If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, then I qualfy as insane. You might also say that I am a slow learner, and don’t always see the obvious clues that others spot so readily.
Last March I bought this beautiful heart shaped Bundt pan. I patiently waited 11 months to use it in a Valentines Day post. I decided to make a blood orange poppy seed cake. I used Ina’s recipe for Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Cake as my base and adapted it so that I could celebrate blood orange season.
My pan was heavily buttered and greased and I followed the directions very carefully. I baked it for 45 minutes, cooled it in the pan for exactly 10 minutes. Holding my breath, I gingerly inverted the cake to release it from the pan. 
Half of it stuck to the pan. I cursed, chopped the broken pieces up and froze them for future snacking and hustled off to the store for more blood oranges and cake flour. Before starting again, I did a quick google search to see what went wrong. The King Arthur website advised me that buttering and flouring was not the way to go. I followed their tips and tricks and baked the cake again, and again and again. My freezer is now full of lots and lots of broken cake for snacking. Come on over!
I finally realized that this heart shaped pan was the problem. I’m not quite sure why. Nordicware baking pans are usually so reliable. But, slow as I am, I was not about to try this pan for a 5th time. I pulled out my trusty round fluted Bundt pan.
Fifth time’s the charm! After a brief 10 minute cooling period, the cake slid out like a boss! Cue the fireworks.
While the cake cools, make a blood orange simple syrup. Pour this all over the warm cake to really intensify that blood orange flavour and keep your cake super moist.
Once the cake is totally cool, it gets a final drizzle of the most gorgeous pink glaze. 
I adored this cake. Dense, but in the best possible way, buttery and bright, slightly tangy and not too sweet. A perfect ray of sunshine on a cold February day. Celebrate Valentines Day with this luscious love letter to blood oranges.
Click here to print recipe for Blood Orange and Poppy Seed Bundt Cake.
It’s a good thing you adored this cake (and I can see why you would) because you appear to have a freezer full of it! Oh, I have SO been there. A recipe is winning and you can’t let it go. Surely one more time. One more tweak. Surely, you are smarter than one stupid bundt pan! At some point you have no more room in the freezer and have no choice but to move on. This is way better than my many attempts at tempering chocolate or my multiple attempts at making honeycomb which all ended up in the trash!. I would be delighted to nibble on this cake whether sliced or crumbled.
Thanks Wendy,
I have been working my way through the inventory!
You are patient and persistent by trying so many times. I would have given up. I wouldn’t mind having a piece of your cake with my tea.
Thanks Gerlinde. Some would call it patient, others would call it being a slow learner!!
Your beautiful pics motivated me to make this albeit in gluten free mode since my son is celiac. Used ATK flour blend adding two tsps xantham gum and had to increase the bake time by a full 20 mins! Very happy with the results and everyone loved. Thx for your awesome newsletters and recipes!
Thanks Christine. I’m so happy to hear that you had good results making it GF. My youngest son follows a mostly GF diet and I am not exactly a wizard when it comes to GF baking. Now I know how to do it! I am going to make it for him. Thanks for letting me know.