Orange Rosemary Cake | Gluten-free

Rosemary is one of those herbs you can use in a variety of foods: chicken, fish, sauces, Italian cuisines and … cakes? Yes. Combining fresh orange with the woodsy, citrus-like flavors of rosemary enhances both the earthy and citrus flavors of both ingredients.

I would have never thought to combine the two ingredients in a pastry, but travel really does expand your mind. A visit to Australia introduced me to this lovely dish where I tasted a gluten-free version of it at a local café in Northern Queensland. That’s when I knew I had to recreate this when I got back home to Texas.

This recipe uses fresh rosemary, which provides a more subtle flavor as opposed to using dried rosemary. The herb provides a number of benefits as do most herbs. I’m no doctor, but rosemary is said to contain vitamins and minerals such as iron, potassium, fiber and an abundance of B vitamins, just to name a few.

When living with a gluten intolerance, your body is often deprived of vitamins and minerals — mostly B vitamins. So being able to provide your body with these vitamins through other foods other than breads and cereals, it is important to include these more often in your daily diet. Mother Nature always comes through.

Ingredients for cake:

• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons almond flour
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour (with rising agents)
• 2 oranges
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon rosemary

Ingredients for glaze:

• 1 orange
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon orange broth

Directions for cake:

1. Place whole oranges into a saucepan of water and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and return oranges to pan with fresh water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 more minutes. Oranges should be soft. Cut into halves, along with rind, and remove any seeds. (Save the boiled orange broth for the glaze)
2. Preheat oven to 320ºF. Grease bundt or cake pan of choice.
3. Place orange halves into food processor and blend until smooth.
4. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and sugars until thickened. Add inO orange, flours, baking powder, oil and rosemary and gently combine.
5. Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Directions for glaze:

1. Squeeze orange juice into saucepan and mix in the sugar and water. Cook over low heat and stir for 5 minutes. Glaze will thicken slightly but will still have a watery consistency.
2. Remove from heat and add in orange broth saved from the boiled oranges. Set aside to cool.
3. When cake pan is cool enough to touch, set cake onto desired display and drizzle the cooled glaze onto the cake.

4. Tip: You can also make the glaze ahead of time or while the cake is baking so that it will be cooled in time for drizzling.