We always love a chance to make birthday cakes for our friends—and they never seem to mind it either. This particular cake was for our close friend Hannah, who needed a cake that was dairy-free.
As much as we love a cake that's billowing with buttercream frosting, the dairy-free challenge gave us an excuse to try out a new recipe. Olive oil cakes have been popping up all over our social media feeds, and this one, from Yvette Van Boven's Home Baked, seemed like the perfect one to try.
We celebrated Hannah's birthday over brunch, so we decided something light and citrus-y would be a welcomed morning treat. Not only was the cake itself refreshing (filled with citrus juice both in the cake and the glaze), but it was the perfect complement to the bagels and mimosas.
Though drying out clementine slices may seem like tedious task, it requires almost no hands-on time, and the payoff is so worth it. Just look how gorgeous the top of this cake is!
Olive Oil Cake with Clementine and Rosemary
Serves 8
For the cake:
- 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- grated zest and juice of 2 clementines
- 1 1/4 cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
For the glaze:
- 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
- juice of 1 clementine
- juice of 1 lemon
For the topping:
- 1 clementine, cut into 1/4-inch slices
- fresh rosemary sprigs
For the dried clementine slices (garnish): Spread the clementine slices onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, turn your oven onto its lowest temperature, and let the slices dry in the oven overnight, flipping the slices over towards the end of the baking time. For best results, leave the door of the oven ajar (you can prop it open with a ladle or other long kitchen utensil).
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Cut a piece of parchment paper into a circle, grease a 9-inch springform pan, line it with the parchment paper, then grease the parchment as well.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, whisk together the oil and sugar until foamy. Beat in the eggs one by one, then add the rosemary, clementine zest, and clementine juice. Beat thoroughly.
In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gently fold the flour mixture into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40-45 minutes. After cooling for 5 minutes in the pan, remove the sides of the pan and allow the cake to cool completely.
Make the glaze: Stir together the confectioners' sugar, the clementine juice, and the lemon juice. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake and top with rosemary sprigs and dried clementine slices. Let the glaze dry before cutting and serving.
Recipe from Home Baked.