Don’t be overwhelmed by the ingredients and number of steps, this is a relatively easy cake to make and the taste – and presentation – will surely impress.  It has a great combination of flavour and it is one of those desserts that will be talked about for sure.  You can bet people will be asking for the recipe once they try it.  A very fresh and unique take on a tea cake with some very complimentary flavours.

Time:

2.5 hours

Serves:

6

Good for:

• Unique flavour
• Not too sweet dessert
• Great with tea and tea time gatherings

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp almond flour for bake tray
• Additional ½ cup almond flour
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 and ½ tbsp of chopped rosemary
• 1 Orange (for zest and juice)
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 1 cup of plain yogurt
• 1 and ½ cup of white flour (all purpose)
• 1 tspn of baking powder
• 1 tspn baking soda
• 1 tspn of vanilla extract
• ½ tspn of sea salt

For garnish:

• 1 orange
• ½ cup of water
• ½ cup of sugar
• Additional 2 tbsp of sugar
• 1 and ½ cup of icing or powdered sugar
• 3 tbsp of orange juice

Kitchen things you’ll need:

• 9-inch pan
• Large and medium bowls
• Mixer (hand or standing)

Making it:

• Preheat your oven to 350 F (180 C) and grease a 9-inch pan
• Sprinkle in 1 tbsp of the almond flour and shake the pan to coat the bottom and sides
• In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar, rosemary and the zest of the orange. Using your hands, rub the zest and rosemary into the sugar until it smells fragrant and the sugar picks up a little color.
• Add in the oil and eggs and beat until well combined. Stir in the yogurt and vanilla as well as the juice from the orange and set aside.
• Add the vanilla and baking powder until combined, and then the flour and mix on a low-speed setting, once the flour is combined increase the speed to medium setting until a dough is formed.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup almond flour with the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and stir just until combined. Set the batter aside for 20 minutes.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the center is done, check with a toothpick, should come out clean, with a cooking time of about 40 to 45 minutes.
• Remove and let it cool for 15 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the center is springy and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
• While the cake cools, prepare the garnish in a small saucepan.  Combine ½ a cup of the granulated sugar with the water. Peel large strips of orange zest off the orange with a vegetable peeler to get proper curls.
• Slice the peels into long, thin strips and add them to the syrup mixture. Place over low heat and bring to a simmer, gently stirring occasionally, until the zest is tender for about 5 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the rosemary tips, and, using a fork, remove the orange zest and rosemary from the syrup and transfer to a rack-lined sheet pan. Allow the zest and rosemary to dry until sticky but no longer wet, about 30 minutes. Then sprinkle with the remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.
• When the cake is fully cooled, whist together the powdered sugar and orange juice, adding more juice to thin it if it’s thick or adding more sugar to thicken it if its runny.
• Pour over the cake, then add the garnish and serve.

Tips/notes:

• You can also use other herbs or edible flours for the garnish and sprinkle some cinnamon to make it more fragrant.