The osmanthus syrup and vanilla give this Osmanthus Cake a delicate sweetness, and the moist, dense yet airy texture makes it a delight to eat. Since this absolutely flawless yellow cake with a dark, thick crust came out of the oven, it has been our newfound love.
It’s delicious at any meal of the day, from breakfast to afternoon tea, especially when topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit or ice cream.
Approximately ten times have passed since we perfected the formula. It always sells out in two days. In a word, it’s fantastic.
All About Osmanthus
Native to East Asia, the osmanthus flower is known as guhu in the Mandarin Chinese language. It’s commonly used as an ingredient in Chinese dessert syrup or as a seasoning wine for braising meats, and it’s also available as a dry tea.
In this case, elderflower may be the closest thing you have in mind. Elderflower and osmanthus both have a mildly flowery taste without being overbearing.
Osmanthus syrup, labeled 糖桂花 in Chinese supermarkets, is used here.
It creates a very fragrant cake that isn’t overtly floral when combined with vanilla and coconut oil (if you choose to use it).
Instead, it’s got a higher level of sophistication than regular yellow cake, including all the decadent flavor of a sour cream cake or pound cake.
It’s a breeze to mix up the batter. However, things become more complicated once it is placed in the pan and placed in the oven.
Why? When allowed to cool, the crust of this cake becomes quite dark and brown. The dense cake’s robust flavor is due in part to the crust. But if you’re not careful, it’ll go up in flames in no time.
The universal truth is that every single oven is unique. Therefore, now that we are halfway through, please pay more attention to this cake.
Acquiring a dark brown crust without burning is the objective. The cake will need to be tent-cooked at a lower temperature. This additional precaution safeguards against the potential collapse of the cake’s center if you poke it too soon to test for doneness.
Pay attention to how this osmanthus cake bakes the first time you make it. Almost certainly, this won’t be your final attempt, so you should get ready as though it were.
Changes and Replacements Should be Avoided
In the end, you’ll succeed if you just follow these steps. I baked this cake no less than seven times until I got the timing correct.
I used a wide range of bundt and muffin pans, as well as larger pyrex dishes, elaborate parchment paper arrangements, and oven settings. If you follow what you see, you should be fine.
Stick with a 9-inch round or square pan. To avoid food sticking to the pan, choose a light-colored nonstick coating, such as the beige varieties available on the market. The fire will consume it.
Any suitable swaps have already been baked into the recipe, so feel free to experiment with further swaps at your own risk!
Glaze or Not to Glaze?
This cake is glazed all over, so it tastes nearly like a glazed cake doughnut.
It enhances the cake’s sweetness and aesthetic appeal. However, we enjoyed this cake equally well with and without the glaze.
I would recommend it a without the glaze to gauge how you react!
Ingredients:
For the cake:
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/3 cups of almond flour
- 1 cup of self-rising flour
- 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup of unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup of neutral flavored oil
- 1/4 cup of osmanthus syrup
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
For the glaze:
- 2 cups of sifted confectioner’s sugar
- 4-5 tablespoons of milk
- 2 tablespoons of osmanthus syrup
Instructions:
- Preheat oven temperature up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a 9-inch springform pan by greasing and flouring it. You can also use a square pan that’s 8 inches on a side, but if the pan has a dark nonstick coating, it will probably burn while you’re cooking.
- Butter, sugar, and vanilla extract should be combined in a bowl of a stand mixer outfitted with the paddle attachment and allowed to come to room temperature. For 1 minute at medium speed, beat until mixture is fluffy and light.
- When using solid coconut oil, combine it with the butter at the same time. The liquid ingredient should be added after the butter and sugar have been creamed together.
- If you use liquid coconut oil instead of solid coconut oil, the mixture may split slightly. It’s fine with me if that happens. One at a time, add the eggs, with the bowl scraped in between each addition. It ought to be heavily emulsified and a rich golden color.
- Add the osmanthus syrup and combine. Scrape the bowl once more to ensure uniform mixing.
- Whisk together the almond flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Reduce the mixer’s speed to low, add the dry ingredients in three additions, and mix until incorporated.
- Put the mixture into the baking dish. Throw in the oven as soon as it’s heated up and bake for 25 minutes. Cover the cake with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.
- When a toothpick placed in the cake comes out clean, it’s done. Caution: early poking of the cake may cause it to sink in the middle. Even if this occurs, the food will still be delicious. To cool, take the cake out of the oven. Ideally, it would be a dark brown shade.
- Wait 20 minutes for the cake to cool in the pan before trying to remove it. Use a paring knife to loosen the rim of the pan. Tend to on a wire rack until thoroughly cool before glazing.
- To glaze the cake, mix together some powdered sugar, milk, and osmanthus syrup in a bowl until you get a smooth glaze. If the glaze seems too thick after adding 4 tablespoons of milk, add the last tablespoon. Use to cover the cake after it has cooled.