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local milk is a journal devoted to home cookery, travel, family, and slow living—to being present & finding sustenance of every kind. It’s about nesting abroad & finding the exotic in the everyday. Most of all it’s about the perfection of imperfections and seeing the beauty of everyday, mundane life.

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A long time ago in a different life (or at least i A long time ago in a different life (or at least it feels that way) I was riding in a car at night with @whereissionnie to meet up with @ruthielindsey and @1924us for bonfires and general cabin shenanigans outside of Nashville. 

I remember the drive so well. It’s a conversation that always stuck with me. We talked about trauma and crisis. And I don’t know much, but I shared the only thing I know, a thing that has served me well through the natural undulations life is bound to bring.

And that is simply sometimes you have to cling to the mast. You aren’t doing anything but surviving but that’s the most important work of all. Because the storm WILL pass. And you‘ll be left standing.

And when it does you can mend the sails. Untangle the ropes. And get on with the business of sailing.

I’ve learned to give myself permission to do nothing but make it through. To sleep a little too late. To dance in front of the mirror and feel myself even when I look ridiculous. To load and unload the dishwasher and allow that to be a great victory. To dress like a cartoon character in nothing but white t-shirts and denim shorts.  To eat mac & cheese from a box and frozen chicken nuggets sometimes. To not respond to text messages. To flail and get back up over and over. To ask for help. A lot.

And also permission to feel it all. Rage. Grief. Joy. Hope and hopelessness. And sometimes all within the span of a few minutes. 

And most of all, whether navigating calm waters or stormy ones, what matters more than anything is the crew you’re doing it with. Surround yourself with solid people.

People that challenge you with compassion. And humor. People whose strengths buttress your weakness. People that don’t judge you. That believe in you even when you think they’re maniacs for doing so.

I know a disproportionate amount of us have had rough seas this year. Cling to the mast in the storm. Choose your crew wisely. No storm ever lasted forever. But there never was a last storm in the world. Accept that they will come and be prepared.

Herbes de Provence & Rose Olive Oil Cake

Baking

06.20.2014

Fennel Rose Olive Oil Cake

Fennel Grapefruit Olive Oil Cake

Santa Susana

I make this cake so many ways—with herbs and spices, citrus juice and spirits, and various extracts and essences. I’ve never added fruit or nuts, because I prefer the crumb unadulterated, but I’ve started to wonder how peaches might fare. I bake it in layers, in bundts, in tiny little flower molds. It’s a house favorite, a backbone of my cooking-for-many repertoire. Why? Because it’s as simple as making pancakes, bakes up to have a moist interior and a crispy, golden exterior, and because it’s a blank slate for whatever floral notes or earthy spice I want to infuse it with that day. I’ve even subbed white wine that needed using for the citrus juice to good effect. Grand Marnier is good too. Maybe a nice Calvados and warm spices in winter. This cake is a hero with a thousand faces. Epic.

Fennel Rose Olive Oil Cake

Fennel Rose Olive Oil Cake

Fennel Rose Olive Oil Cake

I can’t remember when olive oil came into my life; it wasn’t always there. I remember that it was exotic when I was learning to cook, and I felt worldly splashing it into my skillet in my apartment on Prytania St. in New Orleans, barely twenty and roasting thin, white filets of fish en papillote and feel proud. Feeling like I knew a thing about cooking, men, and books—things my grandmother and mother didn’t know. I, it turns out, didn’t know much of anything other than how to make a spectacular mess of hearts. But I learned. Anyhow, you’d have been hard pressed to find a bottle of olive oil in my grandmother’s kitchen. I doubt there ever was one. For most of my life my cooking was Italian and French inspired only and always. I didn’t cook southern food at all. I dismissed it like so much of the fabric of my youth. And so it went, my ignorant affair with olive oil. Eventually I, like so many American home-cooks, came to regard it as the oil, the only oil. And I bought it indiscriminately, using it in anything and everything from searing, sautéing, vinaigrettes, pan frying, and all manner of drizzling. The one thing it didn’t occur to me to do was bake with it, but I wasn’t really known for my baking back then anyhow. It was all a bit crude, really.

Now, olive oil is something I pay attention to. It keeps its place among the other fats, the grape seed oil and sweet butter, the coconut oil and leaf lard. There is a time and place for olive oil. I try to always get my hands on the best I can afford. Pure fruit and pepper on the tongue, the kind that runs thick and grassy green. The kind that can  stand on its own as a sauce. Currently, I’ve been happily going through bottles of oil from California Olive Ranch; I’m particularly partial to the bold Miller’s Blend (they aren’t paying me to say so; it’s just delicious). Good doesn’t have to mean expensive. Cosco olive oil, the Kirkland brand, is perfectly respectable cooking oil. But when I can, I get the most beautiful, unadulterated bottles I can find. I’m a bit of a collector.

