Rosemary and Cranberry Orange Cake

Serves 12 to 16

Ingredients:
CAKE
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup chopped dried dates
1 cup English walnuts or pecans
2 tablespoons  chopped fresh rosemary
zest of 2 oranges
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
¾ cup vegetable oil
ORANGE GLAZE
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup powdered sugar

Equipment Needed:
A 10-inch tube pan; a wire rack

Directions:

To prepare the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Stir in the cranberries, dates, walnuts, rosemary, and orange zest. Combine the eggs, buttermilk, and oil in a bowl and mix well. Add to the flour mixture, and stir until combined. Pour into a greased 10-inch tube pan. Bake for 1 hour or until the cake tests done. Cool in the pan until lukewarm. Invert onto a wire rack set over a large bowl.

To prepare the glaze, combine the orange juice and sugar in a bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour over the cake repeatedly until all of the mixture is absorbed by the cake. Let stand for 25 minutes. Chill, covered, for 24 hours. Serve plain or with whipped cream.

Recipe source: Herbal Cookery From the Kitchens and Gardens of the St. Louis Herb Society, The St. Louis Herb Society, 2009, page 149.

This recipe was featured in the January 2026 issue of The St. Louis Herb Society’s newsletter The Thymes.
To obtain a copy of this recipe click on Rosemary and Cranberry Orange Cake

return to Favorite Recipes