Dessert
Rosemary Olive Oil Cake with Orange Caramel
Pulse fresh rosemary into the sugar for this olive oil cake, then finish it with a cream caramel made with blood orange juice. Fresh orange pieces go on just before serving.
- Yield
- 10 servings
- Cuisine
- Mediterranean-inspired
Bring it to the table
Flavor the sugar first
Processing rosemary with sugar breaks the leaves into small pieces and distributes them through the batter. Beat that sugar with the eggs before gradually adding the oil.
At the table
Add the fresh citrus and caramel close to serving time. Bring extra caramel to the table for spooning over slices.
Before you start
Gather your ingredients.
Full quantities and serving adjustments are in the recipe card below.
See the ingredient checklist
- 2/3 cup olive oil — plus more for the pan
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup rosemary leaves — packed
- 125 g all-purpose flour
- 63 g whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt — or use half as much Morton kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup blood orange or navel orange juice
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup heavy cream — at room temperature for mixing
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- kosher salt — a pinch, to taste
- 1 blood orange or navel orange — peeled and cut into segments or wheels
- 1 Cara Cara or navel orange — peeled and cut into segments or wheels
- flaky sea salt — to finish
A few useful notes.
The base batch serves about 10–12 and uses a 9-inch springform pan. The serving control starts at 10.
Add the caramel close to serving so the cake does not sit soaking under the sauce.
Use fresh rosemary leaves, not the woody stems.
The cooking plan
How to make Rosemary Olive Oil Cake with Orange Caramel.
Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle. Brush a 9-inch springform pan generously with oil. Line its base with parchment and brush the paper with oil.
Pulse the cake sugar and rosemary in a blender or food processor until combined with small pieces of herb. Whisk both flours, baking powder, baking soda and measured salt in a separate bowl. Stir the vanilla into the measured cake oil.
Beat the rosemary sugar and eggs on high speed for about 4 minutes, until pale, thick and roughly doubled in volume. On low speed, gradually drizzle in the oil mixture. Mix in half the dry ingredients, then the sour cream. Fold the remaining dry mixture in by hand, scraping the bowl.
Transfer to the pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 35–40 minutes, until golden, puffed and a tester comes out clean. Cool slightly on a rack, remove the springform sides, turn out and peel away the parchment. Set right-side up on a serving plate.
For the caramel, dissolve the caramel sugar in its water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring. Stop stirring and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, for about 9–11 minutes, until a deep golden honey color.
Lower the heat and carefully add the cream, orange juice, lemon juice and a pinch of salt; the mixture will bubble strongly and may clump. Stir with a heatproof spatula for 5–7 minutes, until any hardened caramel melts and the sauce thickens slightly. Let cool, stirring now and then.
Just before serving, arrange the fresh citrus over the cake, spoon some caramel over it and finish with flaky salt. Offer remaining caramel alongside.
Let’s cook
The full recipe.
Check off ingredients as you get them ready.
Changing servings? The ingredient list scales automatically. Adjust quantities named in the steps to match, and choose pans and cooking times for your batch.
Rosemary Olive Oil Cake with Orange Caramel
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Ingredients
⅔ cup olive oil plus more for the pan- 150 g granulated sugar
- ¼ cup rosemary leaves packed
- 125 g all-purpose flour
- 63 g whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt or use half as much Morton kosher salt
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ½ cup blood orange or navel orange juice
- 200 g granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup heavy cream at room temperature for mixing
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- kosher salt a pinch, to taste
- 1 blood orange or navel orange peeled and cut into segments or wheels
- 1 Cara Cara or navel orange peeled and cut into segments or wheels
- flaky sea salt to finish
Equipment
Equipment images are illustrative. Exact products may vary.
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle. Brush a 9-inch springform pan generously with oil. Line its base with parchment and brush the paper with oil.
- Pulse the cake sugar and rosemary in a blender or food processor until combined with small pieces of herb. Whisk both flours, baking powder, baking soda and measured salt in a separate bowl. Stir the vanilla into the measured cake oil.
- Beat the rosemary sugar and eggs on high speed for about 4 minutes, until pale, thick and roughly doubled in volume. On low speed, gradually drizzle in the oil mixture. Mix in half the dry ingredients, then the sour cream. Fold the remaining dry mixture in by hand, scraping the bowl.
- Transfer to the pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 35–40 minutes, until golden, puffed and a tester comes out clean. Cool slightly on a rack, remove the springform sides, turn out and peel away the parchment. Set right-side up on a serving plate.
- For the caramel, dissolve the caramel sugar in its water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring. Stop stirring and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, for about 9–11 minutes, until a deep golden honey color.
- Lower the heat and carefully add the cream, orange juice, lemon juice and a pinch of salt; the mixture will bubble strongly and may clump. Stir with a heatproof spatula for 5–7 minutes, until any hardened caramel melts and the sauce thickens slightly. Let cool, stirring now and then.
- Just before serving, arrange the fresh citrus over the cake, spoon some caramel over it and finish with flaky salt. Offer remaining caramel alongside.
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!A couple of useful answers.
When do I add the orange caramel?
Wait until close to serving, then spoon it over the cake and fresh citrus.
What if the caramel clumps when I add the cream?
Keep it over reduced heat and stir with a heatproof spatula until the hardened pieces melt back into the sauce.
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