Citrus Olive Oil Cake

Cake with olive oil? Yes, it’s true and it’s mighty good. Yeah, I was skeptical myself, but what a pleasant surprise. The key to finding the right flavor in an olive oil cake is using a high quality olive oil that is good enough to eat on its own.

Simple enough right? Yes, but you would be surprise how many types and flavors there are when it comes to olive oil. The spectrum can run anywhere from fruity to peppery and from smooth to robust. To run an olive oil taste test think wine, beer and coffee and follow the same four S’s” (Swirl, Sniff, Slurp and Swallow)

For this cake I used Carapelli’s Il Numerato Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Smooth in flavor and low in acidity it lent a subtle flavor and added a great amount of depth in terms of creating a moist and hardy crumb. To compliment the olive oil are some orange and lemon zest for a citrus Bundt cake that is subtle in sweetness but bursting with flavors.

A few notes:

• The recipe I used is an adaptation of Giada De Laurentis Almond Citrus Olive Oil Cake.
• The adaptations I made were: (1) I skipped the almonds so that the olive oil and citrus flavors would shine through uninterrupted. (2) I also kicked up the citrus zests amounts from two teaspoons to three. (3) I skipped the accompanying citrus compote and opted to keep the cake simple with a glaze.
• For this recipe I used a food processor instead of mixer and found the results to be quite fantastic. The food processing blade easily blended the oil in the batter.
• For this cake I recommend using Carapelli’s Il Numerato or Carapelli’s Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil that has a slight fruity bite with the subtlest hint of pepper, the pepper would be a great added dimension to this cake. The mildest in flavor that would also work for this cake or for any other baking substitutions is Carapelli’s Extra Light in Taste Olive Oil.

Citrus Olive Oil Cake

Adapted from Giada De Laurentis

Makes on 8 inch cake | Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8-inch-diameter cake pan

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups aal-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Citrus Glaze:

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 4-5 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

1. Add flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and whisk to blend; set aside… Using an electric mixer or a food processor beat the sugar, eggs, and zests in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Add in milk and beat until combined. Keep the mixer or food processor running and gradually add in oil and continue to beat until combined. Turn off mixer or food processor. Add in flour mixture into wet ingredients and using a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula fold and mix until combined.
2. Pour batter into prepared cake pan or Bundt pan and bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool completely before glazing.
3. To make the citrus glaze:
4. Add powdered sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and mix to combine. Pour finished glaze over cooled cake and set aside for 30 minutes for glaze to set.