This Osmanthus Olive Oil Cake is remarkably tender and moist. The delicate floral notes of osmanthus bring a subtle sweetness, while olive oil adds a richness to every bite. Enjoy this classic Mediterranean treat with the Asian hint.
You might also like Milk Tea Tres Leches or Salted Egg Yolk Cookie.
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What is Osmanthus (桂花) ?
Osmanthus is a type of flowering plant. Its sweet, apricot-like fragrance is distinctive and often noticed before the plant is seen. In culinary practices, especially in East Asian cuisines, people use the dried flowers of Osmanthus to various dishes, including teas, wines, and desserts. Such as Osmanthus Jelly (桂花凍), Osmanthus Rice Cake (桂花糕), Osmanthus Tea (桂花茶).
What is Olive Oil Cake?
Instead of using butter or other fats, olive oil is the primary fat in Olive Oil Cake. The exact origin of the olive oil cake may not be pinpointed to a specific location, as variations of olive oil cakes can be found in many Mediterranean countries. In recent years, olive oil cakes have gained popularity in various parts of the world. You can find it not only on Italian restaurants’ menus, but also a lot of coffee shops’.
What makes this olive oil cake so moist?
1. Using olive oil instead of butter: Butter contains water, and during the baking process, this water evaporates. Unlike butter, oil is 100% fat and contains no water, so there is no water content to evaporate during baking.
2. Osmanthus syrup soak: Brush a good amount of syrup right after the cake is baked. The syrup helps retain moisture in the cake, and also creates shinny protection after it cools down.
3. Substituting a portion of almond flour for flour: Almond flour adds a certain richness and moisture due to its higher fat content. So by doing so, you actually replace part of the dry ingredients with more plant fat.
Ingredients in Osmanthus Olive Oil Cake
- Osmanthus - Dried osmanthus is easy to find in Chinese supermarket or Amazon. Find one that says natural and high quality.
- Olive Oil - Opt for extra virgin olive oil, which is considered the highest quality and is obtained through cold pressing without the use of heat or chemicals. Better EVOO can bring a rich and nuanced taste to your cake.
- Granulated Sugar - Sugar is used in the cake itself and the syrup. The process of mixing sugar and osmanthus allows the sugar to absorb the sweet aroma from the flowers, which ensures a more even distribution of osmanthus flavor throughout the recipe.
- All Purpose Flour - All-purpose flour creates a cake with a crumb that is neither too dense nor too delicate. You can also use cake flour for a lighter olive oil cake.
- Almond Flour - Almond flour is one of the reasons why this olive oil stays so moist.
- Egg - Egg acts as emulsifier, helping to stabilize the mixture of fat and liquid in the cake batter. And it is extra important for olive oil cake because if the oil doesn’t blend into the batter, you could end up with a very greasy cake.
- Milk - Milk is used for a thinner cake batter and also for the topping glaze.
- Powdered Sugar - Powdered sugar is for the glaze. It won’t be used in the cake itself.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Osmanthus Syrup?
Boil water, sugar and osmantus together in a saucepan. Turn off the heat and let it cool down on the side.
How to make Osmanthus Olive Oil Cake?
Prepare a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 360°F. (350°F if your oven is convection oven)
Rub together granulated sugar and osmanthus.
Mix eggs, olive oil and milk with a whisk. Make sure everything is combined.
Mix the osmanthus sugar and egg mixture.
Sift in the dry ingredients including all purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt. Fold gently.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan, and bake at 360°F for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove the parchment paper. Brush lots of osmanthus syrup on the cake while the cake is still hot.
How to make milk glaze?
Mix milk and powdered sugar. Cover the glaze to prevent the surface from drying out.
Allow the cake to cool completely before adding milk glaze. Sprinkle some dried osmanthus on the glaze before it sets.
Equipment
You will need one 8” cake pan or two 6” cake pans. You can also bake in some mini baking molds, but half the baking time first, and add more time if needed.
Storage
The osmanthus olive oil cake with syrup and glaze can stay in the room-temp for 3 days. And it will still be very moist on the third day I promise. Just make sure you cover the cake.
The cake batter can be stored in the fridge for 5 days.
If you want to store the baked cake for a long time, after brush the syrup, wrap with plastic wrap and leave it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge and add the milk glaze later.
Recipe Tips
It’s never too much osmanthus Syrup! The Osmanthus syrup brings really nice aroma to the cake and it’s one of the keys for a super moist cake.
Serve the osmanthus olive oil cake at room temperature! Olive oil cake often tastes best when served at room temperature. This allows the flavors to fully develop.
Recipe FAQ
You can play with the ratio of almond flour and all purpose flour, but I don’t recommend using only almond flour since the all purpose flour also help stabilizing the oil in the cake batter. If you want to make it gluten-free, try gluten-free flour mix or rice flour.
You can experiment with other oils to create different flavor. Grapeseed oil, avocado oil or other neutral-flavored oil are all alternative oils you can consider. Additionally, consider the smoke point of the oil. Some oils may have lower smoke points and are better for baking at lower temperatures.
Osmanthus syrup can stay in the fridge for up to 1 week. Use it for drinks or other dessert just like using simple syrup.
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe Card
Osmanthus Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
osmanthus syrup
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 300 g water
- 1 tablespoon dried osmanthus
osmanthus olive oil cake
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon dried osmanthus
- 4 egg
- 140 g olive oil extra virgin
- 50 g milk
- 1 pinch salt
- 140 g all purpose flour
- 60 g almond flour
- 5 g baking powder 1 ¼ tsp
milk glaze
- 70 g powdered sugar
- 15 g milk 1 tbsp
Instructions
Make osmanthus syrup
- Cook: Boil water, sugar and osmantus together in a saucepan. Turn off the heat and let it cool down on the side.
Make Osmanthus Olive Oil Cake
- Prep: Prepare a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 360°F.
- Rub: Rub together granulated sugar and osmanthus.
- Mix: Mix eggs, olive oil and milk with a whisk. Mix the osmanthus sugar and egg mixture.
- Sift: Sift in the dry ingredients including all purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt. Fold gently.
- Bake: Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan, and bake at 360°F for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Brush: Remove the parchment paper. Brush lots of osmanthus syrup on the cake while the cake is still hot.
Make milk glaze
- Mix: Mix milk and powdered sugar. Cover the glaze to prevent the surface from drying out.
- Cool: Allow the cake to cool completely before adding milk glaze.
- Finish: Sprinkle some dried osmanthus on the glaze before it sets.
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