Olive Oil Cake with Orange, Rosemary, and Pecans

Olive Oil Cake with Orange, Rosemary, and Pecans

Serves 8-10

Olive oil cakes are incredibly moist, with a dense texture and fruity, savory flavor that appeals any time of day. Be sure to use a very good extra-virgin olive oil, as its flavor will be prominent. This recipe calls for a finely chopped navel orange–that means rind and all! Just be sure to chop it small and discard any seeds. The rind will soften as the cake cooks.

Cake

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

3 eggs

3/4 cup whole milk

1 cup really good extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons orange liqueur, optional

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon chopped rosemary, plus a few sprigs for garnish

1/2 navel orange, finely chopped, seeds discarded

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans

Honey Syrup

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup water

Pecan Sugar Topping

1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans

1/4 cup granulated sugar

a few leaves fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Spray a 10-inch angel food or bundt pan with nonstick baking spray and dust with flour.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until thick and light in color. Whisk in milk, olive oil, orange liqueur, and vanilla. Stir in rosemary and the finely chopped orange, along with any juices that accumulated during chopping.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1/2 cup pecans. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold together until combined.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Check about halfway through and cover with foil if needed to prevent too much browning. Remove and let cool.

While the cake cooks, make the honey syrup. Combine honey and water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until honey dissolves and mixture reduces slightly, about 5 minutes.

Make the pecan sugar topping: in a small food processor, combine 1/2 cup pecans, 1/4 cup sugar, and a few rosemary leaves. Pulse until finely ground, roughly the texture of coarse sand.

When the cake is cool, make several pricks all over the top with the tines of a fork. Drizzle the honey syrup over the top, letting it seep into the cake. Top generously with the pecan sugar.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes