Olive Oil Cake
At the start of the year, I committed to trying out new recipes, both cooking and baking. Cooking doesn’t come so easy to me; if I’m following a recipe, I can whip up a good meal, but on my own, not so much. On the other hand, baking comes a bit more naturally, and it’s a process I enjoy. Our January recipe is one I recently discovered - Olive Oil Cake. People raved about how good it was, and it piqued my curiosity, so I had to try it for myself.
I searched the internet for recipes and decided to try this one from Bon Appetit. Although I followed most of the recipe as it was written, I did make a few tweaks based on the reviews I read. The recipe calls for a liqueur, and the only one I had on-hand is made from elderflowers. With my choice of liqueur, instead of using lemon zest and juice, I used orange. I also added a few drops of Cardamom Essential Oil I knew it would pair nicely with the rest of the ingredients. You could always use the actual spice if you have it on-hand.
The results far exceeded my expectations. The cake was full of flavor; it was perfectly moist and so heavenly. The olive oil did not compromise the taste of the cake. The top layer had just a touch of crunch as you took a bite. I felt a bit fancy eating this cake, and it was so bougie and blissful.
So here it is, my version of an Olive Oil Cake.
OLIVE OIL CAKE - 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
1¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; plus more for pan
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar; plus more for pan
2 cups cake flour
⅓ cup almond flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons St-Germaine Elderflower Liqueur
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 drops of Young Living Cardamom Essential Oil
3 large eggs
MATERIALS
A 9”-diameter pan
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle bottom and sides of pan with oil and use your fingers to coat. Line bottom with a round of parchment paper and smooth to eliminate air bubbles; coat parchment with more oil. Generously sprinkle pan with sugar and tilt to coat in an even layer; tap out excess. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk cake flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Combine and eliminate any lumps.
In a small bowl, stir together liqueur, orange juice, cardamom essential oil and vanilla.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed (use whisk attachment if working with a stand mixer), beat eggs, orange zest, and 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar in a large bowl until mixture is very light, thick, and pale, about 3 minutes if using a stand mixer and about 5 minutes if using a hand mixer.
With mixer still on high speed, gradually stream in 1¼ cups oil (the remaining 2 tbsp will be used later) and beat until incorporated and mixture is even thicker.
Reduce mixer speed to low and add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with liqueur mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Fold batter several times with a spatula, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of bowl. Remember, do not over mix.
Scrape batter into prepared pan, smooth top, and sprinkle with more sugar.
Place cake in oven and immediately reduce oven temperature to 350°. Bake until top is golden brown, center is firm to the touch, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40–50 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan 15 minutes.
Poke holes all over top of cake with a toothpick or skewer and drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil; let it absorb. Run a thin knife around edges of cake and remove ring from pan. Slide cake onto rack and let cool completely.
The recipe notes that for the best flavor and texture, you should wrap the cake in plastic and let sit at room temperature at least a day before serving. I did follow this tip but it made the anticipation of biting into the cake a bit more difficult. I have to admit, it was worth the wait.
ENJOY!
Xoxo - G
