Ever since i had a bite of Maialino's revelatory olive oil muffin, olive oil baked goods have been on my mind. Baking is not my forté and my last olive oil cake was painfully dry, but my new, unopened bottle of extra virgin olive oil was calling to me.
Frantoia EVOO is quite a splurge (even at a 50% discount), but it is a staple in my pantry. If it's good enough for Eric Ripert, then it's certainly worth trying. It is great for dressings and drizzling on top of anything, including your finger. The olive oil cake recipe that I decided to use calls for a Sicilian olive oil, so Frantoia seemed like a suitable alternative to Frankies EVOO, which seems to be available at the Food Coop. I may have to pick up a bottle sometime, after I finally visit Frankies 457.
This recipe yields a light, fluffy cake that would complement a cup of tea or coffee. Basically, it's a cake that I'm going to eat for breakfast. The tablespoon of orange zest gives the cake a hint of citrus flavor without overpowering the olive oil, which is truly the hero in this dessert. Although the original recipe says that the bake time is about an hour, I found that my cake was completely done at 45 minutes. It was a little overbaked, and i would have preferred to have taken it out at 40 minutes. Fortunately, the cake flour helped to keep it soft.
Olive Oil Bundt Cake
Adapted from Food & Wine
Serves 12 (Or 4... I definitely ate 1/4 of this cake by myself)
5 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups cake flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter and flour a 10-cup bundt pan.
2. With an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar and orange zest at medium-high speed until smooth. Gradually beat in the olive oil until creamy, about 2 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the cake flour with the baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture in 3 batches, beating on medium speed between additions.
4. Scrape the batter into the bundt pan and bake in the center of the oven for 35-40 minutes or until done. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a rack. Let the cake cool completely before cutting into slices and serving.
