Olive Oil Cake with Saffron Buttercream Frosting

Today, we are welcomed into the kitchen of environmental advocate and storyteller, Elana Jadallah.

Read on for the dreamiest olive oil cake topped with mood-boosting saffron buttercream frosting!

Hey, I’m Elana; some call me “Loo.” I am of Palestinian & Egyptian lineage, so saffron was very much a part of my childhood. From my vantage, it is a sacred ancestral ally that I feel grateful to have woven back into my life through THE FULLEST’s Warm Feelings® saffron latte and Kinder Thoughts® saffron capsules. This year, on my birthday, I felt inspired to incorporate saffron into my cake as a nod to my inner child and my reclamation of my whole, entire self. Here’s how I made it…

Ingredients for the Olive Oil Cake:

• 1 and ⅔ cups organic flour (can substitute 1:1 for gluten free flour)
• 2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¾ cup organic panela sugar 
• ½ cup high-quality, cold-pressed, organic olive oil
• 3 pasture raised eggs
• ½ cup organic raw milk

Ingredients for the Saffron Buttercream Frosting:

• 1 cup raw cultured butter, slightly softened
• 1-2 tablespoons Warm Feelings® saffron latte powder (to your liking)
• (Up to) 3 cups organic powdered sugar (recipe I used called for 3, but I prefer mine less sweet)
• 1-2 tablespoons organic raw milk (as needed)

Assembly:

1. To start, heat your oven to 350°F. Butter your 9-inch round baking pan.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, mix your flour, baking powder, and a tidbit of salt. If you want an extra saffron boost, add a tablespoon of the Warm Feelings® saffron latte powder to have a little in the cake and a little in the frosting (up to you)!
3. Mix sugar and eggs with a low speed in a large bowl or stand mixer until blended. Once that’s combined, incorporate the olive oil and raw milk.
4. Whisk your dry flour mixture into your wet ingredients until smooth. Pour into your baking pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown (try this trick: stick a toothpick or fork in the center & if it comes out clean, it’s ready!)
5. While your cake is baking, make your buttercream frosting. Add the slightly softened butter (somewhere between straight out of the refrigerator and room temperature) to the mixing bowl or stand mixer with your saffron. Combine that for about two minutes at medium speed.
6. Scrape the bowl’s sides and then add the powdered sugar with the mixer on the lowest setting. I prefer my frosting to be less sweet, so I started with a cup of powdered sugar and then intuitively added as I sampled to find the taste and consistency I enjoyed. It doesn’t take long for the sugar and the butter to blend, maybe 30 seconds once you’ve got your ratio perfected.
7. Scrape the sides of the bowl again, and then you can increase the mixer speed to medium and mix for 30-45 more seconds until the frosting starts to be light and fluffy. Keep testing it for taste & consistency! If the frosting is still dry or crumbly, add 1 teaspoon of raw milk and mix again.
8. Once your cake is baked, cool it for 15 minutes on a cooling rack before trying to get it out of the pan. If you buttered your pan, the cake should separate smoothly from it, and you can then frost and serve.
9. Adorn it with Strands of Sunshine® saffron threads, edible flowers, candles — whatever your heart desires!

Be sure to follow along Elana on herwebsite &Instagram!