Orange-Cardamom Cake
A lush olive-oil and yogurt cake that celebrates spring
Today’s recipe is courtesy of my brilliant friend Shirin, who when she told me in passing that she was making an orange-cardamom cake, was probably a little shocked at just how fast I asked for the recipe. Like the Road Runner, I was.
Shirin turned an ordinary olive-oil yogurt cake into a glorious, lush cake that sings with orange, and subtle undertones of cardamom.
(please help put some spring into the algorithm and click the heart button above!)
The cake was made for Nowruz, the Persian and Zorastrian celebration of spring which celebrates new beginnings and has, for many, added spiritual significance as it symbolizes the triumph of good over evil, and joy over sorrow. That is definitely worth hoping for these days
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Nowruz is rich with symbolism to ensure good things in the year to come. A traditional table is often set with seven items, as seven is seen as a lucky number, and all items begin with the letter ‘s,’ seeb (apple), to represent beauty, seer (garlic), to represent good health, serkeh (vinegar), to represent patience, sonbol (hyacinth), to represent spring, samanu (sweet pudding), to represent fertility, sabzeh (sprouts), to represent rebirth, sekeh (coins), to represent prosperity. There are often other symbolic items that can be added, including my favorite, a goldfish in a bowl to represent life.
I apologize to those who celebrate Nowruz for not getting this to you on time, but it is the kind of cake you want to keep on your counter, a la Claire McCaskill, no matter what time of year.
And, as I look to summer with hope in my heart (and stomach), I am pondering how to make a peach version of this cake.
Notes on the Making of the Cake:
You will need a blender or food processor to puree the clementines.
The clementines get a zap in the microwave to help soften the peel. If you don’t have a microwave, just soak whole clementines in hot water for 5 minutes and dry them off. (In this case, only cut the ends off after they’ve been soaked.)
To substitute oranges, peel the oranges first and remove as much of the bitter white pith and de-seed, before chopping up the orange and peel.
Do not use super fancy, green-tasting olive oil for the recipe, unless you love the taste of the oil. Some Colavita or Bertolli will do just fine.
Be patient. Let this cake sit a day before eating it to let the flavors meld and the texture, for lack of a better phrase, settle down.
I used 3 small clementines to get 3/4 cup (180 grams) of puree. Since defining what is a small clementine is nearly impossible, I’ve given you measurements for the amount of puree.
Love cardamom? Use 1 teaspoon. Just want a very subtle taste? Use 1/2 teaspoon.
TOP TIP: If a recipe calls for “1 cup of confectioner’s sugar, sifted”: Measure 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar, then sift it. If a recipe says “1 cup sifted confectioner’s sugar”: Sift confectioner’s sugar, then measure 1 cup’s worth.
Orange-Cardamom Cake with Olive Oil and Yogurt
Makes one 8” cake
What You’ll Need:
For the cake batter:
3 to 4 small clementines, stem end cut off and microwaved for 30 seconds
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (118 ml) extra virgin olive oil
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (113 grams) plain Greek yogurt (lowfat or full-fat, please)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups (218 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
For the clementine syrup:
1/4 cup (59 ml) fresh clementine juice (this was 3 to 4 clemmies for me)
1 tablespoon (12 grams) granulated sugar
For the clementine glaze:
1 cup (113 grams) confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract, or 1 tsp vanilla paste
3 to 4 tablespoons clementine juice
What You’ll Do:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8” x 2” cake pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment paper.
Slice off the stem ends of the clementines. Place on a plate to catch any juice, and microwave for 30 seconds. Let sit for 10 minutes, then slice into chunks. Remove any seeds you find. You probably know this already, but hey, I want to be thorough.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom.
Process the clementines in a blender or food processor until the texture of chunky applesauce. Add the sugar, and further blend until smooth. Pop in the eggs, olive oil, yogurt and vanilla and blend until smooth.
Pour the orange mixture over the flour mixture and gently fold together. Treat this as you would pancake batter. Don’t over-mix, a few lumps are fine. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs on.
While the cake is baking, make the syrup and the glaze. To make the syrup: Heat the granulated sugar and clementine juice until the sugar has melted. This should take a minute or so. To make the glaze: whisk together the confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract and clementine juice until the mixture is smooth and pourable. Add more clementine juice as necessary to achieve optimum pour!
When the cake is finished baking, remove from the oven and poke holes in the cake with said toothpick. Marvel at the fact that you actually have a container of toothpicks that never seems to get any smaller. Wonder if toothpicks spontaneously reproduce. Use a spoon to slowly “feed” the cake the clementine syrup.
Let the syrup soak into the cake for 30 minutes. Run a spatula around the edge of the cake before removing it from the cake pan, otherwise the cake will stick in the pan and either not come out at all or come out in chunks and you will have to make a trifle instead. (Not a punishment!)
Give the glaze a quick re-whisking, and pour over the cake, starting from the center. Garnish with zest or even edible flowers, such as forsythia. Let sit overnight, loosely covered, before serving.
Where I am today, we’re supposed to have 4 inches of rain in the span of 12 hours. Bosco is sad because he hates walks in the rain, although I will say it’s v. tempting to take him out and lather him up with shampoo.
This past week, I’ve dipped into “The Regime,” which stars Kate Winslett and so far is worth watching entirely for her performance. I desperately needed some laughs with my viewing, and so also started the short-lived series “The Year of the Rabbit.” Hijinks ensue with zero-f***s-to-give Victorian detective inspector on the hunt for murderers. Low-brow and silly and just what I needed. Maybe you, too?
More soonly. Bake cake. Be kind to one another and definitely, most definitely, to yourselves.
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And while we’re at it, just why do oranges taste like oranges? Some science for your Saturday:
https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/why-oranges-taste-like-oranges/4019163.article?eid=81606e69da1b825c1d5706e79b78280b
I actually had to buy a new box of toothpicks a couple weeks ago. I'm pretty sure I bought the previous box in San Antonio, which means it was more than 17 years old! (Also, this cake sound scrumptious!)
Talk about generating a Pavlovian response. FYI: You can also add painted hard-boiled eggs to your Haft-Sin table. Painted eggs pre-date Christianity and have always been used to celebrate fertility.