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Orange Olive Oil Cake

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The world has changed a lot over the past few months… It’s literally a whole new world. We are in the middle of a pandemic….staying home, social distancing, online schooling have all become the new normal. It is no doubt a very stressful time. Nevertheless, I think we are all doing our best and staying positive. I am very thankful that my family is keeping safe and healthy.

Because of the situation, my spring market got cancelled, but I am still baking a lot. Last month, my friends and I did a charity bake sale. We sold lots of cookies, cupcakes, brownies……The support was overwhelming! Together, we raised $1000 for the Vancouver Hospital Foundation COVID-19 Response Fund. A big thank you to everyone that donated.

More time at home also means more time to work on recipes! I have been wanting to make an olive oil cake for a while. My first time eating one was years ago at a little cafe and I loved it. It makes the cake soft and moist without leaving a strong taste. I used orange for this recipe, but I think lemon will work wonderfully as well.

Makes one 9.5 inch bundt cake

  • 150 g cake and pastry flour
  • 150 g all purpose flour
  • 6 g baking powder
  • 3 g baking soda
  • 2 g salt
  • 180 g sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 180 mL extra virgin olive oil
  • 180 mL milk
  • 50 mL fresh orange juice
  • zest of a medium orange
  • 5 ml pure vanilla extract
  • 4 mL pure orange extract
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350° F
  2. Sift together flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside
  3. Beat together sugar and eggs until frothy, using an eletrical mixer or hand whisk
  4. Mix in olive oil, milk, orange juice, orange zest and extracts
  5. Gradually add flour mixture and mix until just cooperated
  6. Pour batter into a 9-inch non-stick bundt pan and bake for about 35 minutes (you can use any other cake pan, but baking time may have to be adjusted)
  7. Dust with icing sugar when cooled if desired

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Strawberry Mousse Cake

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I first made this cake for my son’s 13th birthday last year. He specifically wanted a strawberry cake. It came out alright…but the cake was slightly dry and the mousse layer was too thick…..

My son’s birthday cake

I have been wanting to remake and “upgrade” it ever since, but never had a chance. It’s Mother’s Day, so I thought this is the perfect time! I added a jelly glaze on top to brighten both the colour and flavour. Each of the three layers has a different texture but they match very well together. It looks much prettier than last time too! I can now share it with my mom and my family. Happy Mother’s Day to all our moms! I wonder what my kids are doing to surprise me this year…….

Makes one 6 inch cake

For the cake

  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 75 g granulated sugar
  • 75 g cake and pastry flour, sifted
  • 2 g baking powder
  • 1 g salt
  • 5 mL pure vanilla extract
  • 5 mL fresh lemon juice
  • 30 mL vegetable oil

For the mousse and jelly glaze

  • 400 g fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
  • 160 g granulated sugar
  • 10 mL fresh lemon juice
  • 250 mL cold whipping cream
  • 4 x 1 g gelatin sheets

To make the cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F
  2. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside
  3. Whisk together egg yolks and 60 g of sugar until pale
  4. Mix in vanilla and oil, then gently fold in flour mixture
  5. In a separate bowl, make a meringue by whisking together egg whites and lemon juice until frothy
  6. Slowly add in 15 g of sugar, whisk until medium peak
  7. Gently fold meringue into flour mixture
  8. Pour batter into a lightly-greased 6 or 7 inch cake pan, lined with parchment paper at the bottom (see notes)
  9. Bake for about 20 minutes
  10. Let cool, then trim top and side of cake

Notes : I baked my cake in a 7 inch springform pan and trimmed it to fit into a 6 inch cake ring. You can just bake and assemble your cake in the same pan.

To make the mousse and jelly glaze

  1. For the mousse, place a large mixing bowl in the freezer for about 15 minutes
  2. Soak 3 gelatin sheets (1 g each) in cold water for a few minutes
  3. Blend strawberries and strain seeds out through a mesh
  4. Add sugar and lemon juice, and cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved
  5. Set aside half of the puree for the glaze
  6. Drained gelatin and add to remaining puree, stir until dissolved, let cool
  7. Whisk whipping cream in the cold mixing bowl until stiff peak
  8. Fold in strawberry gelatin mixture until just blended
  9. Pour on top of cake, smooth with a spatula and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours until set
  10. For the jelly glaze, soak 1 gelatin sheet in cold water for a few minutes
  11. Reheat the saved strawberry puree over medium heat
  12. Add drained gelatin and stir until dissolved
  13. Let cool, pour on top of mousse layer and refrigerate for another 3-4 hours until set
  14. Release cake from pan or ring and decorate as desired

Lemon Lavender Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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I haven’t had much luck with growing any living things lately. I planted some herbs and lavender seeds couple months ago, the herbs sprouted but didn’t survive, the lavender is growing but very slow. Then my daughter’s last little neon tetra died (we started with six fishes)……What am I doing wrong ??? Feeling kind of frustrated, I went and purchased a whole bunch of plants…..herbs, tomato, kale and lavender, hoping for better luck with some already-grown plants. Out of all of them, I like lavender the best ! It is in my favourite colour (purple, of course) and I love its smell, so soothing and relaxing. I have always wanted to bake with dried lavender too. Since Mother’s Day is coming up, I thought it would be a perfect time to try. It has a strong flavour, so use very sparingly. (I added a little too much the first time and my cake tasted almost medicinal ! So I had to cut it down and remake the cake.) Make sure you get dried lavender that is for culinary use only. I wouldn’t recommend making your own, as some plants may have been treated with pesticides. I decided to make a naked Lemon Lavender Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Naked cakes are very popular these days, but my primary reason was my terrible decorating skill ! With a naked cake, I can get away with the imperfection ! Secondly, I prefer cakes with less frosting (though my daughter would disagree), I can enjoy more of the cake itself rather than just butter and sugar. So, here it is, my Mother’s Day celebration ! A cake with bright lemon flavour and a subtle touch of lavender. Happy Mother’s Day to my mom, myself and all the wonderfull moms in the world ! 

Oh, you probably were wondering about my daughter’s fishes. Well, I told her we will get some more later, but she may want to pick something other than the tetras, cause they just don’t live very long and I really don’t enjoy scooping out dead fishes…..Lol
Makes one 6 inch cake

For the lavender sugar

  • 0.75 g (about 1 teaspoon) dried lavender flowers, food grade only 
  • 150 g granulated sugar 
  • 1/2 vanilla bean (optional)

Scrape vanilla bean and pulse all ingredients together in a food processor until blended

For the cake

  • 4 eggs (separated)
  • 150 g lavender sugar (use 30 g for the meringue)
  • 75 g all-purpose flour
  • 75 g cake and pastry flour 
  • 3 g baking powder 
  • 2 g salt 
  • 30 mL lemon juice (use 5 mL for the meringue)
  • Zest of one lemon 
  • 30 mL vegetable oil 
  • 5 mL pure vanilla extract 
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F 
  2. Lightly grease two 6″ round cake pans and line bottom with parchment paper
  3. Sift together flours, baking powder and salt, set aside
  4. In a mixing bowl, beat together egg yolks and 120 g of lavender sugar until pale
  5. Add 25 mL of lemon juice, lemon zest, oil and vanilla, mix until blended
  6. Gently fold in flour mixture
  7. In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer with whisk attachment, whisk egg whites and 5 mL of lemon juice until frothy
  8. Increase speed to high and slowly add in 30 g of lavender sugar
  9. Whisk until medium peak is formed
  10. Gently fold meringue into cake batter, 1/3 at a time, do not over mix
  11. Pour into baking tray and bake for about 20-22 minutes
  12. Cool completely before frosting 

For the cream cheese frosting

  • 250 g cream cheese
  • 60 g unsalted butter (softened)
  • 120 g icing sugar (sifted)
  • 30 mL lemon juice
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 5 mL pure vanilla extract 
  1. Beat together cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy
  2. Gradually add in icing sugar
  3. Add lemon juice,lemon zest and vanilla, mix until blended and smooth
  4. Keep in refrigerator until use

To Assemble

  1. Spread frosting between two layers of cake and on top (If the frosting is too firm to spread, you can put it in a bowl, then a hot water bath for a minute or two, just enough to soften) 
  2. Lightly frost the sides, smooth with a spatula 
  3. Keep in refrigerator