Blood Orange Bundt Cake with Cardamom and Blood Orange Icing - with Judge Kitchenware *gifted

So recently I was a very lucky lady and gifted some gorgeous bakeware and double walled latte glasses from Judge. I think it's always difficult knowing what brands to buy and try  because there are a lot out there and it's hard to know the differences in quality just by looking at them. I already have some Judge bakeware that I use and know it's really good quality.  Lucky for you I tried these all out and can tell you exactly what I think of them.

First thing first, be honest. You buy a piece of new bakeware, you are so excited to try it out that you rip open the packaging, give it a wash and get on with the baking. That's exactly what I do BUT on this occasion I decided to read the care instructions and I'm glad I did. Obviously, wash before first use, we all knew that right. What I didn't know was that you should season the bakeware with a little oil. I always use PME cake release spray in ANY bakeware, even those that are non stick just for a little insurance, which I usually buy from Ebay or Amazon.  Let your bakeware cool before plunging into water to wash, as a hot bake pan with cold water might cause warping. This Judge Bundt tin is dishwasher safe but should be removed immediately after dishwashing and dried straight away. Gonna be honest, not been doing that, but I will now. It also comes with a 5 year guarantee, so bake away.

The Judge Bundt tin is a really nice size and durable yet lightweight. Some of the other Bundt tins I have are really heavy so once they're filled with cake and you try to turn them out they can be pretty difficult, but this was a lot easier because it's nice and light. I also found that my cake slid right out. I did use PME cake release but that's never stopped any cakes from sticking a little before. I also liked the shape of the cake, its a nice Bundt shape to ice and decorate.

As blood oranges are in season, I wanted to make a blood orange Bundt cake.

 Aren't they gorgeous? I used a recipe from Edd Kimber which can be found on BBC Good Food here - it's a really nice and moist cake. I don't have a handheld electric whisk so I used my stand mixer which worked fine. I also measured the juice from the blood oranges because mine were large and quite juicy and I found 2 & 1/2 made 150ml, so if you aren't sure just measure when juicing.

I personally made a few adjustments to the recipe. I added a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a teaspoon of ground cardamom which gave the cake warmth. When you are finished with your mix and have poured it into your tin, remember to tap the tin gently on your worktop to try and get out any air bubbles.

I also didn't make the icing as instructed in the recipe and instead just mixed some blood orange juice with icing sugar. Which gave the cake a nice sweet and tart finish.

I kept it simple and finished the cake off with a few slices of blood orange. Some slivered pistachios would've also been nice.

The cake was really good still the next day because it is such a moist cake and it didn't dry out at all.

Some Bundt tins are really expensive but I do think this one from Judge priced at £14 is a bit of a bargain and I think it turned out really nicely. You can buy the Bundt tin from Judge here