Olive Oil Cake with Orange-Honey Syrup and Almond-Rosemary Sugar | Now We're Cookin'

Step 1: Olive Oil Cake

Yields: One 9-inch cake

Wet Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ¼ cup whole milk
• 1 ½ teaspoons orange zest, about one orange
• 1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest, about two lemons
• 2 tablespoons orange juice, about one orange
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, about two lemons
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ cup orange liqueur, or orange juice

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoon finely chopped rosemary, about two sprigs of rosemary

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan. You may also use a baking spray that contains flour. 

3. To make clean up easy, cover a baking sheet with foil. Make sure the springform pan fits on top of the baking sheet.

4. Put the prepared springform pan on the prepared sheet.

5. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and rosemary.

6. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, olive oil, whole milk, orange zest, lemon zest, orange juice, lemon juice, vanilla extract and orange liqueur (or additional orange juice). 

7. Mix until thoroughly combined. 

8. Whisk the dry ingredients into the olive oil mixture until just combined.

9. Pour batter into prepared springform pan. 

10. Bake at 350 F for an hour or until the top is golden and the toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 30 minutes. 

11. Remove the springform pan ring carefully. When cooled completely, invert the cake onto a plate and using a second plate, then invert the cake so that it is upright. Prick the cake top all over with a fork, about 15 times. 

12. Carefully drizzle the syrup evenly on top of the cake. 

13. Add the Almond-Rosemary Sugar crumble on top of the cake in an even layer, covering it completely. Garnish with the reserved orange peels from the syrup. Keeps for about a week if wrapped with plastic wrap.

STEP 3: Orange-Honey Syrup

Yields: ½ cup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• Juice of ½ orange
• 2 3-inch long pieces of orange peel

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a small pot over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar and honey dissolve. 

2. Once they dissolve, cook for 1 minute more to slightly reduce the mixture. Carefully pour into a bowl, set aside and let cool for at least 15 minutes.