Go Back

Orange Chamomile Olive Oil Cake with Whipped Ricotta

This quick one layer cake is the perfect thing to kick off spring baking! It’s flavored with fresh orange zest and juice, soothing chamomile tea, and nutty poppy seeds. It’s soaked in a chamomile infused simple syrup for added floral flavor, and topped with a creamy whipped ricotta sweetened with a touch of honey. It’s delicate, floral, refreshingly citrusy, and simple! The batter is made in only one bowl, and there is no overly difficult decoration. Less is more with this bright springtime cake!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Simple syrup and milk infusing time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8 Slices
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cake
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 4 chamomile tea bags
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • Zest of one orange about 2 Tablespoons
  • 3 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup fresh orange juice
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 1 teaspoon salt
Chamomile Syrup
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 chamomile tea bags
Whipped Ricotta
  • 16 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese*
  • 2 Tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • a pinch of salt

Method
 

Start by infusing the milk
  1. 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.
Make the cake
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
While the cake bakes, make the chamomile syrup
  1. 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.
Make the whipped ricotta
  1. 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.
  2. 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.

Notes

Ricotta: Some brands of ricotta will yield a thinner frosting. I use the brand BelGioioso, which makes a nice and thick topping.