In summer thinly sliced veggies get nothing more than a glug of my best olive oil (my current favorite is a tin of it I brought back with me from Portugal, where I made this cake for our workshop picnic), the flakiest of salt, a few fresh herbs clipped from the porch garden, and a squeeze of lemon or drizzle of sherry vinegar (my preference over the ubiquitous balsamic, but that’s another post.) When the backbones of your cooking are strong, you need very little to make food shine. A great olive oil, fine butter, vinegar, and salt along with fresh herbs (woody thyme, parsley, and apple mint are my favorites) and local produce, meat, and dairy is pretty much all I ever need or use to make dinner.

This cake is special. With both a full cup of oil and buttermilk in it, it’s incredibly moist but the crust is crispy. It’s like one giant top of the cupcake. You know what I mean. My birthday is coming up here in a few days, my 31st. I only just remembered it was even happening because I was on the phone with my mother. I think forgetting your own birthday is a little bit satisfying. I’ve yet to analyze myself to figure out why. That said, I’ll have all I could ever want that night. We leave for New Orleans on the 30th. It will be the second time I’ve been back since Katrina after living there for near 5 years. I miss it, always have, and likely always will. A hearty portion of the constellation that is myself refuses to call anywhere else home. The air crackles there. The energy flows fast, dark and light, in great undulating channels, and they snake through the quarter and up the street car line and down through the cracks in the Bywater. If you can feel such things, your hair stands on end in that city. It’ll eat you a live or give you new life. Hard to ever say which. But you’ll have oysters and crawfish either way, so it’s never so bad. And on my 31st I’ll be having a quiet dinner at Pêche and walking my old stomping grounds, dodging old ghosts and meeting new ones. And maybe when I get home I’ll celebrate with family & a slice of this cake.

Fennel Rose Olive Oil Cake

Fennel Grapefruit Olive Oil Cake

Fennel Grapefruit Olive Oil Cake

Fennel Rose Olive Oil Cake

Santa Susana

Fennel Rose Olive Oil Cake

Print
Herbes de Provence & Rose Olive Oil Cake

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 3 small bundt cakes or two 8" layers

Ingredients

  • 375 grams (3 cups) unbleached all purpose flour
  • 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1.5 teaspoon flaky sea salt
  • 3 tsp herb de provence
  • 385 grams (2 cups) sugar
  • 1/2 cup fresh grapefruit juice (o.j. works too)
  • 1.5 tsp rose water (concentrate, like Nielson-Massey)
  • 220 grams (1 cup) good olive oil
  • 240 grams (1 cup) buttermilk
  • 3 eggs
  • For Glaze
  • 125 grams (1 cup) powdered sugar + more to thicken if needed
  • 2 Tablespoons grapefruit juice
  • 1/8-1/4 teaspoon rosewater, to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Thoroughly grease your cake tin, most especially thoroughly if using a bundt pan.
  2. In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, herb de provence, and sugar.
  3. In a separate bowl whisk together the grapefruit juice, olive oil, buttermilk, rose water, and eggs.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently stir with a spoon to just combine, making sure to scrape the bottom. Do not overmix.
  5. Pour the batter about 2/3 way up the sides of your cake tins or pan (will make about 3 small bundt cakes or 2-3 8" layers depending on how thick you make them), and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes to an hour (depending on size of cakes). Cake should be a deep golden brown and a cake tester should come out clean when inserted. A few crumbs are fine; it just shouldn't be wet or goopy.
  6. Allow cakes to cool in their tins about 10 minutes, and then turn out onto a cooking rack to cool completely before icing.
  7. Meanwhile whisk together your glaze. In a bowl whisk the juice and rosewater into the powdered sugar. Add sugar if you need to thicken it to get it to a pourable but quite thick consistency. Alternately, you can thin it with additional juice or cream as needed. Spoon the glaze over your cake. And enjoy!

Notes

inspired by Maialino's Olive Oil Cake via Food52

3.1
https://localmilkblog.com/2014/06/fennel-rose-olive-oil-cake.html

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tags: birthday, bundt, cake, glaze, grapefruit, herb de provence, lavender, olive oil, rose, rose water, rosewater

42 thoughts on “Herbes de Provence & Rose Olive Oil Cake”

  1. Leslie says:
    June 20, 2014 at 9:23 pm

    Thank you Beth!!! Loved the post and can’t wait to make this cake!!! Love, love, love this recipe! Hope to see you soon. Let me know when you plan to visit New York, would be great to see you and wishes for a very very happy 31st birthday! xoxo

    Reply
    1. beth says:
      June 20, 2014 at 9:35 pm

      An FYI! To make it like I made it at the workshop, sub 3 tsp ground fennel seeds for the herb de provence! : )

      Reply
  2. Rebecca says:
    June 20, 2014 at 9:46 pm

    Your photos – absolut perfection. This looks delicious, I would love this with lots of lavender. Your kitchen rules!
    http://www.dancingthroughsunday.typepad.com

    Reply
  3. Resting Roost says:
    June 20, 2014 at 10:23 pm

    This cake looks delicious! I love the addition of olive oil to baked goods, it add so much depth. Thank you for sharing and I hope you have the happiest of birthday!

