Author Jamie Schler has a sure-fire hit with her new cookbook, "Orange Appeal: Savory and Sweet" ($24.99, Gibbs Smith), which is devoted entirely to oranges. Her love of oranges started as a child when she lived in Florida and has only grown larger as an adult. I'm not big on one-subject cookbooks, but this book made me think twice about that. Schler has developed a stunning collection of recipes that make you want to run out to the market and stock up on oranges.

Schler's love of the orange is reflected in dishes from main courses to dessert. Many of the recipes show off the oranges' diversity, including recipes for orange fig sauce; orange braised Belgian endive with caramelized onions and bacon; and chocolate orange marmalade brownies. The photos are beautiful, and you'll find many tips and hints to guide you along the way.

Schler is an accomplished teacher and hotel owner. Together with her husband Jean-Pierre Dagneaux, she runs the Hotel Diderot in Chinon, France, an ancient city in the beautiful Loire Valley. Her three-star property offers not only first-rate accommodations but also award-winning cuisine. Clearly, she never sleeps because she also makes and sells an amazing line of jams.

This glazed blood orange cake turned out to be the perfect recipe to test. I didn't have blood oranges available, so I used navel oranges instead. I imagine with blood oranges, the cake might have had a more complex, sweet yet slightly bitter flavor. Schler explains: "Thanks to the yogurt and the vegetable oil, this spectacular, intensely orange loaf cake stays moist for several days". This recipe is Seriously Simple to prepare in the food processor.

Once the cake comes out of the oven, you may find the top is high. When I let it cool, I reversed it on a cooking rack and the top flattened out beautifully. Make sure to poke lots of hole in the warm cake and then spoon over the orange syrup to evenly moisten the cake's interior. Schler says the glaze is optional, so try it either way.

This cake can be served any time, but I'm serving it for Halloween night this year. You can also serve it with coffee or tea for breakfast, as an afternoon snack, at teatime, or as dessert for lunch or dinner. I can't wait to try it with blood oranges.

Glazed Blood Orange Yogurt Loaf Cake

Makes 1 (9-inch) loaf cake

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups flour

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