Orange Rosemary Cake + Baking as Self Care

It's all about the process...

Today I have a new Orange Rosemary Cake recipe for you that’s naturally gluten-free, ultra tender and easy to make. It tastes like a ray of sunshine, and I hope it will brighten up your kitchen this season. But before we dive in, let’s talk a bit about baking.

I haven’t always been a baker. When I went to culinary school in 2005, I identified myself strongly as a cook. Sure the pastry department was fun, but it was too calculated and cold (literally—the pastry room was freezing!). I liked flinging stuff around in pans. I liked fire. I liked manipulating food as I went. Baking seemed too mental (all that measuring!) and confining.

However, something has changed in me over the last decade. 

While in the past my sweet tooth would motivate any baking I did (I baked out of a sheer desire to eat the treat), over time it’s become less about the end result and more about the process of baking itself. There's something about the repetition that brings me peace: the feeling of flour on my hands, the smell of sugar, the scrape of my whisk on the bottom of the bowl. The act of creating something tangible, from start to finish, is satisfying and grounding (I suspect all of you bakers out there are nodding your heads). It’s about the process. 

That being said, the baking I love to do is rustic and simple—you’ll never find me making three tiered cakes or even fussy cookies. I love to experiment with baked goods, making them simpler, less sweet and more…hmm, cozy.  I’ve found there’s freedom in the repetition of baking after all. 

But there’s a catch. If I’m focusing on the end result instead of the process, baking loses its magic. If I’m trying to make an “Instagram worthy” cake/cookie/pie/etc., baking becomes tedious, maybe even stressful. However, if I surrender to the acts of measuring, whisking and stirring simply for their own sakes, the process becomes one of ease. There’s nobody to impress; there’s no pressure. There’s just the act of creating, of making something with my own two hands simply because I want to. 

(I know what you’re thinking… Aren’t the pictures here designed to be Instagram worthy?! Ha, yes. The truth is that my photos need to look appetizing so that people will want to make the recipes, but what you’re seeing here is work. This is not the baking I’m referring to.)

The baking I love most is done on dim days (bonus points if it’s raining or snowing!). It’s driven by a desire to take up space in my warm kitchen, to be in my body and engaged with my senses, and yes, to smell and eat something delicious. For me, baking has become an act of mindfulness, embodiment and even self care.

Perhaps this weekend you can bake something just for you as an act of self love. Turn on your favorite music or simply listen to the clatter of dishes and the sweep of your spatula. Allow the process to feel like a hug. Then feed yourself as you would a child, with tenderness and joy. 

Orange Rosemary Cake

This Orange Rosemary Cake is my favorite kind of cake to bake. It’s simple and homey, and it can be dressed up or down. The recipe is adapted from this Orange Olive Oil Cake and is made with a mixture of almond flour (which lends a rich, tender crumb) and cornmeal (which provides texture and a slight crunch). The secret ingredient is fresh rosemary—if you haven’t tried baking with rosemary, now’s the time! Rosemary + oranges = match made in heaven.

The herb gives this cake a subtle but profound dimension. You can keep things ultra simple and serve the not-too-sweet cake just as it is (perhaps with a piping hot cup of tea), but I love to top it with billows of whipped cream and juicy orange segments. Oh, what a delicious hug indeed.

You can watch how the cake comes together in this video. 

Recipe tips: 

• This cake is baked in a springform pan, which makes it easy to remove (as it’s a rather delicate cake). However, you can use a 9-inch cake pan if you don’t have one. 

• I love topping the cake with a mix of navel and Cara Cara and/or blood oranges, which lend a lovely color. 

• For a dairy-free cake, use dairy-free milk in the batter and top the cake with coconut whipped cream (which you can adapt from this recipe). 

• The cake tastes even better with time so go ahead and make it the day before!

• As I recently discovered when my baked goods were turning out wonky, it’s a good idea to invest in an oven thermometer (my oven was 25-50 degrees off!). 

• For foolproof baked goods I highly suggest investing in an inexpensive kitchen scale, as it’s much more accurate than cups (and easier).