    Reply
  4. Gina says:
    June 20, 2014 at 11:35 pm

    This sounds sooo good, but how much fennel and how much lemon rind?

    Reply
    1. beth says:
      June 20, 2014 at 11:50 pm

      That was a typo! They aren’t in this recipe. It’s fixed now! : )

      Reply
  5. Michelle @ Hummingbird High says:
    June 21, 2014 at 12:42 am

    This is so stunning. Seriously.

    Reply
  6. Gerry @ Foodness Gracious says:
    June 21, 2014 at 1:16 am

    Your pictures transferred me to another place…and I like it! Fantastic cake and keeping it in mind for my next brunch.

    Reply
  7. Sanda says:
    June 21, 2014 at 4:19 am

    Still no spelt? You know you owned me one … 🙂

    Reply
  8. Sabine@mamangerie says:
    June 21, 2014 at 4:27 am

    such dreamy gorgeous photos – just great. the food 52 recipe has been among my saved ones for quite a while, yet I´ve never made it until now. So your post = my reminder to finally bake with olive oil! merci!

    Reply
  9. Baking Maqique says:
    June 21, 2014 at 5:28 am

    I’m currently in Provence and here you can find the best olive oil! I have to try using olive oil in a cake somtime, however it’s gonna be glutenfree because I try not to eat so much gluten.
    I also like using flowers and herbs from our french garden in my cooking and I recently made a post about homemade lavender lemonade on my blog!
    Have a nice summer!

    Reply
  10. Sini | my blue&white kitchen says:
    June 21, 2014 at 5:54 am

    This cake look beyond amazing! I truly can’t wait to bake one. I love to use olive oil in baking; it’s ‘the secret ingredient’ in many cakes making them extra moist and luscious.
    Happy Birthday, sweet Beth. May your day be filled with old memories and may you find precious new ones on the streets of New Orleans. xoxo

    Reply
  11. Lucia says:
    June 21, 2014 at 10:13 am

    A cake for Midsummer Night’s Eve if ever there was one! Can’t you imagine Queen Titania tracing her fingers through swoops of olive oil and flicking rose petals at Puck?

    Reply
  12. Beeta @ Miss Sophisticate says:
    June 21, 2014 at 1:17 pm

    So beautiful, and looks positively delicious! I just bought a basil olive oil that’s really good (the basil was pressed with the olives vs. just being infused), and I’m wondering if using that with some strawberries in a bread like this would be good. I love that combo so I think I’ll try! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    Reply
  13. anoushka says:
    June 21, 2014 at 1:28 pm

    oh my gosh this sounds really tasty even tho i don’t know what it should taste like but i defo will be trying it out soon!! lol x

    Reply
  14. Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says:
    June 21, 2014 at 4:48 pm

    The cake truly looks delicious , but my heavens, your photos truly take my breath away. They are phenomenal. I am so glad that I found your blog. Your blog is a study on everything a food blog should be. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  15. Kristin says:
    June 21, 2014 at 9:02 pm

    This sounds amazing! I love the combo of rustic herbs and rose, so will definitely be trying this recipe sometime soon! Pinning it right now.

    Reply
  16. Medha @ Whisk & Shout says:
    June 21, 2014 at 10:22 pm

    Everything about this is stunning. From the icing on the cake to the flowers… the photography is beautiful and the cake looks delicious!

    Reply
  17. Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says:
    June 22, 2014 at 11:16 am

    Olive oil wasn’t always in my life either, but not it’s such a staple! Love this recipe 🙂

    Reply
  18. Renee (will frolic for food) says:
    June 22, 2014 at 12:04 pm

    I’ve just started playing with olive oil in cake, and I have yet to make one that I was head over heels about. But, you know what? I haven’t tried a white cake base yet and that’ll probably do the trick.

    I love how you always elevate the flavors in your cakes beyond their original story. You give them a new story that encapsulates a feeling beyond mere cake. You do this with so much of your work, really. It’s an inspiration to me as a writer and fledgling photographer.

    And those cake pans. Damn.

