Dessert

Yotam Ottolenghi's rosemary, olive oil and orange cake

Name: Yotam Ottolenghi's rosemary, olive oil and orange cake recipe
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 10 small rosemary sprigs, each no more than 3cm long (see note); 1 egg white, lightly whisked; 2 tsp caster sugar; 30g unsalted butter, softened, for greasing the pan; 240g plain flour, plus more to flour the pan; 160ml extra virgin olive oil; 120g caster sugar; 3 tsp finely grated orange zest (from about 1 1/2 oranges); 7g rosemary; 2 large eggs; 130g sour cream; 2 tsp baking powder; 20.00 ml freshly squeezed orange juice; 2 1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice; 150g icing sugar

Rate now

Jump to recipe

by Yotam Ottolenghi

May 01, 2023

Fragrant and zesty, this simple but surprising cake from Yotam Ottolenghi will have everyone’s taste buds doing a happy dance.

For the crystallised rosemary

10 small rosemary sprigs, each no more than 3cm long (see note)
1 egg white, lightly whisked
2 tsp caster sugar

For the cake

30g unsalted butter, softened, for greasing the pan
240g plain flour, plus more to flour the pan
160ml extra virgin olive oil
120g caster sugar
3 tsp finely grated orange zest (from about 1 1/2 oranges)
1 tbs (7g) packed finely chopped rosemary leaves
2 large eggs
130g sour cream
2 tsp baking powder

For the orange icing

1 tbs freshly squeezed orange juice
2 1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 cups (150g) icing sugar, sifted

Method

1.

At least 6 hours before you plan to ice the cake, prepare the crystallised rosemary: brush rosemary on all sides with a little of the egg white and then dip it in the sugar, so the needles are lightly coated on all sides. Set aside on a wire rack to dry. Repeat with remaining rosemary.To make the cake, heat oven to 160°C/140°C fan-forced. Generously grease a 23cm bundt pan with half the butter and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Butter again, generously, and then flour it, tapping away the excess.
2.

Put olive oil, caster sugar, orange zest and chopped rosemary leaves in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until combined, then add eggs, one at a time. Whisk for another minute, until thick, then add sour cream and mix until combined on low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the whisk.
3.

Sift flour, baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt together into a small bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the olive oil mixture and mix until combined. Increase speed to high and whisk for 1 minute.
4.

Scrape batter into bundt pan and smooth top with a small spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until cake is cooked and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool. When the cake is cooled, place it onto a serving plate. (You may want to trim the cake at this stage, if it rises unevenly, to allow it to sit flat on the plate.)
5.

To prepare the icing, in a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, lemon juice and icing sugar until smooth. When the cake has cooled, drizzle icing on top, allowing it to drip down the sides of the cake, then top with the crystallised rosemary and serve.

Rate now

Recipe Notes

Begin this recipe at least 6-8 hours ahead.

For the rosemary, you want small, decorative clusters of needles. The simplest way to do this is to pull the bottommost clumps off large sprigs, or trim off the very tops of several sprigs.