CAKE:
- 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2¾ cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 cups sifted cake flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pink Moscato or Champagne
- 3 tablespoons orange zest
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
SIMPLE SYRUP:
- ½ cup pink Moscato or Champagne
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup fresh blood-orange juice
ORANGE GLAZE:
- 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
- 3 tablespoons fresh blood-orange juice
DIRECTIONS:
FOR THE CAKE
Preheat your oven to 315°F. Liberally prepare a 10-cup Bundt pan with the nonstick method of your choice.
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for 2 minutes on high speed. Slowly add the granulated sugar. Cream together for an additional 5 minutes, until very pale yellow and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, combining well after each addition and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Turn your mixer down to its lowest speed and slowly add the flour in 2 batches. Add the salt. Be careful not to overbeat. Add the Moscato, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix the batter until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 70 to 80 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack. Let cool to room temperature. Lightly cover the cake with foil or plastic wrap so it does not dry out.
FOR THE SIMPLE SYRUP
In a small pot over medium-high heat, combine the Moscato, granulated sugar, and orange juice. Once the liquid has reduced by ⅓ and thickened, cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
FOR THE ORANGE GLAZE
In a medium bowl, whisk the confectioners' sugar and orange juice together until smooth and thick but still pourable. Set aside.
TO ASSEMBLE:
Liberally poke the top of the cake with a toothpick or skewer, then pour the syrup in intervals over the entire cake, letting it seep in each time before adding more, until all the syrup is gone. There is a lot of syrup, but the cake is quite delicious when soaked through. If you don’t want to add all the syrup, that is also fine.
Drizzle the glaze over the cake. Let the glaze set for 10 minutes. Serve at room temperature.
Grandbaby Note: You can use any orange you want in this recipe if blood oranges are not in season. The cake is quite versatile.