    Reply
  19. ariyele says:
    June 22, 2014 at 8:22 pm

    happy almost birthday fellow cancer! i’m moved to make this! as you know, ratios shift when using alternative (glu-free) flours.
    what’s the consistency of the batter we’re going for? that should help me assess the situation as i go using my (painstakingly) developed all purpose quick bread flour blend.
    cheers beth, thank you. XO

    Reply
  20. Alana Barton says:
    June 23, 2014 at 7:47 am

    Fresh olive oil is one of my favorite small pleasures. I go olive oil tasting almost as often as I go wine tasting. So far I have only added olive oil in my holiday chocolate pumpkin loaf, but I am very excited to try this recipe.

    Reply
  21. Jill says:
    June 24, 2014 at 11:38 am

    I love Herbes de Provence since my father lives in Southern France and it reminds me of my visits there. Funny though, while most of the store-bought herbes de provence we find here has lavendar, French people this it’s pretty odd to be cooking with it. LOVE that smell though.

    Reply
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  23. Skye says:
    June 26, 2014 at 1:14 am

    So beautiful! I love rose scented cakes…and your photos take me back to Santa Susanna…
    Happy Birthday, Beth – and have a fabulous time in New Orleans! Xx

    Reply
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  25. dervla says:
    June 29, 2014 at 3:21 pm

    olive oil in a cake … swoon 🙂

    Reply
  26. Anze says:
    July 15, 2014 at 4:02 pm

    I thought I was the smarted man on earth, when I thought of making cake with Herbs the Provence (I came back two days ago), but looks like someone outsmarted me already. I was thinking of putting it into a vegan lemon sponge. Love the recipe.

    Reply
  27. Tre Cavil says:
    July 15, 2014 at 8:51 pm

    Not sure what looks better, the cake or the photography. I truly enjoy your approach to your photos!

    Reply
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  29. Maggie says:
    July 29, 2014 at 1:50 am

    This looks and sounds delicious. I can’t wait to try it. Any tips for scaling it down? We are just 2, would love to share with others but only if I succeed 🙂

    Reply
  30. Mary says:
    July 29, 2014 at 11:39 am

    Beth,
    I get a lot of food blogs, and yours is the only one I always look at. I love your photography. The day you published this I had just found my old jelly mold pans — how serendipitous. I skipped the rose water (not a big fan) and didn’t have any grapefruit juice (so used lemon). Made two cakes (in my two pans). One came with me to a dinner party and the other I enjoyed all by myself for the week. I was asked by several attendees for the recipe. It was so delicious and moist and flavorful. Hopefully you now have a few new subscribers due to this yummy and beautiful cake.

    Reply
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  34. Carolyn says:
    September 13, 2014 at 5:47 pm

    I made these today in Bundt-ette pans (2 pans – 6 portions each). I used orange juice and also included about 2 tsp. of orange zest. I baked them for 20 minutes and they are perfect, moist and delicious. Thank you!

    Reply
  35. amy (Wooden Spoon Baking) says:
    September 15, 2014 at 11:28 am

    This just came out of the oven, and it smells heavenly! I adapted to gluten-free with ease, thanks to your measuring the flour in grams. (A cornmeal, brown rice, and tapioca starch blend–to go with the orange zest I threw in. ) Every time I make olive oil cake it’s a reminder to do so more often. Thanks for exacting measurements and beautiful flavor combinations. Next time I will try the fennel seed & orange combo! Always a treat.

    Reply
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  37. Claire says:
    December 6, 2014 at 8:28 pm

    I made this cake tonight and ohmygod. I did not have any herbs de Provence so I got creative! I steeped earl grey teabags in warmed buttermilk and also added some ground earl grey into the flour mix. I added clementine zest into the oil as well as a few drops of bergamot oil. My only slip was not flouring the bundt pan I used. I greased it thoroughly but the top stuck upon removal! Next time I’d flour and allow it to sit 15 minutes rather than 10. Bundt pans are tricky! The rose water glaze I also added a few drops of bergamot oil to, perfection. I saved the cake by just leaving the rough top glazed and used the leftover chunks from the top to snack on, I couldn’t help myself. The flaky maldon salt I used in the batter really brought out the other flavors, it’s a beautiful, delectable imperfection.

    Reply
  38. jake says:
    March 17, 2015 at 6:35 pm

    could you make this in muffin tins/how would you modify baking time? thanks!

    Reply
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  40. Kae says:
    April 29, 2018 at 7:58 pm

    Hi! Are you using dried or fresh herbs for this cake? I
    Made this last night, and it was delicious— but I used dried and the herbs were a tad strong for some people’s liking? Made me wonder if you meant fresh. Thank you!

    Reply

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