BLOOD ORANGE LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Coat an 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray; line bottom of pan with wax paper.
• Coat wax paper with cooking spray.
• Combine eggs, vanilla, melted butter, and salt in a bowl.
• Beat with a mixer at high speed 2 minutes.
• Gradually add 1/2 cup granulated sugar, beating until mixture is thick and pale.
• Gently fold flour into egg mixture, 1/4 cup at a time.
• Spoon batter into prepared pan.
• Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center.
• Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
• To prepare filling, place a colander in a 2-quart glass measure or medium bowl.
• Line colander with 4 layers of cheesecloth, allowing cheesecloth to extend over outside edges. Spoon yogurt into colander. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; refrigerate 12 hours.
• Spoon yogurt cheese into a large bowl; discard liquid. Add honey to yogurt, stirring well with a whisk.
• Combine cream and powdered sugar in bowl, beat with a mixer at high speed until soft peaks form.
• Gently stir one-fourth of the cream mixture into yogurt mixture; gently fold in remaining cream mixture.
• Cover and chill 15 minutes.
• Arrange blood orange sections in a single layer on several layers of paper towels, and let stand 5 minutes.
• Reserve half of the sections; roughly chop remaining sections. Cover and chill.
• To prepare syrup, combine juice and 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a whisk.
• Reduce heat; simmer until reduced to 1/4 cup.
• Remove from heat; cool.
• Split cake in half horizontally using a serrated knife (I use unwaxed dental floss) place bottom layer, cut side up, on a plate.
• Brush with 2 tablespoons syrup.
• Spread with half of yogurt mixture, leaving a 1/4-inch border.
• Sprinkle chopped blood orange mixture mixture evenly over yogurt mixture.
• Top with the remaining cake layer, cut side down. Brush the top layer with remaining syrup; spread with remaining yogurt mixture.
• Top cake with reserved whole orange sections.