As you slice into it, the glossy blood oranges glisten like stained glass, steeped in a caramel deglazed with one of my fave cocktails; a bitter Negroni. It’s equal parts grown-up and gorgeous. The cake beneath is tender, a little nutty (like me?) and subtly fragrant from the in season citrus zest.

It’s a cake that asks you to slow down. To pour a cup of tea (or something stronger)? To eat with a spoon and a sigh, preferably by a window, while the wind howls and the oven cools or if you are lucky like me you could take a slice down to the beach with a flask of hot tea and watch the waves roll in.

Perfect straight from the tin with cold cream. This is comfort food dressed in cocktail hour glamour.

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Blood Orange & Negroni Upside Down Cake

Winter baking is in full swing at our place—and nothing brightens up a grey day quite like citrus. Blood oranges are at their peak right now, and their short season means we’re making the most of them while we can. This week’s recipe is one I absolutely love: a Blood Orange & Negroni Upside Down Cake.

It’s simple to make but looks like you’ve made a huge effort—those jewel-like slices on top do all the hard work for you. There’s also a cheeky grown-up twist in the mix: a Negroni-spiked caramel that bubbles away with gin, Campari and sweet vermouth before being poured into the tin. The batter underneath is soft, light and citrus-zesty, with a hint of almond meal for richness.

You can serve this one warm with ice cream, or cool with a dollop of crème fraîche or thick cream—whatever you fancy. It also holds up really well for a few days, and makes an excellent slice with your afternoon cuppa.

If you can’t get your hands on blood oranges, a mix of citrus works too—grapefruit, navel, tangelos, even cara pink oranges. Just use what’s good and in season and she’ll be apples (or oranges)!

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Blood Oranges

I aways get excited when I see blood oranges - they are a vibrant winter citrus known for their deep ruby flesh and rich, berry-like flavour. Sweeter and less acidic than regular oranges, they have subtle hints of raspberry and pomegranate, making them perfect for both sweet and savoury dishes. Their striking colour comes from anthocyanins—a type of antioxidant not usually found in citrus—which develop in cold overnight temperatures.

Here in Oz the short season makes them all the more special. Use them in cakes, salads, marmalades, cocktails, or simply sliced for a pop of colour. They're nature’s reminder that winter can still bring the drama—in all the right ways. This cake was the first thing I baked in my new SMEG bench top combi steam oven!

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Negroni – A Bitter Little Icon

The Negroni is the Italian aperitivo that pulls no punches. It’s bold, bitter and beautifully balanced, a classic three-ingredient cocktail and it has stood the test of time with effortless style. I always order one at the start of a long leisurely lunch - especially if I am eating Italiano.

Legend has it the Negroni was born in Florence in 1919, when Count Camillo Negroni asked his bartender to stiffen his usual Americano (Campari, sweet vermouth, soda) by swapping the soda for gin. The result was a punchier, definatley stronger, more grown-up sip that caught on fast.

A Negroni is complex, herbaceous and bitter, with the sweet vermouth adding a mellow richness and the gin cutting through with botanicals. Campari brings that signature red hue and a bitter orange backbone that lingers deliciously on the palate. It’s bold and boozy, but balanced. That’s important.

It’s also one of the most adaptable cocktails out there. Swap the gin for whisky and you’ve got a Boulevardier. Use prosecco instead and you’ve got a Sbagliato.

Classic Negroni Recipe

Ingredients:

• 30 ml Gin

• 30 ml Campari

• 30 ml Sweet Vermouth

• Ice

• Orange peel, to garnish

Method:

1. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice.

2. Stir for 20–30 seconds until well chilled.

3. Strain into a short glass filled with fresh ice.

4. Garnish with a twist of orange peel (or a dehydrated slice if you’re feeling fancy).

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Cake Recipe

Makes: 1 X 22 cm round cake

Serves: 8

Prep time: 30 min.

Bake time: 35/40 min.

Equipment: 22 cm nonstick cake/tart/pie enclosed tin - minimum 5 cm deep

Negroni & Blood Orange Caramel

4 blood oranges

110 g caster sugar

40 g unsalted butter

60 g Negroni – equal parts Gin, Campari and Sweet Vermouth