Seriously, So Good: Simple Recipes for a Balanced Life aims to teach delicious, satisfying recipes that are still good for your health, heart, and mind. The new book by blogger and creator of Brocc Your Body, Carissa Stanton, even includes desserts! Just because you’re being mindful, doesn’t mean giving up something sweet. Here’s what the author has to say about the recipe:

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There’s something so classy about olive oil cake—it’s fancy yet simple and always a crowd-pleaser. This version, framed after the dessert at the Italian trattoria Maialino in NYC, adds just a few extra ingredients to really step it up from the average. Olive oil replaces the usual butter, but I use a light-tasting extra-virgin olive oil that isn’t aggressively peppery. Pulsing the sugar with the rosemary and orange zest helps release the oils and perfume the sugar for more flavor. And the cake is versatile. It can be made entirely with all-purpose flour, or you can substitute cornmeal or whole wheat flour for the almond flour. Almost any spirit works, too; try amaretto or brandy or kirsch. There are tons of liberties to be taken to suit your needs! The cake rises quite a bit while baking so make sure your cake pan is at least 2 inches deep. And if you’re not an icing person (can’t relate), you can serve it with whipped cream, ice cream, or even sorbet!

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

Cake

• Extra-virgin olive oil for the pan
• 13⁄4 cups sugar
• 11⁄2 tablespoons grated orange zest
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 11⁄2 cups all-purpose flour 1⁄2 cup almond flour
• 11⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder 3 large eggs
• 11⁄4 cups whole milk
• 1⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1⁄4 cup Grand Marnier
• 1⁄4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Icing

• 3⁄4 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice, or more as needed

Garnish

• 1 pint raspberries
• Fresh rosemary sprigs

Instructions

Make the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil a 9-inch round cake pan that is at least 2 inches deep and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
2. In a small food processor, combine the sugar, orange zest, and chopped rosemary and pulse for 10 to 20 seconds to combine.
3. Transfer the sugar mixture to a medium bowl. Whisk in both flours, the salt, baking soda, and baking powder. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, olive oil, Grand Marnier, and orange juice. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, place on a sheet pan, and bake until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.
5. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 30 minutes.
6. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, invert the cake onto the rack, turn right side up, and let cool.

Make the icing:

7. Add the powdered sugar to a small bowl. Slowly whisk enough orange juice until you have a pourable icing.

Garnish:

8. Set the cake on a rack set over a piece of parchment or foil. Drizzle the icing over the cake. Top with the raspberries and fresh rosemary sprigs.

Excerpted from Seriously, So Good: Simple Recipes for a Balanced Life. Copyright @ 2024 by Carissa Stanton. Photography Copyright © 2024 by Alanna Hale. Reproduced by permission of Simon Element, and imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.