Instructions

For the cake:

Follow the Stella Parks recipe on Serious Eats or use any of your favorite chocolate cake recipes.

For the buttercream:

Add the blood orange juice to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, reduce to low then simmer until 1/3 cup remains. Let this cool.

In the bowl of a stand mixer add the egg whites and sugar.

Set this over simmering water. The base should not touch the water, instead you want the steam to warm the egg whites and dissolve the sugar.

Whisk the eggs whites and sugar while warming. Every so often feel the temperature of the egg whites. They should feel warm and the sugar should be dissolved.

Transfer the egg white mixture to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and begin to whip on low. Increase the speed as the egg whites froth. Whip until thick, billowing meringue forms.

Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Every time I make buttercream I have a minor panic moment fearing that the frosting will never come together. Eventually it does. It may take some time.

Once the buttercream is smooth and glossy turn the mixer down to low then stir in 1/4 cup of the cooled reduced blood orange juice. Stir in the zest and salt.

For the blood Orangettes:

Using a paring knife, remove the peel from the oranges. Carefully remove the pith so only the outer peel remains.

Slice the peels into rough 1/4-inch wide strips.

Bring a saucepan of water to boil then add the orange peels to the pot. Simmer for 30 seconds. Drain then run the peels under cold water.

Repeat this process 2 to 3 more times. This removes some of the unpleasant bitterness from the peel.

Add the water and 2 cups sugar to the saucepan then bring to a simmer. Add the orange peels then let this mixture simmer for about 45 minutes or until the peels look translucent.

Add the remaining 1 cup sugar to a large bowl.

Carefully remove the candied peels from the syrup then add them to the bowl of sugar. Gently toss or stir to completely coat the peels in sugar.

Transfer the peels to a fine wire rack to dry for a couple of hours.

Assemble the cake:

Brush the cake layers with the remaining blood orange reduction. Frost the cake then garnish with the candied blood orange peel.