Olive Oil Cake

Every weekend, when Bubs has this afternoon nap, Hubs and I get to savour some peace and quiet. Hubs, without fail, will be glued in front of his laptop and this is what I usually get up to.

 

That's right, I bake. I like having snacks stocked up in the fridge to bring to the office for the week ahead, plus to mention the sheer look of delight on Bub's sleep little face when he wakes up to the wafting aroma of baked goodies.

I prefer fuss free recipes so this olive oil cake recipe has been a firm favourite. It's incredibly easy and forgiving. We cook with olive oil at home so we always have some on hand but I prefer a stronger, fruitier taste for this cake so I use extra virgin (which I usually reserve to dip with bread). A variation that I add to this recipe is to toss in half a punnet of blueberries which goes so well with the lemony flavour.

Recipe link:

Ingredients:

• zest of 1-2 citrus fruits
• 1/4-1/3 cup of fresh squeezed citrus juice (this was two lemons for me)
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 - 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

This cake bakes at 350 F for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. You'll also need a small cake pan (I used a 10 inch spring pan) and parchment paper to cover the bottom of the pan for best results. :D The smaller the pan the taller the cake.

Steps:

1. Measure out the flour, salt and baking powder into a medium sized bowl and mix with a fork.
2. Zest your citrus fruit over the flour mixture (more is better!) and mix it in.
3. Juice the fruits, making sure you have at least 1/4 cup of juice.
4. Smear butter or oil on the inside of the baking pan, and line the bottom with parchment paper.
5. Whisk the four eggs with the sugar for a couple minutes until nice and frothy
6. Add in the olive oil while whisking
7. Add in the citrus juice while whisking
8. Add in the flour mixture and mix until the batter is nice and smooth - the flour has a tendency to clump here. You can either sift the flour mixture into the liquid mix or just beat the clumps out with a whisk. I did the whisk! This cake is super forgiving.
9. Pour the batter into your pan, tap it on the counter to knock out the air bubbles and pop it into the oven
10. Bake at 350 F for 45 F or so until cooked all the way through - mine took 50 minutes.
11. Let it cool for a few minutes, and then use a knife to go around the edges and free it from the pan. It should pop right out if you've used parchment in the bottom and greased the sides.

I usually get lazy and bake it in a Pyrex glass loaf pan so it's easy for me to slice. Mine turns out darker because I use Muscovado sugar which adds a richer, more caramel flavour. When freshly out of the oven, it tastes like a slice of warm, sunshine, especially when you sink your teeth into the juicy blueberries. Perfect with a cup of strong tea ... or make that a glass of cold milk for Bubs ;)