Spring is upon us! Oh, and apparently Easter is this Sunday? When did that happen? I cannot believe we are already on month NUMBER FOUR of 2023. It seems unreal. If I’m being honest, I wish it was still winter (well, really I wish it was fall, but I’ll settle for winter). I feel like it was never truly winter without snow. But, what can be done? As of March 20th, it is spring.
And although I miss the sweaters and hot cocoa, I do love the flavors of spring. We’re talking fruit, florals, citruses, and so much more. So to kick us off, may I present this cake because it really has it all.
This one layer cake is a simple one bowl batter, made from milk steeped with chamomile tea bags, fresh orange zest and juice, poppy seeds, and olive oil. It’s soaked in a chamomile simple syrup, to really get those flavors across. And to top it off, we’ve got a thick layer of “frosting” (see more on that bellow!), fresh chamomile flowers, and juicy orange slices. It’s delicately floral, refreshingly citrusy, and of course includes a satisfyingly creamy topping. It may sound like it’s got too much going on, but it all works together to create the perfect early springtime cake.
Describe this Cake to Me
Taste: Simply put, this tastes like a springtime dream. But I’ll get a little more specific. You’ve got a refreshing citrus flavor from the orange, which goes well with the nutty crunch of the poppy seeds and the soothing floral notes of the chamomile. You also get a nice background flavor from the olive oil, which gives the cake a rustic, slightly earthy taste. And to top it off, a buttery and creamy whipped ricotta which is lightly sweetened with honey and specked with orange zest. These flavors really are the “essence of spring” and create a bite unlike any other.
Texture: The cake is soft and fluffy, with a beautifully caramelized edge. You get a slight crunch from the poppy seeds which is mellowed out with the creaminess of the whipped ricotta. Each bite is light and airy, with a moist crumb, resulting in a cake that just melts in your mouth.
Ease: This is one of the easiest and quickest cakes you could make. It’s a simple one bowl batter, and the cake is only one layer so there is no need for fancy stacking or extra decoration. I do like to make a quick chamomile syrup to soak the cake in to get those delicate floral flavors across. The “frosting” is also super simple, only 3 ingredients. And, as I said, the cake is one layer so you can just throw that ricotta right on top. But, don’t forget to leave about an hour at the beginning to steep the milk with chamomile teabags! It isn’t difficult, but it will take a little more time.
What is an Olive Oil Cake?
An olive oil cake is exactly what it sounds like: A cake whose fat comes from olive oil. The olive oil replaces the usual butter or other cooking oil to give you a complex flavor that really is like no other. It’s sweet and savory, and balances out well with the tangy citrus and soothing chamomile.
The Details
Ok, let’s start with the cake. We love this cake. It’s one bowl, and only takes about 10 minutes to make the batter. You want to start off by warming some milk on the stove. Then add some chamomile tea bags and let it steep for a little while, about an hour. Once you get that out of the way, it’s smooth sailing. Start making the cake by creaming together eggs, sugar, and orange zest. You want to get it nice and fluffy, for a tall and moist cake. Then stream in that olive oil. Add the warm milk, vanilla, and orange juice. Plop in your flour, baking powder, poppy seeds, and salt and mix it all up. Throw that in a cake pan and bake away. That’s it. So easy and addictingly fluffy and delicious.
The “Frosting”
Now for the topping. This isn’t really a frosting, but it honestly tastes better than any old buttercream. And it’s only THREE INGREDIENTS. You heard that right people, THREE. You just whip up some ricotta cheese, orange zest, and a tad bit of honey to sweeten in a food processor. Now I know what you might be thinking: Cheese? On a cake??? And I get it. I would be a tad skeptical too. But when you think about it, cream cheese frosting is also cheese. This is sort of like cream cheese frosting but without the tangy-ness, or the overwhelmingly sweet flavor. This is light, creamy, and subtly sweetened. With that olive oil in the cake, there is truly nothing better than ricotta to top it off. And the best part? This cake is one layer, so there’s no piping or stacking when assembling the cake. Just slap that creamy ricotta on top in a thick layer and decorate your heart out with fresh oranges and pretty spring flowers.
How to get a Real Chamomile Flavor
When I was first testing this cake, I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to get a real chamomile flavor across without making the cake taste like soap. Florals are difficult like that. I knew I wanted to steep chamomile tea bags with warm milk, but I didn’t know how many bags, or how long to steep them, or at what temperature to do so. On the first go round, I did two tea bags for about 20 ish minutes. I tasted the milk and was satisfied with the chamomile flavor. But I forgot one crucial thing. Once I added the milk to the batter, that delicate floral flavor went poof. It was overpowered by the orange and olive oil. The second go round, I added a third tea bag and let is steep for more like 40 minutes. Still not enough flavor. I few tastings later I found that four tea bags, steeping for over an hour gave a subtle chamomile flavor. But I still wasn’t satisfied so I whipped up a chamomile simple syrup and soaked the cake in it. Perfection.
So can we all agree we are going to make this cake now??? I have been super excited about it for a while. And when I say that, I mean I came up with the concept back in December and have been ironing out the details for months. It’s such a pretty early springtime cake! Also, easters coming up so…… This really would make a great easter brunch dessert, just sayin.
Orange Chamomile Olive Oil Cake with Whipped Ricotta
Ingredients
Method
- Place the milk in a small saucepan and allow it to come to a simmer over medium-low heat. Once just simmering, turn the heat down to the lowest setting and add four chamomile tea bags, making sure the bags have been submerged in the warm milk. Cover and allow to steep for one hour, stirring every 20 minutes or so. The milk will turn a light brown color from the tea, that's a good thing! Once steeped for an hour, allow it to continue to steep while we prepare the rest of the cake.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9 inch round cake pan with olive oil, line with parchment paper, and then grease the parchment with more olive oil. We want to make sure the cake doesn't stick. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using either a hand or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the sugar, orange zest, and eggs together on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes. The mixture will turn a pale yellow and become smooth and slightly fluffy. With the mixer still running, slowly stream in the olive oil and then beat until combined, about 2 minutes. On low speed, add the orange juice, vanilla, and warm steeped milk (I recommend running the milk through a strainer to get rid of anything that may have come out of the tea bags), and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the flour, baking powder, poppy seeds, and salt. Beat on low speed until just combined. You may need to finish mixing with a spatula to get rid of any clumps on the bottom of the bowl.
- Pour all of the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. The cake is done when an inserted toothpick has no crumbs, and the cake is pulling away from the sides of the pan. The cake will get very brown on top, and may even crack but that's ok! Allow the cake to cool in the pan for at least an hour before inverting the slightly cooled cake onto a wire cooling rack and soaking in the syrup.
- In a small saucepan set over medium heat, cook the water and sugar, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved. Once dissolved, turn the heat down to the lowest setting and add three chamomile tea bags. Cover and allow to steep for one hour. The syrup will turn brown, that's ok! Once steeped, remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Then remove the tea bags, and use a pastry brush to brush the top of the slightly cooled cake with the syrup. You don't have to use all of it, but the more of it you use, the stronger the chamomile flavor in the cake will be. I usually use a little over half of it. Allow the soaked cake to cool completely before frosting. I put it in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes to speed up the process.
- Add the ricotta, honey, orange zest, and a pinch of salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Spread the ricotta over the cooled cake in a thick layer and top with orange slices and fresh flowers.
- Cake stays fresh sealed in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. This cake must be refrigerated because of the ricotta.