Method

Blood orange curd

1. In a small bowl on a pan of simmering water, add all the ingredients.
2. Whisk the ingredients consistently until all the ingredients are dissolved and incorporated.
3. Keep whisking until the curd thickens.
4. Take it off the heat once coats the curd thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
5. Strain the curd and store it in a clean bottle and chill it in the refrigerator until needed.

Blood Orange & Thyme syrup

1. In a small pan, add all the ingredients.
2. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup starts to thicken.
3. Chill the syrup in the refrigerator until needed.

Blood Orange Cake (3 layers of 6 inch cake)

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius, grease and line the cake tins with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, add and cream butter and sugar using a hand mixer or with a paddle attachment of a stand mix.
3. Add and beat one egg at a time.
4. Add the milk and orange zest.
5. Sift the flour and baking powder and mix until completely incorporated. Divide and pour the batter into 3 tins.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, check with a wooden skewer to see if completely baked.
7. Once baked, let it cool on a cooling rack.

Blood orange & thyme buttercream frosting

1. In a large bowl, add the butter. Using a hand held mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until its light, pale and fluffy.
2. Sift the icing sugar in batches to whisk.
3. Add one batch of icing sugar and beat on low- medium speed for a minute.
4. Add the blood orange syrup into the bowl and add another batch of icing sugar. Beat on low- medium speed for a couple of minutes.
5. Add the last batch of icing sugar and beat again.
6. Add the frosting in a piping bag, this makes it quite easier to frost.

Assembly

1. Place a dollop of icing on the cake board, add a layer of cake on the cake board.
2. Pipe around the edges of the cake to form a dam around.
3. Fill the middle of the cake with blood orange curd that was chilled.
4. Place the middle layer on the filling.
5. Repeat the same with piping it around the edges and filling with blood orange curd.
6. Place the top layer and give a crumb coat around using a cake scraper or a offset spatula.
7. Chill in the fridge for about 15-30 minutes and give a thin layer of frosting around the cake. You can add a thicker layer of frosting if you wish.
8. Garnish with fresh thyme around and on top!
9. Enjoy