Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Yield: Makes one bread loaf-sized cake.

This delicious autumn olive poppy seed cake with orange icing is moist and simple to make. It boasts a fresh orange flavour, along with the wonderful taste of autumn olive berries.

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Ingredients

>> 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
>> 1 tsp baking powder
>> 1/2 tsp salt
>> 1/2 cup sugar
>> Zest of 1 orange (save the juice)
>> 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
>> 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
>> 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
>> 2 eggs
>> 1/2 cup buttermilk
>> 2 tbsp poppy seeds
>> 1/2 cup autumn olives, washed and separated from stem
>> 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
>> 1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9″x5″ loaf pan and set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and set aside.

Stir the sugar and the orange zest together until well-combined and fragrant. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar/zest mixture together until light. Add the vanilla and orange extracts. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well until thoroughly incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Add the poppy seeds. Process the batter until smooth, about 15-20 seconds. Fold in the red currants.

To make the orange glaze, whisk the powdered sugar and orange juice until creamy. If needed, add more orange juice, a little at a time, until the correct consistency is achieved (thick, smooth, yet still liquid).

Pour the batter into the pan and bake until the cake is firm and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Cool for an hour and drizzle with orange glaze. Let glaze set before serving.

Wild Edibles in Recipe:

Wild Fungi in Recipe:

Edible Trees and Shrubs in Recipe: Autumn Olive

Recipe Category: Desserts and Snacks